I recently was asked to work on a Martin D-18 that had previously been repaired, but that had the bridge pull off. A closer inspection showed serious deformation of the top and evidence of a significant across the grain top break that emanated from the bridge area. After I removed the bridge with great care, I saw that the break extended underneath the bridge and had not been repaired.
Inside, there was clear evidence of an earlier repair that failed leaving several braces loose or badly glued with what appears to a titebond type glue. When I spoke with the owner, he confirmed that a previous repairman had tried unsuccessfully to remove the bridge plate and I am assuming from the damage, that he broke the top in the process. His attempts to repair the damage were the ones that failed.
I tried removing the bridge plate myself but with the damage to the top, I decided not to continue and re-open old breaks.
I'd love any thoughts on the best way to proceed from here. Here's a shot of the bridge plate.
This seems oversized to me, but I haven't dealt with too many Martins in the past so I can't say for sure. I am afraid that to remove the old plate, I will create more problems than solve them and I'm considering leaving it place and just repairing the brace damage. In addition to the loose braces by the bridge, the far end of the treble side X brace is also loose.
Any thoughts or suggestions from the forum on the best ways to deal with this would be greatly appreciated!
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