mr newhaven Posted January 15, 2010 Share Posted January 15, 2010 hey guys... first off i dont have pics...my cell phone sucks! i have an arlo guthrie gibson lg-2 3/4 that i bought back in november... i love it! i noticed last night that a slight crack is starting to develop on the top right where the two pieces of sitka are bookmatched near the binding... (so closer to the strap button) to clarify the "crack" looks more like a scratch but it isnt... also i can just about feel it when i run my thumb over it... its no where near the bridge...its about an inch long and its starting right where the binding and the top wood meet... now here is my question... i dont care about cosmetics...its not a museum piece by any means...but its a lovely guitar...ive been leaving it out of the case cause i just love picking it up and playing but with all the dry air and heat on in my place i realize now this wasnt the wisest move... obviously without pics its hard to tell but do i have to worry about this thing growing? or as long as i keep it in the case with the humidifier will i be ok? again its about an inch long...runs up the seam where the bookmatched the top and looks like a scratch... thanks in advance! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rar Posted January 15, 2010 Share Posted January 15, 2010 ... do i have to worry about this thing growing? If it's really the start of a top seam separation -- and, given the location, it sure sounds like it -- yes. You might get lucky and have it stay stable forever. On the other hand, additional changes in heat and humidity might open it right up to the bridge pretty quickly. Get the guitar properly humidified, then to a repair guy. (Unless you want to part with it for awhile, because rehumidification is step one in fixing it.) The good news is that this will be quite inexpensive if you take care of it while its still 1". -- Bob R Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr newhaven Posted January 15, 2010 Author Share Posted January 15, 2010 typically what is involved in terms of repair? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr newhaven Posted January 15, 2010 Author Share Posted January 15, 2010 i took a look at the guitar again and i noticed the spruce had a "washboard" texture to it...that is a clear sign of dryness...so back into the case with the soundhole humidifier...what else can i do? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drathbun Posted January 15, 2010 Share Posted January 15, 2010 Keep adding water to the humidifier. Check it often. If the guitar has dried out it will suck up a lot of moisture over a couple of days and then stabilize. If it is only a finish crack you might get away without having to do any repair. If the wood has actually separated I'd have it inspected by a pro to see if it might need to be cleated to make it stable forever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr newhaven Posted January 15, 2010 Author Share Posted January 15, 2010 drathbun...thats exactly what i was thinking as well... i dont suspect its too major yet and let me tell you why... i just noticed it yesterday which means its a relatively new phenomenon...(within last 2 days tops!) secondly when i run my finger over it...i can feel the "crack" but like i said it looks and feels like a scratch...but since i know its not it has to be a crack... and im not sure its that deep cause it doesnt feel like it...so im going to hydrate all weekend and then see on tues what happens... thanks for your help everyone! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
torca Posted January 15, 2010 Share Posted January 15, 2010 Nice little trick to quick humidification: Need a room that will allow a guitar to lie on the floor/table without any contact(I say that as I have kids who look at me sideways when I start talking about "guitar love!!?!?") 1)Take a clear leaf bag and insert one guitar, 2)Add one empty magarine dish half full of water into bag beside guitar, 3)Gently bunch bag/with out water spillage of course/and tie off the opening with tape or elastic band. After two days you will re-humidify the guitar/close crack.Don't over humidify either,but sometimes the small units are slow or take awhile,this doesn't,just don't over do it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr newhaven Posted January 15, 2010 Author Share Posted January 15, 2010 good advice torca! i once did the exact opposite thing to dry out my phone that i just dropped in water...i put it in a bag with those dessicants and just tied it up! this is like the hydrating version of this... what about the strings? will they rust? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigKahune Posted January 15, 2010 Share Posted January 15, 2010 Humidifying is good, but . . . If you value the guitar have it evaluated by a luthier. Your guitar wood is going to continue to move (expand/contract) due to humidity and temp changes - which still might cause the crack or seam separation to grow. A luthier might recommend stabilizing it - possibly on the inside with a stay and glue, so the seam/crack can't move and grow. A relatively inexpensive repair compared to having the seam/crack open right up on you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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