Repaired cracks

[HOF dad]

I've seen quite a few enticing guitars recently that have repaired cracks as part of their profile. Some of these are quality instruments (Collings - Santa Cruz)
at reliable stores (Elderly Instruments).
My initial reaction would be to shy away from anything previously cracked but now I'm wondering.
Is this really an issue or not?
Or is it one of these "depends on where and how" deals?
I defer to those much smarter than I am on this.


Dan

[HodgdonExtreme]

I think it comes down to:

has the repaired crack been "stabilized" - meaning root cause has been correctly determined, corrected, and prevented from worsening or happening again

Is the discounted price low enough to make you feel ok about the crack - and allow you to sell it in the future for a reasonable/palatable sum.

On a personal note:

I'm in NO way capable of assessing crack repair, meaning I'd need to take somebody else's word for it. Beyond that, I can't think of a "philosophy of use" for a cracked/repaired fine guitar - for MYSELF. It'd cause me unending irritation that it was damaged, yet I'd feel bad allowing it to be a reason to throw caution to the wind and have a fine, high quality "players" guitar. But that's just me!

[SalFromChatham]

I bought an inexpensive Farida OT22 from Elderly last winter, and hung on my office's wall at work. The top cracked due to dry indoor conditions. I had the crack glued at my luthier, because I love the guitar and didnt want to mess it up myself.

That crack will NEVER re-open.

So - bottom line - if you can get past the cosmetics of a crack, and are looking for a great playing guitar, I would not let a crack deter you.

[fazool]

I have an aversion to top cracks. Side/back cracks don't bother me as much.

For me to buy a guitar with a (repaired) top crack, there would have to be a very significant discount.

I passed on a guitar I am GAS-ing for which would have been a good price if perfect but was massively higher than I would have paid with a cracked top.

Not everyone feels that way, but it's a show-stopper for me under all but the most special circumstances.

[Looburst]

There are many great deals to be had if you're not hung up on a repaired crack. I own a guitar that has a repaired crack with no sign of re-opening. Going on three years now. Yes I do humidify in the winter and keep it in the case.

[blindboyjimi]

If you are taking about a 50's D-28, then no, a crack won't bother me a bit. But a new guitar will take a bigger hit as there are so many others out there. SCGC and Collings make many hundreds of guitars a year so to find a OM2H or a H/13 without cracks is very easy. That being said, if the guitar is priced accordingly, you could get a very good deal. My feeling is a modern guitar with a crack repaired should cost 2/3-3/4 of the same guitar in perfect condition. Just take a look at the For Sale section here and you'll see so many perfect guitars that are priced ridiculously low right now. The market is tough for perfect guitars as it is. But the actual crack if repaired well should not affect tone or playability at all and should be stable for years and years.

[Bax Burgess]

Never slowed me down from a purchase until a used Ted Thompson - the top cracks had been '...repaired by a professional'. I had enough experience with Ted's guitars to know that it didn't sound right, stifled. I felt underneath the top and the cleats were massive, for cleats, that is. Once I thinned them enough, the guitar came alive. I'm more wary about repaired cracks since then, but if it were done in Elderly's shop, for instance, I would have no qualms.

[The Bard Rocks]

Most cracks can be repaired so they will not get larger or happen again, without any noticeable tonal loss. I have less concern about back and side cracks than top ones as they contribute less to the total tone and volume, nor are they as readily seen. Yet, any crack hurts the cosmetic appearance and that needs to be addressed in the price. The right lower price cures most problems in any purchase.

[zombywoof]

Cracks have never been a deal breaker for me even unrepaired ones.

[guitar george]

Originally Posted by themissal

I bought an inexpensive Farida OT22 from Elderly last winter, and hung on my office's wall at work. The top cracked due to dry indoor conditions. I had the crack glued at my luthier, because I love the guitar and didnt want to mess it up myself.

That crack will NEVER re-open.

So - bottom line - if you can get past the cosmetics of a crack, and are looking for a great playing guitar, I would not let a crack deter you.

Was the crack only glued or were cleats attached as well?

[guitar george]

If it can be repaired like this, it wouldn't bother me at all.

SIDE CRACK.jpg

[1Charlie]

I have a '71 Guild F-20 with probably 15 top cracks in it. It must have lived a very hard life before I got a hold of it.

And, yes, I got it for 1/3 of the value of one in good shape.

But it has tone for days.

[Brick is Red]

As long as the sale price reflected the market value of the guitar WITH those cracks, I would be fine with it and might actually seek out the bargain. I know how to repair cracks and I'd rather do it myself at this point.

Humidify, titebond, suction cups, mosist towel, cleats, an underside mirror, and clamps and I'm ready to go. A properly fixed crack, in most places on a guitar, will be stronger than it was prior to the crack opening up. I can't do finish repairs yet, so there's that.

[Paoli]

I had a couple of guitars needing crack repairs and I noticed then that it took at least 6 months after the repair before they sounded as good as before.After that no probs

[jrmyrnsm]

While I've definitely passed on some guitars due to what I considered a large crack or repair, small repaired cracks don't really bug me as long as the repair was done well. I've owned a number of guitars with repairs that I was only able to afford because they were discounted from the repair. Both of the "nice" guitars in my sig are only ones I could afford due to their having repaired cracks, Petros, or needing cracks repaired, Taylor 610.