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Old 07-22-2020, 09:19 AM
Folkfan1290 Folkfan1290 is offline
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Unhappy Is this a crack in new guitar?

Hi all,

Just over two weeks ago, I received my brand new Martin 000-15sm. A day or two ago, I noticed what might be a crack in the back of the neck (photos below). It's behind the first or second fret. It's totally possible that this crack has been there all along and I only just noticed it, as it's quite small, and I have not had the instrument long. I'm hoping you all could take a look at the photos and let me know what you think. Is this a crack in the wood or in the finish? Since this is a basically new instrument, should I try to get it repaired or replaced? I ordered it through Guitar Center, and it was delivered to me via UPS. The instrument sounds beautiful, but the crack is in a place where I frequently place my hand. Now that I know it's there, I feel it all the time.

As further context, I have never mishandled the instrument or hit it against anything. A week ago, I set up a Hercules wall mount, and I've been leaving the instrument hung up on the wall so that it's freely available for me to play. The room is kept at 78 degrees and, according to my central AC monitor, between 45% and 57% humidity. Twice, I've shut off the AC when recording. During these sessions, the temperature rose to 80 degrees, and the humidity perhaps rose to 57%, but this was for no longer than an hour or so, and this change happened gradually from turning off the AC.

Please let me know what you think, and thank you all in advance!







Last edited by Folkfan1290; 07-22-2020 at 09:27 AM.
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Old 07-22-2020, 10:09 AM
tadol tadol is offline
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Those pics are really hard to see anything at all - but if I’m seeing what you’re trying to point out, it looks like it might be a piece of lint that got into the finish? It doesn’t look like a crack to me -
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Old 07-22-2020, 10:12 AM
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Dyson Guitars Dyson Guitars is offline
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Not any crack that I can see. I hope you never look critically at my guitars! Ha.
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Old 07-22-2020, 10:23 AM
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cliff_the_stiff cliff_the_stiff is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BalekSydon View Post
Not any crack that I can see. I hope you never look critically at my guitars! Ha.
Ha ha! note to self... folkfan is thorough.
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Old 07-22-2020, 05:25 PM
mtdmind mtdmind is offline
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In all honesty, it looks like dust got onto the finish.
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Old 07-22-2020, 06:44 PM
Mirosh Mirosh is offline
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The photos don't show a crack. What can you see with a magnifier? Does it feel different compared to the grain?

There was a rough spot on my new Yamaha FG800's neck a few months ago. And of course I felt it all the time once I was aware of it. I picked up a wad of very fine steel wool, took a deep breath, and rubbed. It did not hurt the finish at all and after a while the rough spot and whole neck were smoother and better looking than new. Good luck. I hope this turns out OK for you.
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Old 07-23-2020, 11:23 AM
Folkfan1290 Folkfan1290 is offline
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Thanks for all the responses! The spot does feel different than the grain. I think the most likely explanation is that it's lint that got into the finish.

Is this something to be expected with new instruments, particularly ones like the 000-15sm which has a satin (and therefore thinner?) finish? Or is this the sort of thing that would be considered a defect in the instrument?

If it is a defect, could this be repaired? If so, how? I would not feel comfortable doing any work on the instrument myself.

Thanks again, all!
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Old 07-23-2020, 11:40 AM
tadol tadol is offline
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Get a nice micro-fibre cloth, and wipe down the strings and rub the back of the neck every time you play it. In a matter of days, maybe weeks, you’ll never notice it again-
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Old 07-23-2020, 12:10 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tadol View Post
Get a nice micro-fibre cloth, and wipe down the strings and rub the back of the neck every time you play it. In a matter of days, maybe weeks, you’ll never notice it again-
This is a very good suggestion. You might want to try it. It might work.
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finish crack, martin 000-15sm, neck crack, new guitar, repair

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