Broken Guitar Fix & Paint Job

This guitar came to me as basically garbage. Although brand new, it had been damaged in shipping and had a big hole in the top, several long cracks, loose bridge, etc… As an amateur luthier I thought it would be fun to see if I could fix it. It hung on the wall for a long time before I started.

Supplies

Busted guitar (Cordoba C7 CD/IN), thin CA glue and accelerator, wood glue, scrap cedar, sandpaper, shellac, Testors enamel paints, mineral spirits, Testors black enamel paint pen, masking tape, spray on polyurethane.

Tools: Clamps, scissors, small paint brushes

Step 1: Stabilize the Loose Parts

The top was lifting next to the missing piece and the bottom side had sprung slightly away from the top. To get it all back in line took some wood glue and several clamps.

Step 2: Close the Cracks and Reattach the Bridge

I wicked thin CA glue into the cracks and under the bridge one at a time using my hands as the clamps and using accelerator to set the glue quickly.

Step 3: Map Out the Hole

I taped some paper over the hole and rubbed with a crayon to mark the shape of the hole. Then I cut out the shape until it fit.

Step 4: Re-glue Loose Brace and Add Some Wood

I glued in two thin pieces of cedar to attach the patch to.

Step 5: Patch the Hole

I cut some cedar into the shape of the hole, and sanded the edges until it fit well. Then I glued it in with CA glue.

Step 6: Sand the Top

Sand the top to flatten the patch, cracks, and superglue squeeze out. I put down some masking tape to contain the area where the finish would be damaged. Then sanded everything until reasonably flat.

Step 7: Seal Bare Wood With Shellac

Step 8: Design the Paint Job

I photographed the guitar body from directly overhead, then drew and edited a plan on the computer until I was happy with it.

Step 9: Grid the Design Onto the Guitar

I made a square grid pattern on the guitar with string and tape, and then drew a matching grid on the paper with my design.

Step 10: Transfer the Lines With a Sharpie

This is the trickiest part. It’s tedious to get all the lines in the right place. I used a red Sharpie at first, but switched to black as it was easier to see.

Step 11: Mix Paint

I wanted three values of blue, so I bought a light blue and a dark blue, and mixed the two to get the medium blue.

Step 12: Test Paint

I painted a test and decided that the dark blue was too dark by itself. So I added light blue to both the dark and the medium until I had a nice range of values.

Step 13: Paint the Colors

Using my paper map I put in all the areas of the light blue first, then the dark, then the medium.

Step 14: Add the Black Lines

Using the paint pen I drew in all the lines as smoothly as I could. I went back in with the colors to smooth out any bumps in the lines. After all the paint was dry I used denatured alcohol to erase any Sharpie marks still visible. Then a couple coats of clear poly spray gives a little protection to the paint.

Step 15: Done. String It Up and Play!