Repairing a Gibson J45 Deluxe Split Top with Carbon Fibre

This 1970s Gibson J45…was literally falling apart…loose braces…cracks on all faces of the body with an especially bad one at the side of the neck along the body towards the soundhole and through to the bridge. The top was curled up at this split. I decided to reinforce the split unconventionally …but then changed my mind and took an even more radical approach to the problem using a mould and a carbon fibre casting. In the future they’ll use 3D printers for this seemingly!…..but I like the old fashioned approach. The repairs along with a full refret worked out great…and gave this old lady a new lease of life. In this picture gallery, I’ve chosen to show you how I repaired one aspect of the job. It was not a usual approach for us but it worked out really well as I hope you’ll agree.