This poor, worn, old Maton EM225 was already beat up almost beyond recognition when it received a nasty impact near the neck joint.

This type of damage can be repaired with a football patch but it's very hard to conceal.

The neat shape of the whole gave me an idea.

I cut the whole a little larger to install a battery box.

A two for one solution - this Maton had the old type of wooden panelled pick-up controls that have no battery access. (You have to loose the strings fully and reach into the sound hole to replace it.) Now there's easy battery access and the damage is concealed perfectly.

Removing a scratchplate is always a delicate operation.

Complete re-fret required! Good opportunity to sand the gouges out of the fingerboard.

Neck, back, sides and top were fully sanded back for new lacquer all over.

Ouch! A knocked over guitar often results in a cracked or broken headstock.

A broken headstock is every guitarists worst nightmare.

This crack is severe!

The crack doesn't quite go all the way through.

It hasn't broken through the faceplate veneer. That's good - it will be a lot easier to fix!

With the careful application of special glue and strong clamping pressure we can save this guitar.