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This is what happens when you drop your nearly finished guitar body onto a concrete workshop floor.
After two months of grumbling, and laying down padded carpeting, I have a basic plan: Replace the top.
Any other recommendations? Should I complete the new top before removing the old or vice-versa? I plan to harvest the rosette and reuse it for the new top. I doubt any bracing or the bridge plate can be saved.

Procedure outline:
1. Route off the binding and purfling with a bearing bit just a tad less depth than the top thickness.
This will leave behind the side purfling and some of the binding, but that will be taken off later.
2. Continue the route inward until I'm past the width of the kerfed lining.
3. Sharp razor to slice the tiny remaining fibers between the top and lining.
4. Put the body back into the mold and sand with radius dish to fresh lining wood.
5. Make new top.
6. Glue top to sides.
7. Flush route the top to the sides.
8. Route off remainder of old binding and side purfling.
9. Glue in new binding and purfling.
10. Clean up and sanding.

Anything else?

Sorry this happened to you Mark but it sounds like you have a great plan to make it right. You will also not be sorry that you replaced the top. Your workmanship and planning is excellent and it's my guess that you will have a guitar to be proud of.

My only suggestion is while the top is off you will have a great opportunity to be absolutely sure that none of the other braces are loose. When a guitar gets dropped loose braces are pretty common.

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Ann Arbor Guitars

Oh man! Sorry to hear. Great looking binding too. This too shall pass. Sounds liek you have your head on straight.

This might help...

http://grevenguitars.com/retopping-demo.html

Looks like a nice top. Any chance you could make a smaller instrument with the undamaged part?
If you have some matching wood you could patch in the top or do a "cranked bevel" a la Mike Doolin.
http://acousticguitarconstructionforum. ... php?t=2988

Been there, done that. Mine was on a refinish job. It bounced around some and managed to destroy the headstock, sides, and the back. I didn't take a picture, figured it would be better to forget....

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Joe Beaver
Maker of Sawdust

That's the method I use, works great.



Every time I have had to do this I have made a smaller guitar with the top. An 000 becomes an 00.

11. Be careful not to drop it again

I'm sorry that happened Mark. It was looking really good too. I'm sure your recovery will be well executed.

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Bryan Bear PMoMC

Take care of your feet, and your feet will take care of you.

I have used the procedure you describe a couple of times and have been able to reuse the rosette as well. Works well. I have not tried John Grevens technique but it would be nice not to have to replace the binding. I'm pretty sure I'm not as skilled as John

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Jim Watts
http://jameswattsguitars.com

It truly is surprisingly easy to do.

Alright I'll have to give it a try, I have a candidate for it now.

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Jim Watts
http://jameswattsguitars.com