One of my local customers was rear ended with his Breedlove Rogue mandolin (in a solid case) in the back. It got bounced around with the bridge forced down onto the soundboard, breaking the top part in two places, forcing the treble foot of the bridge into the soundboard causing a long crack along gar line of the end of the bridge with another crack from the top end of the treble f-hole. The treble side tone-bar has been loosened for around half its length. After much thinking and discussing the problems with colleagues I think the best solution might be to remove the soundboard to repair it. This means removing the neck, which on these mandolins is bolted on with two round head Allen key bolts. I can get at these as there is a big hole for a pickup socket under the tailpiece, but I will need to have someone weld up a big T-handle with the appropriate sized Allen key on the end. My problem, or one of them, is knowing what sized Allen key is needed. Any experience with these would be welcomed, as would any alternative suggestions of how I might go about the repair. I think either the soundboard or the back will have to come off, and I can at least hide the locator pins on the soundboard more easily. I will email Breedlove and hope someone there might remember the Allen key size.
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