![Whistling :whistle:](./images/smilies/whistling.gif)
Here's what I found when the board came off- there was a steel reinforcing rod (didn't want to come out, needed a drill down the sides to loosen) but it never did anything, because the channel was about 3-4mm deeper, so the neck just bent around it. Awesome.
![facepalm :fp:](./images/smilies/fp.gif)
![Image](http://i991.photobucket.com/albums/af34/P90FHC/Archtop1_zps24940970.jpg)
Routed out for the truss rod (to be filled again, and a curved channel routed in):
![Image](http://i991.photobucket.com/albums/af34/P90FHC/Archtoproutedclean_zps2f1c4e6e.jpg)
Next, some carbon fibre epoxied and clamped in (straightened the neck a little bit):
![Image](http://i991.photobucket.com/albums/af34/P90FHC/Archtopfibreinstalled_zpse16b0edb.jpg)
Improvising all the way on this one. How to rout a truss rod channel with the neck still on the guitar? I ended up making a bendy jig clamped on/ around the neck:
![Image](http://i991.photobucket.com/albums/af34/P90FHC/Archtoptrussrodjig_zps84c68912.jpg)
Here it is with the cavity routed, rod in, etc. The rod is compressing on to the carbon fibre at both ends, I didn't want it compressing the softish wood, and the adjuster slowly disappearing under the fingerboard. One trick I learned through a mistake- making a 12-string neck a while ago, I was worried about the neck being rigid enough, so instead of cutting the wood that glues in over the truss rod channel into a matching curve, I left it straight and forced it in with clamps. It was total overkill, and created a backbow that I had to "engineer" out. I tried the same thing on this neck, and it forced it straight. I left it a few days before finally glueing it in, it seemed stable so now it's in there. Weeks later under string tension, the neck hasn't moved in any direction.
![Image](http://i991.photobucket.com/albums/af34/P90FHC/Archtoprodinstalled_zpsa81c498a.jpg)
Board back in place, getting leveled and 7.25" compound radius:
![Image](http://i991.photobucket.com/albums/af34/P90FHC/Archtopleveledradiused_zps9a662edf.jpg)
Frets in getting tidied up:
![Image](http://i991.photobucket.com/albums/af34/P90FHC/Archtopfretsin_zpscee27836.jpg)
End result- lovely old vintage guitar, with super low action, and really nice to play, totally worth all the effort. (I'll have to repair the finish on the neck- I used a steam iron the remove the board, but I didn't check it first- the steam wouldn't shut off, and I've messed up the original finish
![facepalm :fp:](./images/smilies/fp.gif)
![Image](http://i991.photobucket.com/albums/af34/P90FHC/Archtopaction_zps35cfa06d.jpg)
Glamour shot with DeArmond FHC pickup in place. The only downside is that this guitar has very little clearance between the strings and the body, so I can't slide the pickup closer to the neck without raising the action. Cool tones as it is though,
a bit like this.
![Kiss :-*](./images/smilies/kiss.gif)
![Image](http://i991.photobucket.com/albums/af34/P90FHC/Archtop_zps92b75f2a.jpg)