MorrisrownSal Posted April 7, 2017 Share Posted April 7, 2017 I posted in elsewhere, but I wanted your take, if you all dont mind About 5 months ago or so, I bought this Farida Old Town 22 from Elderly. Its a stellar guitar, especially at the $380 price I paid. I keep it at work, and play it every work day during lulls. Yesterday it was fine. Today it has a top crack. I was foolish in assuming that it didnt need humidification at work; my other guitars I had there didnt, including a GS Mini. I have gas forced air at work. My bad. Not Elderly's. How do I fix this? Is it worth fixing? I like it an awful lot. I just brought it home. My home office is a steady 50% humidity. It is hanging now on the wall, with the string tension removed. I am going away for a week... I put it in a wall case with a little extra humidity... I guess I should wait now? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j45nick Posted April 7, 2017 Share Posted April 7, 2017 I'd wait and see what happens when it's re-humidified, but of course the crack will still be there. My luthier charges about $100 for a crack repair if it's part of a larger job. Don't know what it would be if you walked in off the streets and just got that one job done. My guess is 1-2 hours of work, all-up, depending on whether it needs to be cleated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jedzep Posted April 7, 2017 Share Posted April 7, 2017 If it shows from inside,or even if not, take it in to get it cleated right away, as glue alone won't keep it from returning, but don't bother with the cosmetics. It'll start the 'vintage' process. Right now the bracing is acting as a cleating. You don't want that to continue. The position of the crack is interesting, being in line with the pick guard edge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MorrisrownSal Posted April 7, 2017 Author Share Posted April 7, 2017 Jedzep, It came with a bad teardrop. I replaced it upon receipt. What's going on in your head? Edumacate me... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MorrisrownSal Posted April 7, 2017 Author Share Posted April 7, 2017 I am going to fix it for sure... and I dont care about the cosmetics. It sounds awesome, better than it has any right to sound. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnneS Posted April 7, 2017 Share Posted April 7, 2017 Pretty little 'burst, that one has-- and no pun intended!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jedzep Posted April 7, 2017 Share Posted April 7, 2017 I don't blame you, liking it like you do. It may be a one time crack, and maybe the last one. The tension running along that first string line makes me think that it will likely continue right under the bridge and on up. I used to own a 50's era J45 that had the dreaded shrinking pick guard crack run up along that same line right to the upper bout binding. It got 6 cleats and never moved again. As you could guess, I would have left the pick guard off the Farida. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aliasphobias Posted April 7, 2017 Share Posted April 7, 2017 Give it a go Sal. Cut you a couple 3/8x3/8x1/8 cleats and stick them on when the crack goes back together. Unfortunately clamps to reach down there are pricey but you can prop a block under them and then set a couple books on the top. Line them up with those little magnets they sell at HD or Lowe's (tricky finding the crack on the inside without a reference). Unfortunately being in that price range the finish is probably poly so finish touch up is nearly impossible. Plenty of info on YouTube or Frets.com on this sort of thing. Just do 1 at a time go slow, about 3 should keep it closed. Hard to pay luthiers rates for a guitar in that price range. You can do it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldCowboy Posted April 7, 2017 Share Posted April 7, 2017 What I'd do is find out the local cost to have it cleated and decide from there. Luthiers can vary and it's not rocket science if someone knows what they're doing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lars68 Posted April 8, 2017 Share Posted April 8, 2017 Sal, if it was my guitar I would let it humidify for a couple of weeks, than get som liquid hide glue, massage it into the crack until it comes through on the inside, wipe the excess of and be done. I wouldn't worry about the cleats. I think all you need is humidity and a proper glue job. https://www.amazon.com/Titebond-Liquid-Hide-Glue-5014/dp/B001CZ5JE4 Lars Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blindboygrunt Posted April 8, 2017 Share Posted April 8, 2017 Fish glue ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimmyboy Posted April 8, 2017 Share Posted April 8, 2017 Put a couple of cleats for inside.Use CA Glue for the outside finish.This set from ebay should works just fine. Here is how to do it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
62burst Posted April 8, 2017 Share Posted April 8, 2017 “. . . so you can make some money.” A good video on polyurethane guitar repair, Jimmy, but couldn’t a luthier find a better way to scare up a poly-finished guitar with a crack to repair? And isn’t an impact repair different from a dehydration/grainline repair? Poly finish touch ups typically leave an edge where the original paint resumes; one of the advantages to lacquer is how the repair finish can be “melted” into the original finish with thinner. Funny thing about econo guitars- whether it’s a repair like this, or something like fretwork (as I’d learned the hard way)- when it goes into the shop, the repair is the same cost(or sometimes even more) than if it were a more expensive guitar. Farida’s parent company makes a lot of guitars; poly makes sense when you build as many as GREE does in a day: AGF’s Silly Moustache post on Farida guitar: See this taken from Dawsons - a large dealer and UK distributor for Farida in the UK: Farida actually forms part of the Chinese group Grand Reward Education and Entertainment (GREE) which has been producing guitars under licence for ‘bigger’ name manufacturers since 1995. Their factory in Guang Dong produces around 13,000 guitars a month, of which more than half end up at stores in the United States. Yet with all that experience and know-how, GREE wanted to show off their expertise and felt they could offer the world a slightly different product. By using their proven construction techniques and industry knowledge, GREE ensured their new Farida range would deliver build quality and specifications well beyond what would be expected at a particular price point. __________________ Silly Moustache Count me as one of those who treat a $300 guitar as well as they treat a $3000 guitar: let’s keep an eye on that humidity next winter- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted April 8, 2017 Share Posted April 8, 2017 Crack repairs are cheap and if you have a skilled repair guy you will be hard pressed to even see what the crack was. My Banner J-50 had five open cracks in the back when I stumbled across it. I felt as if I bumped it with my knee the whole thing would fall apart. In the 1960s when I snagged my first Gibson - a L-00, it had a top crack. I "fixed" it myself by slathering Ducco over the crack. It held but was not exactly the best looking repair job around. Kind of a "folly of youth" relic job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jedzep Posted April 8, 2017 Share Posted April 8, 2017 Sal...don't you have your repair guy on speed dial? By the time this thread is wrapped up he'll have it cleated and stable again. Bet it won't be 50 bucks.,,10 bucks per inch. I assume your bridge plate stopped it dead...for now. The progress of all the repaired cracks my guitars have will never catch up to my life expectancy. That's all I care about. Hey Zomboy, bet you wish you still had that L00. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MissouriPicker Posted April 8, 2017 Share Posted April 8, 2017 On a guitar you like as much as this one, it might be worth having it done by a pro. Doesn't have to be the best job as far as cosmetics are concerned, but tell him you don't want the crack to spread and you want it to be good for a long time. BTW, sweet-looking little guitar. Nice to have a guitar like that within reach when you have time to play a few notes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blindboygrunt Posted April 8, 2017 Share Posted April 8, 2017 A guitar at work 😩 Jesus save us , what next I'm lucky to have a radio Hey boss I'm just gonna practice a few Dylan numbers , but if the phone rings I'll put it down I swear ! Ye gods ... Good to hear you financial guys are slaving away every second to get us out of the shithole we're in Wonder how many bankers were singing woody guthrie tunes behind their 3,000 dollar desk while the world crumbled ? 😂😂😂 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JWG4927 Posted April 8, 2017 Share Posted April 8, 2017 Funny. Long history of the work song. Pick a bale a day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aliasphobias Posted April 8, 2017 Share Posted April 8, 2017 Sal, if it was my guitar I would let it humidify for a couple of weeks, than get som liquid hide glue, massage it into the crack until it comes through on the inside, wipe the excess of and be done. I wouldn't worry about the cleats. I think all you need is humidity and a proper glue job. https://www.amazon.com/Titebond-Liquid-Hide-Glue-5014/dp/B001CZ5JE4 Lars Are you implying that this ^ is a "proper glue job? Just tape it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j45nick Posted April 8, 2017 Share Posted April 8, 2017 Good to hear you financial guys are slaving away every second to get us out of the shithole we're in Wonder how many bankers were singing woody guthrie tunes behind their 3,000 dollar desk while the world crumbled ? 😂😂😂 Sal is one of the good guys in the financial industry. If you want a better understanding of the "other" side of it, read his book "Broken Markets", which has become a widely read modern classic: Broken Markets Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blindboygrunt Posted April 8, 2017 Share Posted April 8, 2017 My tongue couldn't be any further in my cheek I'm head over heels in love with Sal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimmyboy Posted April 8, 2017 Share Posted April 8, 2017 “. . . so you can make some money.” A good video on polyurethane guitar repair, Jimmy, but couldn’t a luthier find a better way to scare up a poly-finished guitar with a crack to repair? And isn’t an impact repair different from a dehydration/grainline repair? Poly finish touch ups typically leave an edge where the original paint resumes; one of the advantages to lacquer is how the repair finish can be “melted” into the original finish with thinner. Funny thing about econo guitars- whether it’s a repair like this, or something like fretwork (as I’d learned the hard way)- when it goes into the shop, the repair is the same cost(or sometimes even more) than if it were a more expensive guitar. Farida’s parent company makes a lot of guitars; poly makes sense when you build as many as GREE does in a day: AGF’s Silly Moustache post on Farida guitar: See this taken from Dawsons - a large dealer and UK distributor for Farida in the UK: Farida actually forms part of the Chinese group Grand Reward Education and Entertainment (GREE) which has been producing guitars under licence for ‘bigger’ name manufacturers since 1995. Their factory in Guang Dong produces around 13,000 guitars a month, of which more than half end up at stores in the United States. Yet with all that experience and know-how, GREE wanted to show off their expertise and felt they could offer the world a slightly different product. By using their proven construction techniques and industry knowledge, GREE ensured their new Farida range would deliver build quality and specifications well beyond what would be expected at a particular price point. __________________ Silly Moustache Count me as one of those who treat a $300 guitar as well as they treat a $3000 guitar: let’s keep an eye on that humidity next winter- I'm pretty sure that many luthiers can find a better way to scare up a poly-finished guitar with a crack to repair.But this is the cheapest way for a regular Joe like me or the other can do it yourself at home for $20-$30.Especially for a cheap under $500 guitar that you just need to get the job done,don't have to be perfect or making money out of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j45nick Posted April 8, 2017 Share Posted April 8, 2017 My tongue couldn't be any further in my cheek I'm head over heels in love with Sal I know, I know..... Sal has it figured out: save the financial world, with your feet up on your desk singing Woody's "This Train is Bound for Glory" (while the clients look anxiously around the corner). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MorrisrownSal Posted April 9, 2017 Author Share Posted April 9, 2017 Checking in from Florida... I've heard about cracks, and cleated repaired top cracks, but I only kind-of knew what was meant. I'll let humidity do its thing, and then figure out how to "cleat it", and go down to the cleat store... Grunt, the absolute worst thing in the world for a firm that works on commissions, is low volume and quiet... it's during those times that a guitar is handy. Although to be honest, and I'm not proud of this, one time during the financial crisis, the small Yamaha guitar I had by my desk found itself sacrificed to the God of the Dow. Pete Townsend I was. It marked the bottom too. Sometimes there are bigger things at play in the universe. Thanks for the plug for Broken Markets Nick. The SEC is still sending employees to work at Citadel, so good times... Sad to say, but my happiest times are no longer spent nine to five. One day I'll drop the final proverbial grenade and then walk away. I'll leave to Masters of War, with a guitar over my shoulder, load up my pickup, and drive West. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blindboygrunt Posted April 9, 2017 Share Posted April 9, 2017 You know me well enough now to know I don't things seriously. I'm glad you're in the world Enjoy your trip buddy , but I prefer when you're in your escape room playing us all songs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.