Oh, I see that they did El Kabong. Due to that darned cartoon, many guitars have met their end. Kids love it.
I wouldn't repair it, or couldn't repair it, as it is more than just a hole. Maybe you could play it... like Willie Nelson?
Seriously, when a new side is put on a guitar, it needs a new top too, to be cut per the bends at the end :shock: and it costs. :|
Like a bird on the wire,
like a drunk in a midnight choir
I have tried in my way to be free.
It can be fixed, but it'll be a big deal. I can't tell from the pic if there's also damage to the top and/or back; if the wood is compromised at all, even just cracked, that will change the steps below.
If you're not a luthier, you'll want help. This one isn't a beginner project.
Here's the basic repair steps:
1. Remove the back. To avoid having this become a complete rebuild, you want to keep as much of the body intact as possible, and there's more work involved in removing and replacing the top, so if there's no top damage I'd work from the rear.
2. Plan the replacement. It might seem simpler to replace the entire side, but that will actually be harder. Your hole appears to be confined to a single curve. Examine the wood and see where it will make sense to start and end your replacement part. It looks to me like the end block is a logical place for one end of the new section; how far up the lower bout it will extend depends on how the wood looks - any cracked portion should be removed, but it might be possible to just reinforce a crack that extends into the waist. Make careful measurements.
3. Go shopping. You'll want to get wood that matches the thickness, in as close a wood and grain as you can get.
4. I'd bend the curve before trimming the replacement section to size. Wood is bent with heat and humidity - you wet the wood, apply the heat, and work it into shape. Luthiers use bending irons, but you might be able to rig a heating element to a piece of pipe. Work slowly. Try not to burn the wood.
5. You're going to be joining the new section into place... prep work will make or break you here. Assuming you're replacing right to the end block, that end will be a simple butt joint; the other end should be beveled to give you the widest possible gluing surface. Cut the replacement section just a little long, and work slowly down to an exact fit. Get the advice (and help?) of a luthier if you can, or at least a skilled cabinetmaker. Make sure the pieces fit precisely. There's one way to cheat here - by using an inlay piece, which makes the repair simpler, but the result uglier. If you want me to lay out the steps for that, let me know... but if it were my Martin, I'd go without an inlay strip.
6. Glue time. Guitar repairs are usually done with hide glue, which is heated for application - it sets as it cools (that way you can undo the glue joint by applying heat if you need to). The splice will be the weakest part of the side, so you'll want to cleat inside. I'd go with about 3 cleats, each roughly 1/2" square - they'll go on the inside, evenly spaced along the splice. You'll need extra hands for assembly - coat the edges with hot glue, coat the inside surfaces of the cleats, put everything together and clamp. You'll need 3 C clamps, one or two with deep throats. If you have room - and you might not - it's a good idea to use little pieces of scrap wood on the outside surface before clamping. You'll also want a coat of glue where the side mates with the top kerfing.
7. Scraping. You'll have some excess glue - actually, you WANT excess glue, because you want that joint as strong as you can get it. But the glue will interfere with the stain and finish work to come. Get the outside surface as clean as you can without removing wood. You also want to make sure the outside of the joint is as smooth as you can get it.
8. Staining to match might be easier before the back is re-attached. You want as good a match as you can get, which means several thin applications.
9. Reattach the back. Hide glue again, and lots of spool clamps if you can beg & borrow them. Be sure to get a good glue joint with the back kerfing.
10. Scraping, round 2.
11. Finish time. Looks like yours has a satin finish, but it's hard to tell. Just about any experienced woodworker can help you get this part done.
The good news is your guitar doesn't have binding. If it did, I'd be adding lots more steps. Although the skill level required for this is high - nearly as high as building a guitar - it can be done. The question: is it worth it? This kind of damage on a guitar at that price point will cost you as much or more (or much more) at a luthier's shop than replacing the guitar... so you'll have to make the decision whether or not it's worth it. If you can't borrow the tools, I'd say no go - you could replace the guitar for less than you'll spend in clamps alone to do it right. But if you've got a few woodworker friends, it might be worth a go. But it's not going to be a weekend project.
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