Gibson J-50: Lifting Pickguard/Crack at Pickguard

Related Topics: | Body Cracks | Pickguard |


1. An Open Top Crack at the Pickguard is a common problem that many vintage guitars exhibit. Many pickguards were made from celluloid which shrinks over time. The pick- guards were glued with solvents to the bare wood then finished over with the rest of the guitar. Since the pickguards were glued so well to the spruce they commonly cause cracks and distortions in the spruce as the guards shrank over the years. A close inspection reveals that this crack was once repaired with super- glue.	2. A Lifting Pickguard. On this end of the pickguard the celluloid actually came loose from the top of the guitar as the guard shrank. I can easily press the loose pick- guard down with my fingers. This modestly lifting pickguard is a can- didate for pickguard reglue.


3. Removing the Pickguard. I'm slowly working a disassembally knife into the glue joint around the per- imeter of the guard.	4. Keeping Things Flat. Since the repairs this guitar needs are going to take a while, I've sandwiched the modestly distorted pickguard to help prevent more distortion of the cellu- loid.


5. Opening up the Crack from previous repair will allow me to re-align the crack. A small drop of super glue solvent and a dental tool will free things up.	6. Reinforcing the Crack. Since the top of the guitar is distorted at the crack and because this crack won't close, I'll stabalize the top with two cleates before I directly address the crack.


7. Gluing the Cleates with hot hide glue.	8. A Reinforced Crack. Note the two cleates (the large one in the center of this photo and the smaller one to the right by the soundhole). Because this top crack was so dis- torted from years of pull from the pickguard, a larger than normal cleate was necessary. When cleating a pickguard crack I typically make the grain orientation of the cleate a few degrees off paralell with the top grain. However, this cleate is holding the top flat at this crack so I want the added strength of a perpendicular grain orientation.


9. Cleaning out the Crack. Since this crack was previously re- paired with super glue years ago I'll have to remove a small amount of spruce to get past the old glue line. A very small bit in a dremel tool accomplishes this job quickly and cleanly. Typically I use a small sharp knife and a toothebrush for this step of the process. However, the old glue makes more drastic measures necessary.	10. Fabricating the Splint begins with the process of cutting out the splint from suitable spruce. This piece of spruce is really old and exhibits oxidation and a some- what wide grain which is very similar to the grain of the top of this vintage Gibson J-50. The oxidation will closely match the color of the guitar's top. Next, I'll shape the splint with a chisel to achieve a nice tight fit into the open crack.


11. Compressing the Splint will ensure a tight fit. As I shaped the splint, I periodically test fitted it in the crack. When the splint was just a hair too thick to fit into the crack with moderate pressure I stopped removing material with the chisel from the splint.	12. Gluing the Splint with hide glue. I first pressed the splint into place, now I'm applying some hide glue. The glue is somewhat self- penetrating, just to be safe I'll work some glue in between the splint and the inner walls of the crack with my clean finger tips. The glue quickly penetrates into the porous surfaces of the spruce and swells up the splint to it's dimension before I delicately compressed it with a hammer.


13. Trimming the Splint Flush to the Top's Finish. A crank necked trimming chisel is my fav- orite tool for this job. Next I'll use a paring chisel to make two cuts perpendicular accross the top of the splint. This slightly recesses the splint below the surface of the finish leaving room to hide the repair with a finish touchup.	14. Touching up the Splint. There is some pretty serious pick-ware by the crack. I'll fill that with lacquer too while I'm at it.


15. Building a Lacquer Finish Under the Pickguard. This will ensure that the pickguard reglue will hold well. I'll be re-attaching the guard to this instrument with a very thin double sided tape. The tape doesn't adhere very well to bare wood.	16. Leveling the Finish. After building up a finish over the bare wood at the pickguard and over the repaired crack I set aside the guitar for 3 weeks to let the lacquer cure. Now I'm delicately sanding away any brush marks from the application process and ensuring that the new finish is flush with the original.


17. Pickguard Clamping Cauls will allow me to apply a lot of clamping pressure to the top and pickguard during gluing. This will both help correct the distortion in the instrument's top and ensure a strong bond between the top and the pickguard. The outer clamping caul (pictured above) is lined with rubberized cork. The cork will protect the pickguard from unwanted scratches. The inner clamping cauls have dados to accomodate the bracing inside the guitar beneath the pickguard.	18. Clamping the Pickguard. Six c-clamps provide ample clamping pressure to ensure excellent adhesion between the pickguard and the top.


19. A Splinted Crack and filled, pick worn spruce. The splint is barely visible	20. A Stable, Seated Pickguard. This celluloid pickguard will continue so shrink over time. However, the new adhesive will let the guard shrink without damaging the top.