Tight neck crack

[Southern Cross]

I have a Taylor Grand Pacific that I discovered had a very tight neck crack while changing the strings.


Is this something that I should worry about, and have repaired or is it something you just need to keep an eye on?
Thanks for any advice about my guitar.
Clifford

[mirwa]

Thats bad, get it fixed ASAP

[rmp]

The other side is not cracked??

I'd think that it is not good to leave it, but a reputable tech could fix it up with very little fuss.

[Dyson Guitars]

That needs to be looked at I think. I'd take that to someone quickly. Loosen those strings up.

[John Arnold]

Actually, string tension holds that crack closed. It usually occurs during shipping with totally loosened strings. Heavy tuners are also a factor. This is much less an issue than a headstock crack that originates on the back side and goes north..
The twisted grain in that neck probably contributed. For strength, straight grain is the ticket.

[edcmat-l1]

Originally Posted by John Arnold

Actually, string tension holds that crack closed. It usually occurs during shipping with totally loosened strings. Heavy tuners are also a factor. This is much less an issue than a headstock crack that originates on the back side and goes north..
The twisted grain in that neck probably contributed. For strength, straight grain is the ticket.

Exactly. That's opposite of the way 99% of them crack.

[Howard Klepper]

That is a piece of wild grain wood that should never have been used for a guitar neck. In the area of the crack the grain turns and runs at about 70º to the way it should run.

If it is under warranty, ask Taylor to replace it; it slipped past their quality control.

[Southern Cross]

No the other side of the neck is not cracked.

Thanks for all the replies. I will take it to my tech, and let him fix it. I think I will send Taylor the photo, and ask them how that slipped past quality control. Unfortunately, I bought it off the forum used so I don’t have a warranty. It can’t hurt to ask. Thanks again.
Clifford

[mirwa]

Its not slipped their quality control in any way, its simply taken a hit into the headstock or the case it was in has fallen over and some whiplashing has occured which has split the grain from the nut slot

Steve

[tadol]

Is that a glued on headstock piece? The glare in the pic makes it hard for me to tell, but it looks like a stacked neck. Maybe thats standard for Taylor, I really don’t know -

[runamuck]

Originally Posted by mirwa

Its not slipped their quality control in any way, its simply taken a hit into the headstock or the case it was in has fallen over and some whiplashing has occured which has split the grain from the nut slot

Steve

I know nothing about Taylor's quality control but the grain in that neck runs more or less parallel to it's length until it approaches the headstock where it suddenly takes a 45 degree or so swing into the fretboard. And that's exactly the angle of the crack as it follows the short grain.

That's a bad piece of wood for a neck.

[John Arnold]

I agree. That piece of mahogany should have been used for furniture, in an unstressed location.
All of these I have repaired were the result of a confluence of any or all of the following circumstances:
1) The guitar was shipped with the strings loosened completely. I loosen the strings 4 or 5 semitones.
2) The case used to ship the guitar lacked a neck cradle near the nut.
3) There was a lack of padding behind the headstock.
4) The shipping box was marked 'up' pointing toward the headstock end. This means the headstock can suffer whiplash inside the case when (not if) the shipping box falls over.
Guitar shipping boxes are generally long and thin, and can easily fall over, especially if the bottom end is not perfectly square. I have seen crushed boxes which will not stand up, because they have previously been dropped on the end. That bring up another type of shipping damage...split tail blocks from impact to a tapered end pin.

[mirwa]

Originally Posted by runamuck

that neck runs more or less parallel to it's length until it approaches the headstock where it suddenly takes a 45 degree or so swing into the fretboard

Agreed not the best piece of wood out there. That being said I have seen guitars with necks that have knotts in them and also sorts of defects which are still going strong 30 years later.

It still does not get away from the fact its taken an impact of some form

Steve

[Southern Cross]

Taylor sent me an email, and they agreed that this crack is from a whiplash sometime to my guitar. They recommended that I take in for repair, or purchase a new neck for $400. I am opting for a repair. Thanks again for all the professional advice.
Clifford

[Jim85IROC]

I had a similar crack to a Harley Benton guitar that I bought. It got dropped on the headstock during shipping, and cracked at the nut slot, back toward the body, but in a much straighter direction than yours. Like yours, string tension held it closed.

Since Thomann sent me a replacement anyway, and because this guitar was lighter than the replacement, I decided to try fixing it. I decided to wick thin superglue in to the crack. I taped off everything around the crack to minimize the area that the glue would get on, then started applying glue in the crack at the nut slot while wiggling the headstock just enough to get the glue to wick down into the crack. It only took a few seconds and I could see glue seeping out of the bottom of the crack along the neck, so then I clamped everything together, and for the next 5 minutes I kept turning the truss rod nut back and forth to ensure that any glue that got near it wouldn't cause it to lock up.

After the glue dried, I scraped with a razor, sanded & polished. You can't even see the crack anymore, and the guitar holds tune great. I've been using it for a couple years now.