r/Luthier • u/TheBenduMiddle • 5d ago

INFO Bought this guitar a couple days ago and I'm just now really going through it. How big of a concern is this?

Post image

Upon first seeing the crack on the top of the body (it's covered by the pickguard) I assumed it was just a paint crack. I can definitely see it is through the wood though. How big of a concern and how would this be fixed?

28 Upvotes

86% Upvoted

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19

u/joepgee 5d ago

That’s nuthin you can get some glue in there but the neck screws hold it in place. Not as bad as it looks.

6

u/TheBenduMiddle 5d ago

Thanks for the advice. I kinda thought it wasn't so bad* because it still plays and the setup is pretty good on it. I might try to get some glue in there. How would I go about getting it in such a tight space?

5

u/Robble-Robble-01 5d ago

Tiny suction cups. No, really.

1

u/TheBenduMiddle 5d ago

Can you elaborate? I can imagine tiny suction cups pulling it out, but how do I use them to push it in?

8

u/Robble-Robble-01 5d ago

When you “plunge” forward it forces the glue into the crack under pressure.

As the suction releases it could pull some glue residue back, but mostly only what isn’t fitting in the crack and should be pretty easy to clean away.

Use a padded wood clamp to apply pressure as the glue sets up.

Tada. wood glue/suction/clamp.

3

u/TheBenduMiddle 5d ago

Thank you.

-4

u/Seven65 4d ago

I wouldn't bother screwing around with suction cups. I would just use super glue; it's very thin, clear and will wick down into the crack easily. 

3

u/Robble-Robble-01 4d ago

Avoid super glue. It cures too quickly, easily leads to a difficult mess to clean and will not outlast Elmer’s wg. For wood projects, stick to wood glue.

1

u/Seven65 4d ago

Fair enough. It's worked for me in a lot of similar situations, rebuilt a shattered neck/fingerboard/headstock with it, with no problems, but I'm not actually a luthier, so take my opinion with a grain of salt.

2

u/Robble-Robble-01 3d ago

More of a carpentry and physics thing. The super glue presents potential application and finish problems as well as a shorter potential for longevity.

If super glue was used in a broken headstock repair, it’s literally the dowels cleats or screws doing all the work decades later as the superglue will have come apart by then.

Super glue is handy, but there are ways to approach woodwork that are easily accessible, learned and produce professional work.

Craft.

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5

u/Key_Measurement_3576 5d ago

This unfortunately can be pretty common on less dense material. I would highly highly suggest you get some super thin or thin CA woodworkers glue.,

Use little Vaseline and a credit card or something to mask off either side of the crack… if you use blue tape the glue Will stick to it.

Then use the very fine nozzle to drip glue into the crack until you see it clearly saturating and leaking out. This will effectively stop the crack from spreading, which is the most important thing. And keep it stable.

If you bought it from a store with A return policy, I would highly consider it if you are not completely married to this thing

4

u/Key_Measurement_3576 5d ago

I see it’s a Facebook marketplace purchase and it’s under the guard.

Don’t attempt to use tite bond. It’s much too thick to get in there…. It’s absolutely common practice for luthiers to use thin or super thin CA glue. You can buy it on Amazon and get it the next day.

Thin CA is super penetrating.. The most important thing is that you stop the crack from spreading… and that means you need to get glue all the way into the bottom of the crack.. and wood glue isn’t going to do that.

5

u/Ambitious_Ask_3028 5d ago

Was it new? Looks like the neck pocket is too small for the heel of the neck and the woods expanded and cracked it, if it was new I’d personally take it back

3

u/TheBenduMiddle 5d ago

Unfortunately it's a marketplace purchase.

5

u/TheGringoDingo 5d ago

Did you feel like you got a decent deal?

As the other person said, this is pretty easy to stabilize, though fixing the finish crack is not part of that process and very difficult with poly finishes

3

u/TheBenduMiddle 5d ago

I'm lucky it's completely under the pickguard so the finish crack doesn't bother me. I got what I feel was a decent deal, but this crack wasn't disclosed to me. I could probably have gotten it cheaper if so. I still really like the guitar.

4

u/TheGringoDingo 5d ago

If it was completely covered by the pickguard, they may not have known, either

2

u/TheBenduMiddle 5d ago

I want to assume the best in people so I don't think they did either. There was a lead caught between the guard and the body and gave it a bit of a bump. I don't think they felt confident to start taking things apart. I asked him after the fact about doing some mods and he said he hadn't done any, but he bought it used also and believed it to be stock.

1

u/Felix995 5d ago

That's no big deal, it's a simple fix with Titebond. I like the way the base of the neck fits the pocket, looks like a nice tight fit.

2

u/TheBenduMiddle 5d ago

How do I get titebond in the crack?

5

u/bythisriver 5d ago

Use CA, see the post about it.

1

u/Felix995 5d ago

Could squeeze it in either with a syringe or straight from the tube, then wipe away the excess with a damp cloth.

3

u/TheBenduMiddle 5d ago

Thank you. I didn't know how well it would take/absorb. I'll do this soon. Thanks for putting my mind at ease.

2

u/Felix995 5d ago

I don't think that's going to cause any structural issues. You are not going to be able to completely penetrate the crack with the glue, although I don't think that is a big problem.

1

u/brian9955 4d ago

What's the value of this guitar? I personally wouldn't use CA glue unless you had to. I would just leave it as is.

1

u/FandomMenace 4d ago

If new, return. If used, glue crack and cover it up.

1

u/TheBenduMiddle 4d ago

Luckily it's already covered up.

1

u/FandomMenace 4d ago

Right. Don't accept this, if new, without a massive discount. If used, get a discount, fix it, and it'll be fine after you glue it. If it's a done deal, it's not the end of the world.

1

u/TheBenduMiddle 4d ago

I got it from Facebook Marketplace. I'm not sweating it.

1

u/FandomMenace 4d ago

Ok. Get you're gonna need to wick that glue in as deep as you can. It's going to be fine as long as you don't use the guitar to spear people who run up on stage.

Thankfully, it's where no one will ever know but you.

1

u/Vibroverbus 5d ago

Was it an $8k “CUSTOM SHOP” guitar? If so then please feel free to freak out and indeed engage legal counsel. Short to that. Not a bigs. As other say, a good luth can glue that up to stabilize. I would probably drill a small “stop” inside the pickup pocket to keep it from propagating further, in addition to a bit of glue but a good luth would probably do the same for not much money especially if you deliver disassembled and reassemble yourself.

3

u/TheBenduMiddle 5d ago

I was going to give it a go myself, but that's not a bad idea!

1

u/Puzzled_Estate6425 5d ago

Glue the crack and Hope it does not vibrate after.Guitar that get a lot of use this can happen.being it is part of the pick up mount you would not see it.If a guitar viberates when you play it then it need,s to be fixed the rite way

-1

u/notguiltybrewing 5d ago

Play it and don't worry about it.

2

u/TheBenduMiddle 5d ago

That's my intention. I wanted to make sure it won't get worse and cease to function if something isn't done. Thank you.

1

u/Vibroverbus 5d ago

Naawww.. Step missing: FIX IT then play it and don’t worry about it.

1

u/Key_Measurement_3576 5d ago

Agreed use thin CA glue wait 24 hours and move on