The cracks in the support bracing can be clearly seen. Since this is an ES model, the top is made out of pressed maple plywood instead of carved spruce. There is no real way to effectively remove the warping of the top caused by the cracked braces and years of string tension pressing down onto the top. The only viable solution is to replace the top.

The arrows show the position of relief cuts that were put into the bracing at the factory. Unfortunately,they may have contributed to the braces sagging and breaking. As you can see from the photo, a large break has occurred where both a knot in the wood, and a relief cut came together. This is a bad combination and certainly compromises the structural integrity of the bracing.

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