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I bought an old Ramirez flamenca several years ago as a project. It has a badly beaten up WRC top with lots of cracks. I'd like to put a new top on it, but don't know how to go about removing the old top without doing a lot of damage. I'd be grateful for some advice. Also, if you are aware of any articles or tutorials on this subject I'd be thankful for any such references, links, etc. that bear on the subject.

Many thanks,
Max

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Max Bishop
Brighton, Michigan

Assuming that the original soundboard is completely shot:
First thing to do is measure the action and decide if it is appropriate/correct. If so you will need to retain the very same Neck angle. If the action/ neck angle needs to be adjusted you can do it on regluing the new soundboard. You should also decide if the current doming is appropriate.
You can save the Bridge and it should be possible to save the rosette.
I would carefully cut through the 12 th fret and remove the fretboard section that is over the body, it can be reused. Cut around the perimeter of the soundboard with a gamil/router but within the binding. No need to remove the binding. You will lose the
purfling. Don't go so deep that you damage the linings. You just want to free the soundboard so that it can be removed. That way you can plot bracing and fan bracing positions. Clean up the ledge. You want the new soundboard to drop in. All the harmonic and fan bars can be reused. Purfling groove is done after the new soundboard is in position and after it has been glued.
That's the method that I would use. I think it's the method that retains most of the original guitar.

I have replaced a top on a classical with an old style (can't think of term now) neck attachment. I removed the fretboard (as needed a new one any way) but can cut it at a fret or two from the body. Removed top, just like a steel string. Made a new top and made new lining for box and glued it on.

Several ways to remove the top, but I usually route it off, unless I am going to use it again. There are probably articles here on how to do both. I don't steam or use a lot of heat on removing when trying to save a top for replacing braces or whatever reason. But in this case, your not doing that, so would route it off, make a new one, clean up rim, replace lining and glue new one on like a new build.

One thing to think about is the matching of binding and purf. That is if a thing you care about a thing that may be a challenge than making and replacing the top. You will want to find matching or close as you can to the original unless you can save that, which I have never done.

When I get an expensive guitar in and those things need to be saved or replaced I refer it out to guys way better at that than I am. I know my limits and do not go beyond them. I have never loved that process enough to practice on cheap stuff.

I do try and save the rosette, bridge and other things if they can be saved as noted above.

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Really not that hard. I re-topped one of my earlier guitars due to a goof up on purflings. Basically, I routed it off using a 1/4" down cut bit and a roller guide on a trim router. I used less than full depth passes till I got to the linings, then chiseled off the remaining pieces. If you are careful enough, you could probably save the binding and most of the purfling, if you care about that. I saved the binding, but not the purfling when I did mine. Saving the rosette was actually pretty easy. Routed around it and left a tiny film of the old top, on the bottom of it to keep it together.

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Thanks to all for your input. I'll probably start in a couple months when I have my current projects out of the way.

Max

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Max Bishop
Brighton, Michigan

If the plastic binding is partially detached and loosely glued in, then you might be able to pop it loose and reuse them, otherwise plan on replacing them. Bindings are cheap unless they have one of those pre ban elephant ivory bindings (which I highly doubt yours will have). Trying to install the soundboard while retaining the original binding will be difficult because you would need to trim that soundboard to exact size. Linings aren't hard to replace either. A bit of steam used in the neck removal process will help in removing the old lining as well (it will be hard to remove the top without doing some damage to the lining, sometimes they have to be partially replaced). Note also bindings tend to be rather fragile...

So the procedure is, first you remove the neck if you can, otherwise I guess you can always cut the joint fret and remove the fingerboard in that section, but that makes the job harder.

If binding is present, try to remove them without damage but if the binding is new or made of wood, this isn't possible. So take a router with your binding jig (whatever it may be) and route the binding off. You can't save it if you can't get it off in one piece, and you can always replace them. If doing this by hand, then use a Gramil and score around the binding and carefully chisel it off. Note on most guitars, the binding is actually WHITE, and the yellow actually comes from the finish. Get sheets of ABS plastic and make your own binding if you don't want to go with Stewmac. You'll save some money this way.

If you wish to save the top (for the sake of argument), but the top has finish that you want to preserve, insert a heated palette knife into the joint and it will soften most woodworking glue. That was how I was able to separate the top of a Stella that was glued in with white glue, without damaging the top. Try to do this without damaging the top if you can. If the finish doesn't need to be intact, place whatever heating device on the rim (clothes iron or whatever) after covering the finish with wax paper or foil to keep the finish from sticking to the heating device. The heat will loosen the top from the lining but will trash the finish. Be very careful around the blocks due to a larger surface area... generous amount of heat will loosen it eventually but you must go slow and if doing this with the hot knife method, go very slowly and only advance at its own pace (so you do not dig in). Keep the knife hot too, a thin palette knife can't hold much heat and if you try to advance a cold knife, you will damage something. Some moisture will aid in the removal process. The steam from neck removal will help as well but it will trash the finish.

After the top is off, try and see if you can repair the top... I've done it to several guitars and all it took was some tape joining. The top had several cracks and they were repaired with hide glue and binding tape. If you do not elect to repair the top, then you can make a new top, voice it, etc. and then just glue it onto the old rim. You will need to use the old top as a guideline and trim the new top to be exactly the same shape as the old top. The reason is when you put it back together, you need a reference so that you do not distort the box as you are putting it together. Once you did that, you can now glue it back on. Start at the blocks, making sure the top aligns with the side, or binding ledge or whatever EXACTLY. Add a small amount of glue only to that area and clamp. Keep moving and clamping, making sure the side is perfectly aligned with the top. A mistake here will distort the box out of shape! Would be much easier if it was a guitar you have an outside form for, since you can simply clamp your body inside that form and then just close the box as you would a new guitar... It takes me a week to glue the top back to the guitar because it must be done carefully. I work on less than a quarter of the guitar at a time, allowing the glue to dry before moving on so that parts do not slide out.

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But why replace the Bindings when it simply isn't necessary? I'm not speaking from theoretical knowledge here. I've done this type of thing on 3 occasions. You don't even have to touch the Bindings or the Sides and it's finish. You touch the Bindings and you are almost certainly going to take with it the side purfling (if it exists, it usually does on a Classical/Flamenco). You are creating more work and giving yourself a further problem of matching in the Bindings, side purfling and the finish as well!
It can all be easily avoided by cutting within the binding and dropping the new top in.
I've no idea on the value of the Ramirez in question but museum standard restorers always take the position of doing the least amount of damage, retain as much of the original artifact as possible and try and ensure that your work is reversible. If it's one of the cheap factory student instruments (not made by Ramirez) : do what you want!