dhanners623 Posted September 12, 2019 Share Posted September 12, 2019 (edited) I just noticed this on my J-35 today: https://ibb.co/zrHjpXk It is on the soundhole, between the third and fourth string. Can't tell if it extends beyond the rosette towards the fretboard. (The photo makes the gap in the rosette look bigger than it is, too....) It is only 1.2cm from the transverse brace -- and if it extends it would be under the fretboard -- so I'm guessing the crack isn't going anywhere. Am I wrong? Is this something that needs attention? The humidity here in Cyprus has been fluctuating. It is in the 30s today, but has been in the 50s and 60s. Thoughts from the collective wisdom and knowledge? (And maybe someone can let me know if the photo is showing up?) Edited September 13, 2019 by dhanners623 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelly campbell Posted September 12, 2019 Share Posted September 12, 2019 53 minutes ago, dhanners623 said: I just noticed this on my J-35 today: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1pyD21TjHn9fNH4leYXkNurUmlXJrdUwA/view?usp=drivesdk or https://ibb.co/zrHjpXk It is on the soundhole, between the third and fourth string. Can't tell if it extends beyond the rosette towards the fretboard. (The photo makes the gap in the rosette look bigger than it is, too....) It is only 1.2cm from the transverse brace -- and if it extends it would be under the fretboard -- so I'm guessing the crack isn't going anywhere. Am I wrong? Is this something that needs attention? The humidity here in Cyprus has been fluctuating. It is in the 30s today, but has been in the 50s and 60s. Thoughts from the collective wisdom and knowledge? (And maybe someone can let me know if the photo is showing up?) Ouch! I feel for you and Yes it showed up. Best of luck to you I really like your playing on that35.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomPhx Posted September 12, 2019 Share Posted September 12, 2019 (edited) I can tell you that your pic works in the second link, the first link requires a google sign-in. As far as my wisdom and knowledge, well it depends on who you ask... I'd guess, as you have, that the crack shouldn't go much further because of where it is and the direction it's pointing. If it was mine I'd run it by a trusted luthier to see if it should be stabilized somehow. Hope it gets no worse and you can enjoy that J-35 for a long time. Edited September 12, 2019 by TomPhx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j45nick Posted September 12, 2019 Share Posted September 12, 2019 Looks like a low humidity crack to me. If your ambient humidity is down much below 40% on a regular basis in the space you keep your guitars--say, 35% of less--you need to look at humidifying either the guitar in its case, or the space itself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dhanners623 Posted September 12, 2019 Author Share Posted September 12, 2019 20 minutes ago, j45nick said: Looks like a low humidity crack to me. If your ambient humidity is down much below 40% on a regular basis in the space you keep your guitars--say, 35% of less--you need to look at humidifying either the guitar in its case, or the space itself. That was my initial thought. In Kuwait, I kept my guitars humidified with Kyser soundhole humidifiers all the time. And when the guitars weren't being played, they were in their cases. Here in Cyprus, I haven't been humidifying them because the humidity has hovered in the 40s and 50s (and been as high as 85%) but today it has been in the mid-30s. I stuck the humidifier back in and it is sitting in the case now. Fortunately, I have already found a couple of repair shops in Nicosia run by people who look like they know what they're doing. In fact, I'm supposed to pick up my Farida OT-22 tomorrow; I took it in to have an ebony nut installed. The other repair shop is about a 5-minute walk from our apartment. After five years in Kuwait -- a country without a single guitar repair person -- it is nice to have some options.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uncle fester Posted September 12, 2019 Share Posted September 12, 2019 Hope it's just something that can be dealt with pretty easily since you caught it so soon - have you any leads on quality luthiers in Cyprus? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dhanners623 Posted September 12, 2019 Author Share Posted September 12, 2019 1 hour ago, billroy said: Hope it's just something that can be dealt with pretty easily since you caught it so soon - have you any leads on quality luthiers in Cyprus? There are at least two repair shops that I know of, including one that is just about four blocks from me. I sent the photo to Michele Beardsley of St. Paul Guitar Repair -- they worked on the guitar this summer -- and she confirmed my suspicion. With the transverse brace only 1.2cm away, she says the crack has nowhere to go. And it's not going to extend under the fretboard; that's one of the biggest glue joints on a guitar. She told me not to worry about it. i just got a flashlight and one of my wife's make-up mirrors (note to self: break down and buy an inspection mirror someday) and the crack doesn't even extend past the rosette. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j45nick Posted September 12, 2019 Share Posted September 12, 2019 1 hour ago, dhanners623 said: I sent the photo to Michele Beardsley of St. Paul Guitar Repair -- they worked on the guitar this summer -- and she confirmed my suspicion. With the transverse brace only 1.2cm away, she says the crack has nowhere to go. And it's not going to extend under the fretboard; that's one of the biggest glue joints on a guitar. She told me not to worry about it. i just got a flashlight and one of my wife's make-up mirrors (note to self: break down and buy an inspection mirror someday) and the crack doesn't even extend past the rosette. That all makes sense. Annoying, but not a significant problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lars68 Posted September 12, 2019 Share Posted September 12, 2019 I would humidify for a couple of weeks, then work some glue down into the crack and leave it at that. I don't think a luthier would do any differently. Lars Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blindboygrunt Posted September 12, 2019 Share Posted September 12, 2019 Mojo ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidblast Posted September 12, 2019 Share Posted September 12, 2019 what BBG said... what doesn't kill ya, makes ya stronger.. Play on! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dhanners623 Posted September 13, 2019 Author Share Posted September 13, 2019 Stuck the soundhole humidifier in last night and after a couple of hours, it seemed like the crack had disappeared. It isstill there, of course, but the wood closed up. i'm going to stop worrying about it.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uncle fester Posted September 13, 2019 Share Posted September 13, 2019 👍 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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