Effect of crack on guitar longevity/price

[smic28]

I have two guitars with cracks on their tops, most likely due to humidity. One (Martin OM-28V) was repaired and then reappeared. The other seemed to happen suddenly (a Santa Cruz) after owning it for many years.

I was devastated when I discovered them, until I realized they had no effect whatsoever on playing and sound. They are just unsightly, though they close up more or less with proper humidity.

Note that these cracks are not structural, as in the guitars aren't going to break apart, explode, or implode anytime soon.

That said, I would not pay full price for a guitar with a crack in it and I suspect most people would feel the same way. And I would only buy such a guitar if I spent some significant time with it. When I buy a new guitar I want it to be pristine. So...you could just move on.

[charles Tauber]

Originally Posted by SkipII

As far as humidity changes, wood will move because it is still a tree.

I get your point that wood (lumber) absorbs and desorbs moisture and as it does so it changes size and shape. However, once a tree it cut down, it is dead and is a tree only in so much as it once was a tree but is no longer.

It is a bit incongruous to suggest if it is a "good luthier" it must be okay, but most good luthiers building a high-end instrument would start over. So, I think it is at least an open question about how good the overall work is. Just a question. BRW is rare enough where a competent rescue mission is understood.

It isn't all that uncommon for luthiers - good, bad, famous, unheard of - to repair defects, including split wood, in parts they have made. Some will discard the piece if they feel it warranted, some will repair it.

A good example of that is on Benedetto's video on arch top guitar making. On a $30k guitar he is making, he cracks a curly maple side while bending it. He glues it and keeps on going.

It is up to the individual maker to decide if the repair is good enough for him or her to put his or her name of the finished repaired instrument.

Net out, if this guitar is a "rare" piece from a deceased builder with a storied past and that matters to you, get the best price you can and play it for a long time. That is the best and often only reason to buy it.

That is a good summary.

There are an awful lot of guitars out there that can be purchased.

[musicman1951]

A crack in the back of a guitar during the build that was fixed by the luthier and has been stable for 15 years wouldn't stop me from purchasing a guitar I loved. I would expect a bit of a discount, but prices on used instruments are pretty "flexible" from the start.

I also consider that the guitar starts with a giant crack the length of the back.

[Cheezeweggie]

Cracked tops make good expensive guitars cheap for the rest of us.

[printer2]

Originally Posted by blindboyjimi

A crack in a guitar during the build will usually only be the result of figured i.e. stump wood, which is a bit unstable but very pretty. If a crack happens during a build in the sides or top, that is usually thrown out and started again,...

Not stump wood, actually softwood back and sides. It was a multiple experiment guitar and I would have been happy with the guitar lasting a week. Ended up being beside my chair for years.