KennyFreed Posted October 11, 2014 Posted October 11, 2014 I need a bit of advice about a 12 year old J150 that is always kept in its case when not being played. If I run my finger along the center of the soundboard behind the bridge I can feel a slight line indent where I'm assuming the soundboard joint is. Is it time to take it to the repair shop? Everything is else is ok with the guitar it never seems to go out of tune.
zombywoof Posted October 11, 2014 Posted October 11, 2014 It is possible the guitar is too dry so you might try humidifying it. If that does not help then it is time to have it looked at because it is not normal.
62burst Posted October 12, 2014 Posted October 12, 2014 Running along the center seam? In the same direction as the grain, or across it? Closer to the bridge, or towards the indent typically occurring at (over) the tail block? Any chance it will photograph (for some reason, things like this might photograph better in the reflection of a mirror)?
KennyFreed Posted October 12, 2014 Author Posted October 12, 2014 It's running along the center seam from the bridge with the grain. My other guitars are fine (Taylor,Yamaha) are all in the same room and not in their cases. I live in Scotland so humidity is not really a problem
62burst Posted October 12, 2014 Posted October 12, 2014 What kind of heating do you have? Tomorrow's low temp in Glasgow is forecast to be 37deg F/3 C. It can be humid outdoors and still be dry inside, thanks to heating and cooling systems. As opposed to Taylor (and probably Yamaha, but they're not tellin'), the thin coat of nitro on a Gibson is highly reactive to environmental influences. But usually a dry guitar will show a raised center seam, not an indented one. Time to go inside your guitar with a torch, ..err, flashlight & a mirror... a cracked or loose cross brace under the top will allow things to sink a bit, but usually before the bridge (under the strings).
kelly campbell Posted October 12, 2014 Posted October 12, 2014 It is possible the guitar is too dry so you might try humidifying it. If that does not help then it is time to have it looked at because it is not normal. This was my first thought as well try humidifying it.
ajsc Posted October 12, 2014 Posted October 12, 2014 Not a Taylor guy, but found these vids very informative. Repairing a crack by re-humidifying the guitar. Kind of cool. The guitar in the vids is in much worse shape than what you described with yours. The process took about 5 days.
Hogeye Posted October 12, 2014 Posted October 12, 2014 Since there are no photos I will hazard a guess. The guitar is finished with Nitrocellouse lacquer and this will shrink with the passage of time. As it shrinks it can find itself "dropping" or shrinking into the glue joints of the guitar. This can cause some folks to think their neck laminations are separating or their top coming apart. It's just the nature of the finish and if this is the cause of your problem then you are just seeing your guitar go thru it's natural aging process. Pictures are helpful.
KennyFreed Posted October 12, 2014 Author Posted October 12, 2014 Nothing shows up in a photo it's more by running a finger along the sound board that I can feel the slight indent. The shrinking lacquer is something I'd not heard about before but that could be the problem. Anyway, when I get a chance I'll take it to a repair shop to look at and let you know the result. Thanks for all your input.
KennyFreed Posted October 15, 2014 Author Posted October 15, 2014 I've managed to take a picture under a lamp which shows where the indent is.
62burst Posted October 15, 2014 Posted October 15, 2014 Thank you for taking the effort to put a visual to your issue. It is, however, seriously zoomed in. Almost can't see the forest for the trees, though, even when zooming out. Could you tell us where, in the lamp's reflection, for example, we should be looking? Is it the longitudinal grain line in the broken area of the lamp's reflection to the left?
j45nick Posted October 15, 2014 Posted October 15, 2014 Thank you for taking the effort to put a visual to your issue. It is, however, seriously zoomed in. Almost can't see the forest for the trees, though, even when zooming out. Could you tell us where, in the lamp's reflection, for example, we should be looking? Is it the longitudinal grain line in the broken area of the lamp's reflection to the left? Just scale your screen down to 50%, and you will see it. In the left middle of the light reflection. Looks pretty minor to me.
62burst Posted October 16, 2014 Posted October 16, 2014 Yes, thanks. That is what I thought Kenny was showing us.
Jeremy Morton Posted October 16, 2014 Posted October 16, 2014 It looks to me like a lacquer check. It would not be a bad idea to bring it to an experienced Luthier to have a quick evaluation. If he/she says it is nothing you have peace of mind. If by chance he/she says something is going on then you have caught it before anything serious has happened. Keep us informed. Jeremy
KennyFreed Posted October 31, 2014 Author Posted October 31, 2014 Just an update: I took the guitar to a repair shop (Strung Out Guitars in Glasgow) and on first inspection it does indeed look like the lacquer shrinking. I've left it with them to do a further inspection and set-up if required.
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.