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Wow I just discovered this crack on my guitar


AquariusOG

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First thing, contact the seller, politely, and inform them and ask what they would like to do. Repair is pretty straightforward, and imo, won't affect anything noticeably. Cost of repair, not sure.

 

If you have no recourse with the seller, just get it fixed. And keep it humidified this heating season or if yer in a dry place year around. Looks like the reason for the crack, and wouldn't be surprised if your fret ends need some attention as well. Still a good guitar.

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Thanks for the comment, yeah I really like this guitar I think I will just get it fixed and buy a humidifier, I was so mad and shocked because I saw the little crack yesterday but I think I overreacted, it's not that bad but it sucks that I have to pay to get it fixed :(

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Most of the time cracks occur because the guitar is under humidified (gets dried out). The wood shrinks and eventually cracks. Your's is not a "normal" place for these kinds of cracks, however, most of the time they occur on the lower bout (below the bridge) and frequently it is the center seam that opens.

 

This kind of crack can and should be fixed, but the bigger question is, is there other damage from the guitar being under humidified? I would look for the following: fret ends become sharp, the top becomes flat or even sinks behind the bridge (remember that "flat top" guitars are not flat on top), sometimes the finish gets these little wavy line. The action might be very low and frets in the upper part of the board might be buzzy.

 

Guitars get dehydrated because they are left out of their cases in a dry house (when we turn the heat on we dry the air). Many of us keep some sort of humidifier in the case with the guitar - mine are simple damp kitchen sponges in a baggie with lots of holes punched in it - each guitar has one in the case by the headstock.

 

You can decide what you want to do about negotiating with previous owner - I think this should have been disclosed. If you have any of the other symptoms I would attempt to return it - while it can be fixed (and I do it every day) it would be better to start with something sound.

 

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It is something that the seller should've been up front about. Had I known that the guy(s) who sold me their Takamine had botched a repair on the pickup, I wouldn't have bought it. I am lucky I know someone who could fix it for me.

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And how much would that crack cost to fix..

 

 

Neal, as you know I am a hobby repair person and don't charge the going rates for my work. If Aquarius were to bring it to me I would first try to determine why it cracked. He said it doesn't have any of the other symptoms of dryness - I would want to confirm that.

 

If it did seem to be dry I wouldn't do anything until I knew it was stabilized at 40-45%RH - I'd simply put it back in its case with a couple of my humidifiers in with it - probably one inside the box. Leave it there for maybe 4 weeks until I knew it was stable and the crack had closed as much as it was going to.

 

Then (or if I decided it was not humidity caused, maybe an impact or some other trauma) I would work either thin CA or HHG into the crack - each has its advantages - cleaning up the outside as best I can. If the crack is from some kind of impact I would probably glue some little spruce cleats on the inside with their grain crossing the crack. I would try very hard not to damage the outside finish by scraping or sanding as I want to avoid any finish touch up if I can.

 

After that is done, particularly if I had to rehydrate the guitar I would give it a complete setup - the action and geometry will change during the hydration.

 

Depending on how much of the above I had to do, it might take me one to three hours. We charge my time out at $30 per hour. Others will probably charge more.

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I have decided to keep the guitar, I really really like the playability, sound and look. I am a bit mad about the fact that the seller didn't tell me about the crack on the guitar but it's all good. I just made a humidifier with the sponge and ziplock bag and I set it right under the headstock and I'm going to let it sit for a few days. Should I remove the strings?

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I'd get that thing cleated before it gets cold. Make yourself a good in-case humidifier and have it ready to go the first time you fire up the heater. Use floral arrangement foam, not just a cheap dollar store sponge, and go to Walmart and spend a buck on some distilled water. The floral foam will stay wet twice as long. Oh, and put a hygrometer in your guitar room.

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Okay, I get the RH and all that crack-stop talk but has anyone thought to get the age of this here music box? That crack has probably been present and accounted for since the guit's DOB. If so, it will probably remain the itty bitty squinty-eyed size

 

forever

 

more,

 

awk.

 

IOW, I don't think explosive decompression in sitting spring-loaded in the grain waiting for the humidity to plunge to the trigger point of 41.562%. I'd use a capillary tube and wick in a molecule or two of fast CA, if a wad in my shorts was imminent, which it would not be, and consider it crisis non-extant.

 

New member and a charitable membership, kudos to the call center for providing the experienced help.

 

Private Ryan....earn this.

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Ah, it plays and sounds nice by the OP's post, a couple cleats and yer done. Pretty sure it would be well under a Franklin, but I'm no expert.

 

All of our older guitars have a crack in them someplace or another, don't they?

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. . . All of our older guitars have a crack in them someplace or another' date=' don't they?[/quote']

A few of our members show signs of being cracked but I don't think that was what you meant. In any event, it sucks that the OP bought a guitar with undisclosed issues. A quick Web search gives a few prices for crack repair:

$20-30 per inch

$90-250 for a 1-3" crack

$30 per inch

$20 per inch

$150-200

A 6" crack at $30 per inch would run $180. With luck, the OP can find a shop that charges at the lower end of that range.

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The crack is about 3 inches long and I have found someone who is going to repair it for 60$, he told me that it won't need to be cleated because it's not that big and a cleat can affect the sound of the guitar. He told me he was going to use wood glue and a caul on the oustdie and inside and a couple clamps. Hopefully it comes out fine

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The crack is about 3 inches long and I have found someone who is going to repair it for 60$' date=' . . . Hopefully it comes out fine[/quote']

Good for you. If that's all it costs to put your guitar right you'll still be ahead. Best of luck and keep us posted.

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Yeah, $60 is a decent deal. I think that humidifying it for a couple of weeks first might close it up significantly.

 

Freeman, we need to recompile that sick guitar thread and ask Phil to make it a sticky.

 

 

Get me a link please - if you guys want it stickied, I'll take care of it. :wave:

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