to glue or not to glue - healed top crack

3 chord · #1 03-29-2010, 09:25 AM

Last week I bought a Takamine F005 small bodied guitar for cheap. Nice little guitar with a slotted headstock and nice tobacco s/b finish. Cool looking, played and sounded good and somewhat uncommon, so I bought it even though it had a problem.

It had a center seam crack thru the wood (as seen using a flashlight in a dark room) in the top from the bridge down to the edge. The top also had bumps along the grain lines, it was DRY! Poor thing.

So after 4 days of humidification in the case, everything is coming around. The crack has completely closed. Sweet!

Question, do I still need to glue this crack or if I keep it well loved is it ok to leave the guitar as is? I can live with the remaining finish crack.

Any advice would be helpful as I have never had a crack in one of my guitars before.

thanks,

Jarrett

DupleMeter · #2 03-29-2010, 08:44 PM

I would glue it. Just because it's closed up now, doesn't mean it won't separate again.

If the crack was long enough (2+ inches), I'd cleat it with some spruce cleats also.

runamuck · #3 03-30-2010, 12:07 AM

Take the guitar back and get another one. That's a serious issue you've got there.

Yeah, it's going to open up again. Don't work on it yourself. Just take it back.

3 chord · #4 03-30-2010, 08:31 AM

Thanks for the replies. I think I will keep the guitar as getting another one is not an option as it was used (the guitar was made in 01). It was cheap enough, one and a half bills.

I went over to the luthiers forum and snooped around. They also suggested what Duple said, sounds like a little glue worked into the crack and maybe a cleat. (I didn't doubt the advice here, it's just I never had worked on a crack repair before).

I was asking about if it needed glueing though because I was amazed how well the crack sealed up by just humidifing. But it sounds like if I want to keep the guitar, then glue and cleat are in order.

My first acoustic repair, kind of exciting!!!

DupleMeter · #5 03-30-2010, 10:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 3 chord

Thanks for the replies. I think I will keep the guitar as getting another one is not an option as it was used (the guitar was made in 01). It was cheap enough, one and a half bills.

I went over to the luthiers forum and snooped around. They also suggested what Duple said, sounds like a little glue worked into the crack and maybe a cleat. (I didn't doubt the advice here, it's just I never had worked on a crack repair before).

I was asking about if it needed glueing though because I was amazed how well the crack sealed up by just humidifing. But it sounds like if I want to keep the guitar, then glue and cleat are in order.

My first acoustic repair, kind of exciting!!!

It is exciting. I repaired my first guitar in 1985! I was 15...friends would then bring me their guitars to fix - then basses, then mandolins & violins...Before you knew it I was fixing stringed instruments for people. Built up a reputation as "the guy" in the area for vintage stringed instruments.

I find it meditative & cathartic.

BuckMahoney · #6 04-02-2010, 01:46 PM

Yup,you'll need to glue the crack and put in a cleat or two.It's generally a good idea to put a small cleat every three inches along the crack line.Try to make them as small as possible,yet big enough to do the job.Cross grain compared to the top grain of the soundboard.A little finish touch up and it should be good,careful with the finish though.