Question about cracks

[tomjosh9025]

First off I apologize if this is under the wrong category as I'm new to the forum. I have a Taylor 110e which is the guitar that I play most. All over the sides of the guitar I've noticed tiny almost unnoticeable cracks (difficult to photograph) that I can slightly feel. I also saw a very un noticable crack on the top that is about 2-3 inches long. I sould mention that my house does not have an air conditioner that can be used all the time so my room can get hot but I usually leave my guitar in the case. I'm not sure how serious of an issue these cracks are and what I should do about them but I'd greatly appreciate any advice/feedback anyone could lend.

[Freeman Keller]

Hi Tom, welcome to HCAG and yes, this is definitely a good place to ask about your guitar. First, an introduction on my side, I am an amateur builder and repair guy, unfortunately I get to see a lot of cracks in guitars. Looking at your pictures I see some good news and some not so good news - first the good stuff. Your 110 has a laminated back and sides (Taylor calls it "layered") which is not prone to damaging cracks. I'm not really sure what you are seeing but from your picture what I see is the surface pores that are common in almost any hard wood (rosewood, mahogany, walnut). These are often filled during the finishing process but on more budget minded guitars are often left open as I see on your guitar. No problem.

 

Cracks in the top, particularly a solid spruce top like your guitar has, are a problem. The most common causes are impact (you or somebody wacked it) or dehydration. When a guitar is build the wood is stable at about 40 percent relative humidity and a slight dome in built into the top. If the humidity drops below that for an extended period of time the wood shrinks, the top flattens out and eventually cracks form. The first part of the fix is simple - humidify your guitar. This isn't heat or air conditioning, its the RH of the room air and is somewhat hard to control. But if you leave your guitar in its case when you are not playing and put a home made humidifier in with it you can maintain about 40% and your guitar will be happy. I make humidifiers by taking a kitchen sponge (without the scraper), soak it and squeeze the excess, then put it in a baggie with a bunch of little holes in it - use a paper punch or ice pick or walk on it with golf shoes. Dampen the sponge whenever it starts to feel dry and your guitar will be happy.

 

Fixing the cracks is not a do it yourself project. I use one of several kinds of glues depending on the nature of the crack and I often put little pieces of wood inside across the grain to stabilize it. It might be that the crack will close with the sponge/baggie but it should have some glue worked into it.

 

Last comment, a dehydrated guitar often has other problems - the frets get sharp ends, the action might drop and get buzzy, and gloss finish often gets kind of a wavy look. If your guitar has any of these symptoms you really should have a pro check it out.

 

Good luck, let us know how it goes.

[DeepEnd]

I can't add anything to what Freeman has already told you but hi and welcome to the Forum. Here's some good information about symptoms of a dried out guitar: https://www.taylorguitars.com/support/maintenance/symptoms-dry-guitar.