Georgy Posted May 6, 2017 Share Posted May 6, 2017 Hi folks, I am not an experienced person w/ guitar cracked but I have this J-35 Gibson that is less than a year old. I come home one day and notice this crack in the middle. Can someone help me identify how this has happened and if it's serious or not? I cannot tell any difference in the sound but want to make sure this won't be something that if I don't fix it early on, will get worse. http://imgur.com/a/a1AZo http://imgur.com/a/JJquj http://imgur.com/a/5HSTp Please help! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rct Posted May 6, 2017 Share Posted May 6, 2017 Can you feel that? rct Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MorrisrownSal Posted May 6, 2017 Share Posted May 6, 2017 I just had this same crack on a guitar I kept at work. It's a humidity crack. The guitar likely has not been properly humidified... where do you live? Take the tension off and get the crack repaired... what they will likely do to repair it is humidify it for two weeks or so, and then glue it... maybe add a cleat. It's an inexpensive repair, unless you want the top to look completely perfect post-repair, in which case the cost will go up for the finish work. See mine: https://imgur.com/2IoxfBq Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldCowboy Posted May 6, 2017 Share Posted May 6, 2017 What was the humidity level in the house? Does the crack extend through to the underside of the top? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slimt Posted May 6, 2017 Share Posted May 6, 2017 Thats a top crack.. get it fixed asap well its tight... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GDC Posted May 6, 2017 Share Posted May 6, 2017 I just had this same crack on a guitar I kept at work. It's a humidity crack. The guitar likely has not been properly humidified... where do you live? Take the tension off and get the crack repaired... what they will likely do to repair it is humidify it for two weeks or so, and then glue it... maybe add a cleat. It's an inexpensive repair, unless you want the top to look completely perfect post-repair, in which case the cost will go up for the finish work. See mine: https://imgur.com/2IoxfBq Sal is right. It's not terrible problem if properly and promptly addressed. See this article for a basic explanation then research the effects of humidity on acoustic guitars. https://www.premierguitar.com/articles/How_Humidity_Affects_Your_Guitar Welcome to the forum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Georgy Posted May 7, 2017 Author Share Posted May 7, 2017 Thanks everyone for your replies and explanation (the article made so much sense). I will take it to Guitar Center today and get this addressed asap. I live in Boston and during the winter the humidity in my apartment can be low - around 10% (not too terrible). I would assume the guitar is designed to handle that. Initially I thought the cleaner may have dropped it but it's looking more and more like a humidity crack as you guys mentioned. I have all my guitars hung on the walls in the house and would like to keep it this way. Looks like I have to start thinking about how to humidify the whole living room (where I store them) to make sure I don't damage the other guitars as well... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Georgy Posted May 7, 2017 Author Share Posted May 7, 2017 Good point - you have the exact same crack! I just had this same crack on a guitar I kept at work. It's a humidity crack. The guitar likely has not been properly humidified... where do you live? Take the tension off and get the crack repaired... what they will likely do to repair it is humidify it for two weeks or so, and then glue it... maybe add a cleat. It's an inexpensive repair, unless you want the top to look completely perfect post-repair, in which case the cost will go up for the finish work. See mine: https://imgur.com/2IoxfBq Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MorrisrownSal Posted May 7, 2017 Share Posted May 7, 2017 George I am picking up the guitar today. FYI... I had other things done to the guitar while it wa sin for the repair anyways... new nut and saddle etc... The crack repair, with no finish work after, is itemized at $50. I'll post a picture this afternoon. FYI 10% humidity is low. Like your guitar will implode and create a vortex sucking in psychotic sox fans from miles around. You will definitely need one of these for your apartment, and you will actually breathe and sleep better as well. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00O0WOO74/ref=asc_df_B00O0WOO744973241 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidblast Posted May 7, 2017 Share Posted May 7, 2017 See if you can get to either Mouridian Guitar Repairs, orWhitsett Guitar Works, don't go to guitar center, they don't know how to deal with this. I am in central mass and I would highly recommend either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe M Posted May 7, 2017 Share Posted May 7, 2017 I live in Boston and during the winter the humidity in my apartment can be low - around 10% (not too terrible). I would assume the guitar is designed to handle that. If you're serious about the humidity being around 10% in your apartment in the winter, it's worse than "not too terrible". Most deserts have higher humidity than that. Sal was correct, you're really lucky the guitar didn't suffer much worse damage. Not too sure GC will be sympathetic to your situation, especially if you tell them about the humidity in your place..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fortyearspickn Posted May 7, 2017 Share Posted May 7, 2017 G, Yah. 10% means the guitar will be as dry as a piece of toast. Pun intended. If the room is 10% but as a result of hot, drier air being blown in, and it's blowing on your acoustic, you're lucky it's got limited damage. Further, make sure your acoustics aren't hanging on an exterior wall. If you're talking about the GC downtown, I'd call and make sure they have a qualified technician before bringing it in. Things like this are easy to fix well, only if you know what you're doing. I dont think GC has many techs I would trust with this. You want someone who knows what they're doing to check the braces, etc. for other damage before they re-humidify it. G'Luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mafy31 Posted May 7, 2017 Share Posted May 7, 2017 Like said above 10% is really low. I would assume the guitar is designed to handle that These guitars are not supposed to handle this, not this kind of solid thin wood, cracks happen and are usually not a problem to get fixed though. A guitar should be kept i guess around 45-55% humidity. When you dont play keep your axe in the box with humidifiers like these : d'Addario 2-ways humidifiers, they help to regulate humidity in the box, be it higher or lower than 50% initially, it will brings you there. I use these, though i'm in France so i do not have such humidity scales as you guys in the US have, so i can't say it is efficient enough to counter a room as low as 10%. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldCowboy Posted May 7, 2017 Share Posted May 7, 2017 You're fortunate that any of your guitars even managed to survive 10% humidity through the winter. A crack in one is a pretty cheap heads- up for that magnitude of neglect. Keep an eye on your other instruments; not all damage is as easy to see. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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