To keep a long story short I opted to fix it myself. I've been at it off and on for 2 weeks now. The glue repair was excellent, the filling and re-staining came out pretty good, but the finish is kicking my ass. I've been getting orange peel and and am on my fourth attempt at sanding it out.
I've made several mistakes in the process. Nothing critical but am getting frustrated. Spraying too thick (runs) and sanding too much (bare wood) are a couple. I bought a book on guitar repair which is shedding some light but sounds like I have to spend even more time and money. I thought I was going to string it up a couple of days ago but now I'm looking at another week or more.
Before I go any further I want to take a break and get some advice from some of the more experienced members on re-finishing.
