6 month old Collings D42 Brazilian developed 7 inch crack

[Deshapiro]

Needless to say, I'm very upset. I have a humidified house and I don't gig. I bought it new from a good dealer whom I've just contacted. Don't know yet what my options are.
David

[jdinco]

Good Luck! That has to be more than a little upsetting. At least you are dealing with a top notch company. I bet they make it right by you.

[DanPanther]

Do you have forced air heating ?
Dan

[Tone Wood]

Where is the crack?
It should be repairable, but there's nothing more devestating than a crack in a brazilian back.

[00-28]

Originally Posted by Deshapiro

Needless to say, I'm very upset. I have a humidified house and I don't gig. I bought it new from a good dealer whom I've just contacted. Don't know yet what my options are.
David

Your not telling us much. When you let us know what your options are, give us a little more information as to what is going on. .....Mike

[Deshapiro]

Well, if it was up to me, I'd want it replaced with a new guitar. The value has just dropped considerably.
David

[Larry Pattis]

Even well cared for BRW cracks...it's an inherent risk, especially with today's figured woods...just get it repaired.

[Kerbie]

You haven't given us much information to go on, but Collings will certainly stand behind their guitar. I'm sorry to hear that happened.

[stringjunky]

What makes Brazilian so loved for its tone also makes it prone to cracking; it's a brittle wood.

[StringMeUp]

How disappointing. However, I agree with Kerbie, Collings' customer service is excellent. Figured BRW is definitely more prone to cracking.

Where do you live? My whole house humidifier does not come close to maintaining sufficient to humidity levels in Colorado in the winter. It also is not desirable to maintain guitar-friendly humidity levels in rooms with exterior walls when it is cold outside.

[UncleBill]

My luthier told me even if you do everything right, sometimes they just crack, he mentioned something about the wood fighting itself or something like that( it's been awhile I can't remember exactly what he said) . Sorry to hear

[Gasworker]

I have a whole house humidifier on my furnace and I can't get my house above 40%rh from December to March. Therefore my guitars stay in cases with sound hole and case humidifiers when not played. It's a pain in the behind but so I far I have avoided authoring a thread like yours. Good luck.

[drplayer]

Originally Posted by Gasworker

I have a whole house humidifier on my furnace and I can't get my house above 40%rh from December to March. Therefore my guitars stay in cases with sound hole and case humidifiers when not played. It's a pain in the behind but so I far I have avoided authoring a thread like yours. Good luck.

Same with me... Living in NE Ohio, our whole house humidifier certainly helps, but on its own, it just doesn't cut it. I keep mine out in a separate "guitar room" (10'x12') with an additional room humidifier that keeps it consistently between 45-50%. Without the additional room humidifier, I'm lucky to get 35% in the winter. Regardless, getting a crack on a 6-month old $10K+ guitar would be pretty disappointing--to say the least. Hope it gets taken care of adequately for the OP...unfortunately, these type issues can lead to a lot of finger pointing. Best of Luck!

[lizzard]

For a hundred buck or less - one can purchase a small humidifier and keep it filled with tap water. Run it in a closed room. A digital hygrometer from Radio Shack is 30 buck. Problem solved - even in Death Valley.

BUT there is no reason to assume its a humidity issue in a guitar that young - especially in B/S woods. My thought is that this piece was destined by nature not to be a guitar. Further, I bet Collings makes it right by you. I would be livid if I made that purchase and then had to have it "repaired."

Good luck, I feel for you.

[Marshall]

Where's the crack? How does the grain run?

They're not cutting any new BRW. All that figured stump stuff that is now available was rejected for use in the past because the grain is too figured to be stable. The tight straight grained wood is what's best for anything structural like a guitar.

It is what it is. Get the crack fixed. Maybe the dealer will help on the cost. Or the builder. But besides that, you're likely just going to have to live with it.