Conference napalm::guitar

    Cracks that run *with* the grain are usually pretty easily fixed
    with a few diamond patches, and the sound is usually not affected.
    When the crack runs *across* the grain, it gets potentially a lot
    more complicated.  If the crack is above the bridge (toward the
    waist or upper bout), that's usually a less serious wound than below
    the bridge, where the top does most of it's vibrating.  
    
    Cross-grain cracks on the lower bout can be structurally repaired,
    but the sound will probably suffer.  You have to remember that for
    the wood to crack, it had to also bend somewhere else, and that
    area will probably be acoustically, if not structurally, weakened.
    What I'm getting at is that you might want to consider buying a
    pre-joined top and replacing the whole thing.  It sounds like you're
    gonna have to re-glue the braces anyway.  It might not be *that*
    much more work, and you just *might* produce a really good sounding
    guitar.  I've seen it happen.
    
    This doesn't really answer your question.  Just something to consider.
    
    
    Bob

    I did consider completely replacing the top. But first of all, I
    don't where to get the wood or a pre-glued piece. Secondly, I don't
    have the tools or the experience to do an inlay around the sound
    hole. I know there are decals for this, but the current top has
    reasonably good inlay work, which would be nice to keep. Do the
    pre-glued tops you refer to come with inlays? Do you have any sources,
    and approximate costs? You are right in saying that might be the
    better way to go if I can find a suitable replacement.
    
    Still looking for comments on the relative value of old Epiphone
    acoustics.
    
    - Ram

    	You might try the 1833 Shop at Martin Guitars in Nazareth,Pa
    as they use to sell Spruce tops,and wood for guitar building. 
    	As far as tools are concerned to do the job I think you could
    get by with some large C Clamps or Jorgensen clamps and some tools
    or some fixtures made out of plywood. 
    
    
    							Rick

    Call Richard MacDuffie (of MacDuff's Music, where SPAGS is next
    to Lieser) - he is one of the few surviving professional luthiers
    around - he'll do the work for you at a price that can't be beat
    - but if you'd rather do it yourself, he would certainly be able
    to help with resources and instructions.
    
    Jon

    Martin will sell you a top with the soundhole cut out and including
    what passes for a rosette on Martins.  I don't think they sell them
    pre-braced, but you could ask.  They'll also sell you a bridge.
    
    But let's get real.  If you're not experienced at guitar repair
    or at least woodworking, this will be a real time sink.  The materials
    should be under $100 for a top, bracing and bridge, but then you've
    got to put a finish on the top.  A good repairperson could probably
    (I can't say without seeing it) get the thing playable without removing
    the top for about the same money.  It just won't sound as good as
    a new top.
    
    Doing the work yourself could be very satisfying, but if what you
    really want is just a campfire guitar, I would get an estimate on
    patching the damage and then decide if it's worth it.  
    
    
    
    Bob (whose advice is free and worth it)    
    

    re: .2
    
    Some Epiphones sound real good.  Others are trash.  Some have bolt-on
    necks that don't stay put.  Is it all solid wood?  Solid top?
    
    Bob
    

    It does have a bolt-on neck, but it seems pretty secure. Of course,
    I can't tell for sure how stable it is because I can't put any strings
    on it. I'm not sure what you mean by "solid wood", but if you mean
    is it plywood, the answer is no - it all appears to be solid wood
    of reasonable quality. It's actually very similar in size, shape
    and appearance to my Martin HD-28. The neck is a tad wider and thinner.

    I appreciate your advice. I will look into having it repaired, but
    I do have considerable woodworking experience, and have done quite
    a bit of work on guitars, although I've never built one from scratch.
    I don't want to spend enormous amounts of time to make this playable,
    but I figure it's worth the risk of trying to do it myself if I
    can get the right parts for a reasonable price and do it with the
    tools on hand.
    
    The easy thing to do would prbably be to glue a patch in under the
    cracks and re-glue all of the bracing without removing the top,
    as you have said. However, I don;t have the kind of long clamps
    that would really be needed to get the bracing secure from inside,
    and the result would be deficient both in terms of the sound and
    the appearance. It seems like it wouldn't be that much more work
    to take the top off completely and replace it, assuming I can get
    a top from Martin (or somebody else). I gather that the Marting
    tops would be cut over-sized so I could shape it to fit the guitar.
    If the soundhole is already cut out and the rosette is in, that
    doesn't seem too difficult to me, even if I have to set up all the
    bracing myself.
    
    - Ram