David L?

[Darryl Young]

Hey David! Wonderful to hear from you!

Maybe you could route out the area around that hole (front and back) and inlay new mahogany (or whatever the neck material was.

Then add a veneer on the back of the neck to cover the repair underneath.

On the front, route the veneer off 1/6" - 1/8" inside all the nice binding/purfling (alternatively, route right up to the binding/purfling). Then fit a new veneer inside whatever is left (inside the veneer or inside the binding/purfling). If it doesn't matchup perfectly, route a thin line right at the join of the old and new veneer and add another purfling line.

I just made a stinker boo boo on the guitar I'm building. The fix doesn't look to bad though......and hopefully will look better after binding, staining, and finishing. It's funny that we obsess on things while we are building. I made boo boos on my first build and I never give them a thought now........just play it and it sounds great!

[johnnparchem]

Can you show the damage with a tuner installed. I would drill it out round and fill with a hardwood dowel. It seems like the back would be hidden by the tuner. I am wonder with a little sanding and leveling with CA if the front would be that noticeable past the nut for the tuner.

[Kevin Sjostrand]

Okay David,
I think Darryl's ideas are very doable. You can easily add a veneer to the back after plugging that hole. The idea of routing out the top veneer inside your purfling and then fitting in a new piece is well within your abilities too. I know cause I've seen your work! You can reuse the other tuning machine holes. John's idea will work too, but if you need to hide it completely, give it a go. You can have it repaired in an afternoon and finish this baby up!!
Rah Rah Rah!

Kevin