This full-body guitar repair on a Martin DCPA5 presented a unique set of challenges. Martin’s commitment to sustainable resources, such as HPL sides and back, Richlite fretboard, and a laminate neck, posed difficulties in repair due to HPL’s hard and thin nature, making it prone to brittleness.
The repair journey began with a seemingly tragic incident—a worship leader, also one of our students, brought in the guitar after it accidentally fell from its stand during a service. The impact resulted in a cracked HPL side, a peeled back, and a small strip of kerfing damage. Additionally, there was some neck damage to the tenon, although detailed images are not available.
Despite the extensive damage from a seemingly short fall, common with HPL guitars, our student considered getting a new guitar. However, our experienced technician, Mark, and I were confident in its repairability. The following images showcase the meticulous restoration, with the glue joint in the side tear seamlessly hidden. Mark’s extensive experience in the industry is evident in the impeccable quality of the repair.
If you’re looking to have any repair work done, make sure to contact us with all the details. We may ask you to send us some pics if it’s structural or cosmetic, so we can give you a better estimate of cost. Guitar repairs are usually picked-up/dropped-off once or twice a week.