I have used the heating pad sold by Luthiers mercantile. Blues creek guitars has em I believe. You make a clamping caul and clamp it on for a few minutes then reach through the soundhole and pry it off. I use a screwdriver I bent in to J shape and i work it under from the backside there is more room to get at it. You can pull it that way. It doesn't always come of that neat. Sometimes it will break in pieces and it can take some top fibers. I think this is the normal way now. I don't think anyone would remove the top to do this. That just creates more unnecessary work.
Mike
