Acoustic Guitar internal viewing miirror

[kells80aus]

Hi Guys if your acoustic guitar is making some strange buzzing sounds, and you suspect it has a broken brace,

Then you can build this handy mirror to look inside it for about $12 AUS. This mirror can be bought from Stewmac's for about $36AUS including freight

It is quite simple to build. You need a sheet of A4 3mm thick Cast Acrylic mirror.

using a pencil and ruler, divide the paper backed side into 3 x 70mm x 297mm.

With a stanley(Utility for the younger folk) knife and a glass or tile cutter score two lines along the two lines you just marked.
I used the stanley knife to make the first score so as to ensude the paper backing was cut through. I then scored it again witha Glass/Tile cutter(not one of the ones with a wheel) I then went over it again with the knife.

I clamped the piece in my wood vice. Now my wood vice is about 450mm long, so if you don't have a nice big vice like me then I suggest you clamp the piece between two sharp edged piece of timber. Ensure the scored line is right along the edge of the wood.
Clamp it to something solid, then apply some presure against the scored edge. The piece should snp cleanly. Be very careful as it will be sharp and you can cut yourself. Also note if you haven't scored it poperly at can snap baddly.

Once you have three nice segments then tape them together so they will fold up neatly. I only had some masking tape and I would suggest using some type of cloth or fibre backed tape.

[kells80aus]

more pics of the handy mirror

[wokkaboy]

nice one PK, so the mirror pieces are narrow enough to fit in the sound hole of the acoustic guitar ?
thats a monster vice you have 450mm wide !

[kells80aus]

Hi Wokka,

Yeah they are, but don't forget to take the bloody strings off first.... LOL
I tried it on the GR-1SF but it needs to be a bit shorter(about 150-200mm) to get inside those because the bridge support post is right in the middle.

I built this as my Epi has a busted brace thanks to the dude I bought it off posting it to me, instead of letting me drive to Geelong and pick it. up. I looks like some fat postie sat on it. the Low E side of the bridge brace has come loose as has the little piece that goes across the bottom of the two braces.

Now I am just waiting on the brace jacks from StewMac so I can glue it back together.

PK

[kells80aus]

the vice is just a basic wood vice and I screwed a lump of 450mm long merbau to it as one jaw, and the other side the bench forms the jaw.

PK

[wokkaboy]

yeah ok, sure it will be much easier to insert without the strings on.
haha fat posty sitting on it. I'd prefer to drive 100 odd km round trip to pick up an acoustic than having it posted, was it bubble wrapped or had some protection when it was posted ?
If you lived in Perth Gavmeister has all the flash clamps to glue braces but always good to have your own set.
Woohoo the posty just delivered my hardware order from Realtone some goodies for my scratch tele

[kells80aus]

Nah the guy I bought it off shoved it ina black plastic bag and then wrapped it in cardboard. I'd asked him 3 times if I could pick it up.
But he ignored each request and as soon as I paid it on Paypal he posted it.

It is a blooddy nice guitar for only $128 plus $20 postage. Just a shame it's was mal treated. I need to get it fixed before my son Chris gets back from Curtis Island in a few weeks as he is very heavy handed and could snap the bridge out altogether.

PK

[wokkaboy]

some people don't make any sense hey, would have saved him the hassle of wrapping it in cardboard and going to the post office and you wouldn't be repairing the brace

[kells80aus]

What's even more anoying is I found his address in the white pages and he lived around the corner from my old mate Herb(Reast his soul). in Hern Hill Geelong. it was an 80Km round trip for me no hassle at all as it's all highway.

I also bought a Left Handed Cort off another guy in Geelong for $65, and he basically hand delivered it to me with all sorts of stories about what he had done with the guitar and so forth. I did have to tell him I am right handed and this guitar was for Visitors, and my last attempt to teach 26YO son to play. He's ambidextrous and had no idea with a righty guitar,

Cheers PK

[stan]

nice ingenuity PK

[kells80aus]

Tks Stan,

Just thought I could use this to tan my face as well. :)

Or signal for help when I;m lost in the bush... ha ha the mind boggles at what you could use it for.

PK

[kells80aus]

Inside the cort. It's a bit wierd looking in at first you think it's the bottom, but your actually looking at the top of the guitar.

[kells80aus]

This guitar needs a plate mate. Now, I am not advocating buying a Stewmac plate.

http://www.stewmac.com/Luthier_Tools/Tools_by_Job/Bridges/Plate_Mate.html

Should be easy enough to make one up. 6 holes ina piece of 2mm brass

PK

[stan]

you bet PK at that price, plus postage, I'd make one out of something as well