So finally, here's an unobstructed view of the top at this point. Looks like hell, doesn't it? Oh, I'm dying to plane it and get rid of that old finish, but there's work to be done before I get to do that.

As you can see in the image above, the area of the top around the chord string pins is a mess. The pin holes don't line up with those of the block, and lots of little pieces are missing. The wood of the top around all the melody string pin holes is wallered out too, but at least they are in alignment with the holes in the block.