Acoustic Guitar Construction

Would there be less net work in repairing the chip than in forcing the sides into a tighter waist?

An edge chip repair on an "A" surface may as well be a big red "bull's eye" -- its virtually impossible to make an invisible repair.

Dave -- purfing? Or wider combination of purfling and binding?

I think the narrower waist is, other than making a new top and saving this for a smaller guitar, the only answer.

Having re-read this post -- I misunderstood what stage you were in -- I'd get a new sound-board.

Ken - is it the building in of the tension, by forcing the rim to contract at the waist, that is the issue?

Zero concern -- Gads there's that one guy that insists that poorly bent sides should be crushed into the mold with a bunch of turnbuckle rigs and not removed until the top and back are glued in place -- now those are sides under tension, but as far as I know they stay together.

And it would be no different than controlling the spring back almost always encountered with cutaway assembly.

For Dave and anyone interested.

Here is a link to a small maple leaf inlay of the size that could be used to address a problem like Dave's. Ervin Somogyi offers it as an option on his custom guitars. It need not be as large the one seen here, nor does it need to be "realistic". Bob Benedetto uses abstract shapes that cross between the binding, over the purfling, and onto his tops that would be equally effective - unfortunately, I could not find a convenient JPEG to reference one of them.

I am thinking of using these type inlays on the gypsy I have started, regardless of whether they replace a chip out. In a minimally decorated instrument, their small size is an ideal way to add accents without getting into a gaudy look.

http://www.esomogyi.com/mapleleaf.html