J45 too slight crack - what to do?

[j45joe]

Hi folks. I’m new here. I have a 2002 j45 that got a slight buckle/crack in the top about 12 years ago. The crack seemed stable but it may be growing. It is right on top of a brace and does not seem to have gone through the top. Any ideas on what to do to prevent the crack from growing? Or should I leave it alone?

Thanks in advance
Joe


https://drive.google.com/file/d/1gHR...w?usp=drivesdk

https://drive.google.com/file/d/18t5...w?usp=drivesdk

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1lcj...w?usp=drivesdk

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1C08...w?usp=drivesdk

[mirwa]

You should get it fixed, too nice of a guitar not too.

Can you fix it yourself, of course but if you need to ask how then I think you shouldnt, if it was a cheap 50 dollar guitar absolutley great way to learn the skills, but on this guitar no

Steve

[mirwa]

One I did a month or two back, shows some of the steps required

Steve

[j45joe]

Thanks. Steve. That’s a beautiful repair! What does a repair like that cost?

Joe

[mirwa]

I am in australia, so different country.

Typically most repairers will take it up to picture 3, that is glued and repaired, we call this a functional repair, I charge 90 dollars and I would expect most repairers to be around the same.

The refinishing is my speciality, the total job cost that customer 295, that was functionaly repaired, finish repaired and new strings with setup

Steve

[j45joe]

Hey Steve,
After doing some research and poking around a bit more on the inside, the crack seems to be pretty localized and not deep

Uploaded pics of inside and braces here

https://drive.google.com/drive/folde...oZ?usp=sharing

So, I'm wondering, do I need to cleat this crack since it does not penetrate the entire depth of the top or would moistening the crack and adding some titebond do the job to prevent any further spreading of the crack?

If I cleat the crack, it seems that I can use magnets to hold the cleat until the glue cures instead of clamps , especially since my braces arent damaged.


I'm having a tough time finding someone super knowledgeable to fix this.

Thanks
Joe

[mirwa]

One does not have to cleat a crack.

I like to cleat big cracks as I feel this is a point of weakness as the grain has been broken over a large area, I feel it could be influenced by humidity changes and re break at the same point.

On spruce tops I like to use hide glue, titebond is fine as well however it makes any finishing a little bit more labour intensive.

I cannot comment as to whether rubbing some glue in is sufficient to prevent further damage as its not in my hands, luthiers not only look at the damage, they look at the surrounding areas, the string load applied and so much more.

Steve

[j45joe]

Thank you Again Steve!

Joe