Fingerboard crack question

[jaycal]

I just bought this Bourgeois dread (2017, used), and it showed up in the mail with a crack in the fingerboard. The seller says it wasn't like that when it was shipped out, and I believe him. It came from Utah, so maybe it was super dry and cracked en route?

I've emailed Bourgeois a couple times and gotten no reply, unfortunately. While I try to reach them, I just wanted to post the pic here to see if anyone has dealt with something like this before. Any rough estimate of the cost to fix it?

Thanks!

[jaycal]

(Bump just in case anyone has seen something like this before... still no word from Bourgeois)

[thegreatgumbino]

Originally Posted by jaycal

(Bump just in case anyone has seen something like this before... still no word from Bourgeois)

Sorry to hear about this. I'm sure you were disappointed.

I had a similar experience buying a Larrived OM used. Showed up with a crack on frets 1 & 2. My setup guy used super glue and I never had an issue with it after that. He said it wasn't uncommon and would be fine. Others may say otherwise.

Do you have a trusted repair person/shop you can take it to? I'd get it looked at by a professional to make sure there are no issues with the frets.\

Have you tried calling them?

[jaycal]

Thanks. It was pretty disappointing, yeah! The seller is pretty bummed, too. I'm waiting on guidance/info from Bourgeois to figure out how to move forward. Two emails and a phone call and nothing yet, but hopefully I'll hear back soon.

Hopefully it's a pretty simple repair, like your OM, versus having to replace the fingerboard. And I'm actually only a couple hours from Bourgeois, so I'd be willing to drive up and have them check it out in person.

[rokdog49]

It seems a little disappointing you got no reply from Bourgeois.
Even if they are on vacation it's pretty easy to set up a "reply to" email while someone is away.
Hopefully it's just an oversight and not something bad that happened.

[charles Tauber]

Originally Posted by jaycal

It came from Utah, so maybe it was super dry and cracked en route?

Do the fret ends stick out? That is one indication of drying. If it is drying or heat related, check seams for separation and ensure there are no odd sounds, such as buzzes or rattles that might indicate a loose brace.

Ensure that the guitar is properly acclimatized to your climate, then CA glue can be used to repair the crack in the fingerboard. It is a minor repair.

[jaycal]

Originally Posted by charles Tauber

Do the fret ends stick out? That is one indication of drying. If it is drying or heat related, check seams for separation and ensure there are no odd sounds, such as buzzes or rattles that might indicate a loose brace.

Ensure that the guitar is properly acclimatized to your climate, then CA glue can be used to repair the crack in the fingerboard. It is a minor repair.

Fret ends do seem to be sticking out a bit more than normal. No odd rattles or separation that I can see, though. Glad to hear that it could be a fairly cheap and easy fix! I feared the worst initially - like having to replace the whole fingerboard.

[LeftIsRight!]

Things don’t add up in this story.

Guitar fret boards just don’t randomly crack like that while guitars are in transit.

The most likely scenario is that the guitar was extremely dry to begin with. It seems the previous owner did not keep that guitar properly humidified and who knows when was the last time the fretboard saw a drop of oil on it. I bet this is what Burgeois will tell you when they reply.

high temperatures during shipping from the southwesr probably put a lot of stress in an already dry instrument, thus causing the crack to form.

If you can live with it, just have the crack glued and move on before crack keeps expanding or worse other cracks begin to form. It will be cheap, and it will not affect the guitar in any way.

If it bothers you too much knowing there’s a fretboard repair in your instrument , Ask for a refund.

[jaycal]

^ Thanks for that info, that’s definitely helpful. I could probably live with the repair if it’s solid and not noticeable.

[LeftIsRight!]

Originally Posted by jaycal

^ Thanks for that info, that’s definitely helpful. I could probably live with the repair if it’s solid and not noticeable.

I would get a good humidifier and put the guitar inside a plastic bag for several days before you take it for repair. For the repair to work and look nice the guitar must absolutely be properly humidified.

It will look good. Should be a simple fix.

[jaycal]

Originally Posted by LeftIsRight!

I would get a good humidifier and put the guitar inside a plastic bag for several days before you take it for repair. For the repair to work and look nice the guitar must absolutely be properly humidified.

It will look good. Should be a simple fix.

Will do! Stuck a couple humidifiers in the case but not with the plastic bag.

[LeftIsRight!]

Originally Posted by jaycal

Will do! Stuck a couple humidifiers in the case but not with the plastic bag.

The plastic bag is more to speed the process up. It’s not needed. But Guitar cases absorb humidity too, so it is a slower process at first.

Make sure to have a reliable method to measure the relative humidity inside the case to prevent over-humidifying the guitar...which brings another ser of issues lol.

[jaycal]

Definitely, yep, I’ve got a hygrometer I can stick in the case to be sure

[nacluth]

The fretboard crack itself would probably not be a hard or expensive fix, but you need to have a trained repairman look to see if there is other damage that maybe more serious internally. I would check all braces and the heel block/top joint especially.

[mirwa]

It possibly may have taken an excessive bump when being shipped, this has allowed a section of the grain to split and open up, I think it could be a symptom of a bigger problem.

Definitely get it checked

Steve