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Inside the Elderly Repair Shop
by Roger Skipper with Joe Konkoly
from American Lutherie, Winter 2011
www.luth.org

Gibson A-model Mandolin Restoration

When this 1906 Gibson A-model mandolin (#5155) was received for restoration in the Elderly shop, it showed extensive water damage. Photos show the “before” condition. Every glue joint was compromised, especially the back joints. The back center seam was open and distorted. The top was separated from the sides, the tail block was separated from the top and sides, and there was major distortion of both the sides and the top. The pearwood center strip of the neck was beginning to crumble. This had caused the peghead veneer to crack and had damaged the Gibson logo. The fingerboard was cracked, and a shim had previously been added under it.

Before 5

Before

Before 1

Before 2

During
Here are some of the scenes from the restoration:
The "sticks and rope" gluing fixture was used to reglue the back joint. The center-seam joint was so distorted that new material had to be added to restore the original size of the back. the top was glued to a board to flatten the gluing edge. The sides were rebent over a hot iron. An outside mold was made to restore the sides to the correct shape. The sides and neck block are in the mold, and and the tail block will be glued in next. The back was glued to the sides and blocks. A new ebony center strip was installed in the neck to replace the original pearwood strip. The neck was reset at the proper angle to eliminate the shim under the fretboard.

repair 1

repair 2

repair3

repair 4

repair 5

After
Here is the mandolin after the work was completed.
The back was retouched with dark stain to hide the new wood,
and the restoration was completed with a beautiful French polish finish.

After

after back