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Acoustic Guitar Re-topping

You may wonder why replacing the top on a perfectly good laminated wood guitar is worth the trouble. The basic idea is this- I have the know-how to build a high-quality guitar top that will have the rich tone comparable to the best-known high-dollar guitars. In my experience, using a very good top with laminated back and sides is not a serious detriment to the sound. Why not take an inexpensive "donor" guitar and make a serious top for it?

Below are some pics from a recent re-topping that I did for a customer. He brought me a Fransiscan (never heard of them, personally). The guitar had a very boring "cigar box" tone, but was otherwise soundly built. It was a perfect candidate. The owner hates the look of a sunburst anyway, so the new, natural top was a win-win situation. Click on the pics for a larger view.

This is the guitar as it was brought to me.
After removing the portion of the fretboard over the body, I took off the pickguard to use on the new top. I then used a router to cut off the original binding. Look at that binding fly!

I removed most of the top using a jigsaw. This kind of destructive behavior is actually quite fun.
I then cut off the remaining top using a chisel.

The new grade AA bookmatched top before joining.
Top after joining and cutting of the soundhole.

Top with soundhole inlay in place- ready for thickness sanding.
I cut the braces with a 25' raduis. This is the x-brace being glued using a radiused dish and go-bar deck.

The smaller braces being clamped into place.
The new top after final shaping of the braces. I use a thin finish on the underside to protect it from humidity changes. the gluing area is masked off.

Gluing the new top to the body. The neck angle has to be just right at this point.
New binding is then installed. In this case, a simple single layer of black binding.

Regluing the original fretboard end. After this, a new 14th fret is installed. Usually, a little fret leveling is required at this point.
Spraying the finish on the top. The bridge area is masked off.

To the right is the completed guitar. The bridge and pickguard were reused in this case, but this is not always possible. The guitar now has a very rich and punchy sound, comparable to many guitars over $1500. The customer was very satisfied and thanked me for turning something that was virtually useless to him into something he can keep and cherish.

This is the guitar as it was brought to me.	After removing the portion of the fretboard over the body, I took off the pickguard to use on the new top. I then used a router to cut off the original binding. Look at that binding fly!
I removed most of the top using a jigsaw. This kind of destructive behavior is actually quite fun.	I then cut off the remaining top using a chisel.
The new grade AA bookmatched top before joining.	Top after joining and cutting of the soundhole.
Top with soundhole inlay in place- ready for thickness sanding.	I cut the braces with a 25' raduis. This is the x-brace being glued using a radiused dish and go-bar deck.
The smaller braces being clamped into place.	The new top after final shaping of the braces. I use a thin finish on the underside to protect it from humidity changes. the gluing area is masked off.
Gluing the new top to the body. The neck angle has to be just right at this point.	New binding is then installed. In this case, a simple single layer of black binding.
Regluing the original fretboard end. After this, a new 14th fret is installed. Usually, a little fret leveling is required at this point.	Spraying the finish on the top. The bridge area is masked off.
To the right is the completed guitar. The bridge and pickguard were reused in this case, but this is not always possible. The guitar now has a very rich and punchy sound, comparable to many guitars over $1500. The customer was very satisfied and thanked me for turning something that was virtually useless to him into something he can keep and cherish.