Every so often on ebay or cl ill see a highend acoustic being sold at a deep discount because of a soundboard crack usually from below the bridge to the outer edge. Before i left, i finished up a job for my friend john fohl who plays with the likes of dr. The cleats woodgrain runs across the crack, not parallel to it, creating a strong repair thats also very small. Bracing styles for classical guitars this is classical guitar. Our full setup includes full diagnostics and inspection of the entire instrument, full inspection of all electronics, personalized recommendations for upgrades and improvements, full redress and polish of frets with 7 courses of fine sandpapers and micromesh with a complete high gloss buff on our arbor buffer, cleaning and oiling of fret board, tightening hardware, replacing any needed small. The brace under the end of the fingerboard was loose at the end, too, but it is just out of view at the upper right corner of the picture. Nothing is more simple than the construction of an absolute fabulous sounding guitar. If it is was a really great guitar, and its not broken down into kindling, you should find a skilled repair person they can often fix more than you expect.
Discounting the different techniques luthiers use in bracing the top, or the thickness of the soundboard, it is generally agreed that a spruce top guitar will sound brighter than a cedar top guitar. For those of you who grew up doublethumbing those marvelous japanese inventions nintendo or sony playstation, it may come as a surprise that back in the 1960s and 70s, japanesemade productsincluding guitarswere often viewed with disdain by many american consumers. Key features contributing to the hauser sound include. If you have a picture of your guitar s condition, upload it to our estimator platform and well be able to get you an even more accurate repair. Second, if you notice a crack, your first instinct may be to touch or rub it. What can i do with a broken classical guitar soundboard. The best description of a hauser guitar s musical attributes can be found in the book julian breams a life on the road. If memory serves me correctly, john told me he picked it up at continue reading. About a year ago, i opened my guitar case to discover this crack in the soundboard of my beloved takamine santa fe. I have seen recently guitars that have dangerously thin tops that sound great but that have a disturbing tendency to crack, very easily. The back and top are already a bunch of wood bits glued together from the factory, another crack isnt going to make any musical difference. The vat is very high and the tools are about 160 dollars to get here. The neck shape and angle are just right, consequently the guitar plays easily. My only gripe is that it arrived with a crack on the face panel running.
The hard part is getting at the crack to do the shimming. Spruce top guitars have a wonderful blooming tone, with belllike trebles and basses that are low and full but tend more toward the mid range. Beautiful clear spruce sound with the benefits of aging. How do properly repaired cracks in the body of an acoustic guitar affect sound if at all. These tools are for repairing stubborn cracks, splits and punctures in acoustic guitars. I bought a very expensive acoustic custom shop guitar made by one of the top five guitar builders in the world. Pat diburro top replacement 1 new england luthiers. I took it home and fixed the crack, and now i have a nice mahogany guitar that i picked up for a song. The fan bracing pattern gives the center of the soundboard more surface area to vibrate, and respond to the tension of the strings. Maybe with violins it is a different case but most parts of the classical guitar will never need to be repaired and construction and sound bars can be reached, replaced or repaired via the sound hole. Photo 2 it was clear that the soundboard was not coming back to a reasonable radius so the decision was made to replace the soundboard. Click each link below and look around each website for the download link or button. The main causes of cracks in your guitar s body are low humidity and physical impact to the instrument. If it needs physical repair rather than cosmetic, 12 price is more.
Depending on the severity and location of the crack, a repair is as simple as stabilizing the wood and applying glue to secure it. Now you can upload photos with your repair estimate request. If you look closely, you can see that the end of the xbrace was loose from the cracks to the lining. Director of training, john reuter, fixes a crack in muriel andersons classical guitar. Fix a cracked guitar top without hampering the tone. But if it sounds good to you, by all means, as i never had any issues with the crack. By touching or rubbing the crack, you are working dirt and oils into the area, and this can make things much more difficult when gluing it back. I bother to give the model number of the guitar so you can look them up online. At 30% relative humidity you may see cracks in your guitar. The cracks are 34 inches long and on either side of the fretboard.
Dec 24, 20 acoustic soundboard acoustic pro advice howtos upkeep february 2014. Repairing cracks in acoustic guitars examples of cracks. I developed these techniques while working at gruhns in nashville and use them today to replace severely damaged tops which are beyond salvage. Classical guitars for sale and recommend factory guitars since im a player and not a luthier. About nine months ago, one of our best aussie guitar luthiers suggested to me that the neck block may. What i would be wary of is a guitar with an older crack that has not been. To repair these cracks the stress must be eliminated by removing the pickguard and reattaching or replacing it. If the repairs been done right, its stronger than the wood. Tips on repairing acoustic guitar cracks proaudioland. How to fix a crack in the top of an acoustic guitar. How costly is it to fixed a cracked sound board in a piano. It was made in europe and after going through the process of wiring payment, it was shipped to me. Frets will likely feel sharp, top and back will likely become collapsed concave, action will lower very quickly, guitar will likely develop a buzz.
Believe it or not, multiple cracks in the soundboard of a guitar will not. Apr 23, 2018 whether the crack is caused by humidity or by impact, there is no immediate danger to the guitar. Espana allsolid wood of mahogany back, sides, and neck with spruce soundboard, refinishedinshellac beauty of a classical guitar, with fine setup to the fullest ability of this fine guitar. Gluing the bridge afterwards has the advantage that polishing of the soundboard is easier and the result may. Im also assuming it would cost a fair to have it repaired, hence the absolute bargain i scored it for.
Just buy yourself a top of goodquality spruce, thin it to a thickness of lets say 0. A friend of mine not anymore dropped my guitar and when i got home i noticed a 45cm crack in the neck just below the headstock. Mar 29, 2019 i bought a very expensive acoustic custom shop guitar made by one of the top five guitar builders in the world. Buying an acoustic with top crack smart bargain or roll of the dice. Spruce soundboard, solid csa rosewood back and sides, original fusteros tuners, 664 scale, 54 mm nut width. Vacations over and now its time to get back to work. In an effort to avoid a repeat, and keep the new adhesive from pulling up wood fibers if removed again, this bare area of wood beneath the guitar is usually sealed with finish. This form of damage will lower the aesthetics of your guitar and if left unrepaired, it. Scale length between bone nut and bone saddle is a contemporary 650mm, with neckwidth at nut of 50mm, and stringheight at twelfthfret of 3. Crack or split repair and prevention bailey guitars. Knowing how to evaluate the seriousness of a crack will allow you to determine whether to call a repair person immediately or whether it might be ok to leave it alone for a. This is a guest post by luthier marcus dominelli, victoria, bc, canada id like to discuss the basics of bracing used in classical guitar making. Whatever repair method you decide to go with its important to rehydrate the guitar. How to repair a crack in a solid top acoustic guitar our.
Most folks agree that a guitar sounds better when the soundhole is. This video i put to use my new magnets and cleat the first crack in the bottom of the lower bout of the guitar top. Dont worry about leaving your klos guitar in the car, it can handle the heat. They created a guitar from scratch in their stateoftheart manufacturing facility. Can i repair a crack in the top of my acoustic guitar. Buying an acoustic with top crack smart bargain or roll of. And its importance was stressed because humidity control is the single most crucial step a guitar owner can take to protect instruments. Can i repair a crack in the top of my acoustic guitar myself. Flat top soundboards acoustic soundboards guitar wood for. Cracks occur because the guitar got to dry or experienced a sudden and radical temperature change that the the wood couldnt cope with.
Cracked soundboard repair tutorial acoustic and hollowbody. You are carrying around a wooden box made of exotic hardwoods measuring anywhere from about. Soundboard may develop a crack running from the bridge to the butt, bridge may come unglued. Over the years ive come to realize that theres two major philosophies that one can follow when building an acoustic guitar. The process of retopping an acoustic guitar is not complicated or time consuming if done properly and with a little practice. Paul chambers guitars classical guitar model 1937 hauser. It is very important that you know how to recognize this and what to do about it should your guitar start to show these signs of dryness. Repairing cracks in acoustic guitars examples of cracks caused. Here are the best free guitar vst plugins online that can be used with fl studio, reason, ableton live, and other vst supported software. Nov 14, 2016 therefore, if the soundboard can be made as thin as possible, then total sound radiation would increase. Another crack type unique to guitars is pickguard cracking. Sometimes a soundboard just doesnt want to be part of a guitar anymore. Most of the worst and hardesttorepair cracks happen on a guitar s top.
Buying an acoustic with top crack smart bargain or roll. It sounds good, but now i need to figure out how to fix the crack. How does one tell when a crack is better repaired and the soundboard repolished versus leaving a crack alone and just taking care to provide a safe enviornment for the guitar in future. This is an attempt to quantify quality of the classical guitar. Action is high due to neck, top and bridge angle 316 at the 10th fret. Acoustic guitar top crack repair cleating cracks n sealing outter. The extreme case would be a crack that completely splits the soundboard in half, which would have a major negative effect similar to. Repair cracks in tops and sides of an acoustic guitar. I used it to record a lot and it just sounded thin to me after the crack. Expertly reconditioned by luthier david pace, this beautiful guitar showed no evidence of cracks in the soundboard or the back and sides. Even if you do not see a crack in the guitar, it has still lost moisture and the top has begun to sink. In my last column humidityfriend and foe, march 2018, we defined the parameters of the safe humidity zone.
Stewmac sells perfect tools for it, but when i want to get them to europe i pay the price of. Unfortunately, the structure can still sustain damage due to frequent usage and exposure to unsuitable conditions. As a classical guitar dealer and the largest classical guitar shop in the country, its important to me and to the luthiers who work with me that you understand your guitar and how to care for her. So back to my question, does a crack in the guitar effect the sound. One of the primary problems that you will have to deal with is cracking of the instrument. Crack repair cleats in spruce, indian rosewood, and mahogany for repairing acoustic guitars with the tj. The best way to tell is to tap the soundboard to hear if the crack goes through.
Andres segovia and julian bream, two influential classical guitarists of the 20th century, both performed on hauser guitars. But it did change the tone of the guitar, in my opinion. A thin top has a lot going for it, its sensitive and loud but often has a short optimal life. While some cracks are relatively easy to repair its.
Acoustic guitars are relatively delicate instruments, but they will often provide longterm service. Taylor guitars, a premier guitar maker based in california, once did a test that i found incredibly interesting. You didnt describe the guitar beyond brokenness, so my answer wont be precise. Every flat top soundboard sold by oregonwildwood is visually unique and distinctive even soundboards within the same species vary greatly in color, contrast and figuring. The original top was shot with an aging toner under the clear. So how does a lay guitarist tell whether a crack or cracks in the soundboard are important enough to warrant passing over an old guitar. Its a really cool guitar, and even though its literally falling apart, john has managed to play the. One of the most common instances is actually not a crack at all, but a centerseam separation. Acoustic soundboard acoustic pro advice howtos upkeep february 2014.
It was my main guitar to record with before the crack. The sharp fret ends seen in 40% relative humidity will become more evident. Here you see my way of repairing a typical top crack. The crack was still wide open and a straight edge laid over the soundboard just behind the bridge. Acoustic guitar cracked top repair by randy schartiger. How to repair cracks in your acoustic guitar if you own an acoustic guitar long enough, chances are good that youll have to deal with the repair of a crack in the wood. Buy classical guitar soundboard protector static cling tie guard. Unlike the color of the leaves, your klos wont change with the seasons. Dan erlewine shows how to pull a crack together and.
The guitar is getting repaired now and i havent played it since, im just worried that it will sound 10 times worse when its back. I have a book about classical guitar building which makes the point that sonically its all about the top. Vintage antigua casa nunez classical guitar argentina for. Sometime during the life of an average acoustic guitar, it will likely develop at least a small crack. This article is intended for those who know little about how classical guitars are made. The crack clamp uses a thin wire to pull the cleat into place. Guitars that are built to last tend to utilize heavy. Acoustic guitar cracked top repair by randy schartiger guitar repair. Cracks in the body of your solid top acoustic guitar are often cause by physical damage to the guitar or shrinkage due to a lack of humidity. This is an important consideration for the classical guitar if the sound level from this instrument is to be increased. It really only needs to be done if the crack is large wide and long enough to cause the soundboard to buzz or if if the sound of the instrument is adversely affected by the crack. This brief article pertains to what you can do to properly care for your instrument. The soundboard may look and feel rippled or dried in.
Youll find the largest online selection of guitar woods including flat top soundboards available. Our hardenedsteel cleat cutter creates thin round cleats of wood to be glued across a crack on the inside of a guitar. Crack repair what caused my acoustic guitar to crack. Vintage antigua casa nunez classical guitar argentina for repairseveral cracks in soundboard, long crack and binding separations have been repaired. The advantages of spruce over cedar guitar salon international. This usually happens when the guitar is allowed to dry out, causing the two halves of the top to come unglued at the center seam. How to repair cracks in your acoustic guitar guitar alliance. If it hasnt been done right, its a minor thing to get fixed.
Impact cracks are the result of a guitar taking a hit, and, like a lackofhumidity crack, they tend to appear along the grain line. Without a doubt the soundboard is the most important piece of wood effecting the sound of the instrument. This video shows many more discoveries of preventive maintenance not performed and what can and does happen, plus gluing the cracked top. Low humidity causes the wood to shrinkwe see a lot of these types of cracks in my minneapolis shop during the dry winter months. Check out the price list then describe your repair for us and well get you a live estimate. If you know that youre not looking at a finish crack and the top is indeed cracked, remove the string tension and get the guitar to a good. A washboard texture which looks somewhat like corduroy is one of the first signs of dryness. And its importance was stressed because humidity control. In 1903, it was the madrilenian luthier santos hernandez who set the middle bar at an angle to enlarge the 4 romanillos j. Mathematical modelling and acoustical analysis of classical. A cracked guitar side is a difficult fix, especially when the sides of the split are uneven.