MiltonL

Stahler, Looking at your pictures again it seem to me that removing the fretboard gives you full access to the top. At that point you can remove the top and replace it without much problem. Am I missing something? Thanks in advance!

Just a quick comment and some questions. Archtops with pickups typically have thicker tops than acoustic archtops. This is to minimize feedback. You may not be very happy with the sound of the guitar once you have filled the holes. Have you played the guitar in its present state? How does it sound? Most important, how is the volume and balance between bass and trebble? My guess would be that filling the pickup holes will improve the volume a little but you may loose some of the balance and end up with something you will not enjoy playing. A new top would be my suggestion if you are not very happy with the sound of the guitar in its present state.

Stahler Some great pictures on a difficult project. When I saw your first pictures with the fingerboard off I said to myself maybe I do not want to do this afterall. But it really came together. Great job!!!

Erik - Thanks for the advice. I will look one more time at leaving the neck on and routing only the exposed top. That may be the way to go.

Even if you decide on routing, I would score it with a thin blade all the way around before you start.

I am looking at retoping a Les Paul Custom to remove the unwanted Kahler Vibrato. I have some killer flame maple for the project. It seems like the job would be a lot easier if I removed the neck. Any advice? I am skilled at woodworking and have removed an acoustic neck before using steam through a hole in the fretboard.