Conservative maintenance

If you have a string instrument of any kind that needs fixing, a mistake you made in building a new instrument that you need to "disappear," or a question about the ethics of altering an older instrument, ask here. Please note that it will be much easier for us to help you decide on the best repair method if you post some pictures of the problem.
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brian hughes
Posts: 2
Joined: Sun Mar 04, 2012 10:41 am

Conservative maintenance

Post by brian hughes »

I've just bought an Eko Ranger 12 string, with damage to the back in two points and a crack in the lacquer on the top, none of which seems to be affecting the playability. I'm looking for pointers on stabilising the damage so that I can get on with playing and enjoying it for the immediate future, without worrying too much about the damage getting worse, or contaminants getting in to cause problems with a future repair. Any suggestions? Anything better than duct tape?
JC Whitney
Posts: 208
Joined: Mon Jan 09, 2012 1:19 am

Re: Conservative maintenance

Post by JC Whitney »

Pictures?
Michael Lewis
Posts: 1474
Joined: Thu Jan 12, 2012 1:22 am
Location: Northern California USA
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Re: Conservative maintenance

Post by Michael Lewis »

Ont thing to remember is that you get basically ONE CHANCE at making the best repair. After that the job can grow enormously if you want to "make it right". It is usually far more difficult to repair something that someone has tried to fix. I suggest you do it right or don't attempt the repair yourself.
brian hughes
Posts: 2
Joined: Sun Mar 04, 2012 10:41 am

Re: Conservative maintenance

Post by brian hughes »

Pictures.... first attempt at cropping down to the 100 kB limit...
backdamage3.jpg
backdamage3.jpg (8.46 KiB) Viewed 5626 times
backdamage1.jpg
Oh, and the top's warped as well.

Basically, I've got an opportunity to learn repair skills on a low value instrument that's been branded as beyond economical repair by at least one technician. The revised first question is now: can a warped 12-string top be flattened?
Where do I start? More information to follow......
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