s1m0n
Jan-21-2010, 11:06pm
I have a two point regal oval-holed flattop, which is beginning to buckle along the line across the waist between the points, which also happens to be right where the oval hole lies. It's not quite uplayable like this, but today I was removing the tuners to use on another project, and decided to see what the problem might be while I had the strings off.
Poking around doesn't reveal any loose struts, etc. In fact, apart from the buckling top, there's nothing wrong. This is obviously the weakest part of the top, because here the top is mostly hole, and there's no longitudinal bracing of any kind, apart from the back and sides. The back and sides show no sign of distress.
Is this a problem that can be addressed? How?
There's a brace across the top just aft of the hole, and there's a blob of glue on the bottom of the brace at about the point where the hole ends, bass side. The glue lump is flat across the bottom, so it had to have been stuck to something parallel with the top, but there's sign of any other gluing point, so I'm working on the theory that this glue once held a pickup rather than anything structural.
Poking around doesn't reveal any loose struts, etc. In fact, apart from the buckling top, there's nothing wrong. This is obviously the weakest part of the top, because here the top is mostly hole, and there's no longitudinal bracing of any kind, apart from the back and sides. The back and sides show no sign of distress.
Is this a problem that can be addressed? How?
There's a brace across the top just aft of the hole, and there's a blob of glue on the bottom of the brace at about the point where the hole ends, bass side. The glue lump is flat across the bottom, so it had to have been stuck to something parallel with the top, but there's sign of any other gluing point, so I'm working on the theory that this glue once held a pickup rather than anything structural.