Reaching Inside the Guitar - Luthier Tips du Jour Mailbag
In this episode, Robbie O’Brien offers a tip for gaining access to hard-to-reach places inside a guitar during repair work.
Video Transcription
[on-screen text reads: Luthier Tips du Jour Mailbag]
Mailbag question: I have large hands and have difficulty getting them inside the guitar for repair work. Can you offer any advice?
Robert O'Brien: Today's Tips Du Jour Mailbag question comes to us from Florida. "Robert, I have large hands and have difficulty getting them inside the guitar for repair work. Can you offer any advice?" Joe in Florida.
Joe, I have the same problem, large hands. And getting inside that guitar, especially way down the lower bout, down below the bridge area, is difficult for me. I have a very simple solution for that. Let's go to the bench. I'll show you how.
How I repair cracks via the soundhole
So Joe, here's a guitar that came into my shop. It's got a crack that runs from the bridge all the way down here to the lower bout. Now getting my hand inside the guitar, getting way down in there, I can only reach to right about in this area. I can't get all the way down back in here where I need to play some cleats, so here's the solution.
I use what I call chopsticks. It's just a piece of scrap Spanish cedar or mahogany that I've cut here. I have a magnet that I've placed inside it, and then I have my cleat with some tape stuck to the top of the magnet. I come inside, get that cleat down in there, close to where I want it. I then come in with a piece of plexiglass, place it on top, and then another magnet right where I want it. I'm already very close. So now just come in and strategically place that cleat with the magnet right in the exact location. That's all there is to it. After dry time, remove the magnet here. You can use the chopsticks to get inside there and bump the magnet off. It falls inside the guitar, you fish it out, and life's good. So Joe in Florida, thank you for your question. I hope you find this tip useful, and happy building.
[on-screen text reads: More Luthier Tips and online courses available at www.obrienguitars.com. Private and small group guitar building and finishing instruction available.]
