bracing damage

[El Craic]

I hope you guys are counsellors as well as guitarists because I'm pretty upset. I have a flamenco guitar (very similar in construction to a classical guitar) and it is damaged. It it not visible (much) from the outside. The damage is a splintered bracing. I noticed it because of the increasingly warped top which has been happening over months and months, over a year probably and tonight I stuck a mirror in so I could get a better look and there the answer was. The bracing next to the sound hole on the bridge side is split. Maybe this happened in transit on a flight or something, although the top is not damaged. Maybe it warped over time and the split happened gradually but I don't think so, it looks too horrible. The top would straighten up I think given the corrective support. The bracing is obviously in an awkward place to get to. Anyone know if guitar doctors can fix these sorts of things or does my expensive hand built guitar have a degenerative and incurable disease? I really hope not because It'll be a while before I can get another one and they are all unique anyway PS I don't know anything about luthiery I just play for a hobby.

[JB]

A split strut can be fixed, it's tricky but can be done but it would need to be inspected to see the extent of the problem.

Are you in the UK ?

JB

[El Craic]

Hello thanks for your reply! I am online at work so picking up pretty immediately today, then away for a week. Yes I am in sunny Belfast which is why I looked at the avalon forum. In fact a guy called Ernie who works there did some work skimming the neck for me a couple of years ago but that was a couple of years ago so I'll try and track him down as he did very careful work.

[JB]

We'll be closed from the 11th July for 2 weeks, reopening on Monday the 28th, you're more than welcome to bring it to us for a quick look etc etc, you'll see Ernie here too.

[El Craic]

Magic i just touched base with Ernie, my new hero. Mark Lyttle is my cousin too but I don't see him nearly enough. Thanks for getting back to me.