Hype Posted February 5, 2011 Share Posted February 5, 2011 Hi Guys, I acquired a Gibson J-200 shortly after Christmas. One day I was playing on it using my guitar strap as opposed to just sitting down with the guitar. Anyways, I started noticing some cracks where the neck meets the body. I started getting concerned because I was not sure if the cracks were caused by the pressure from the guitar strap, as I had at the time of purchase the guitar tech place a strap pin on the underside where the neck meets the body. How can I tell if the attached picture below is a lacquer crack or an actual crack in the wood (see red circle)? It was hard to get the crack to show when taking pictures, this was the best I could do. Also, if it is 'checking', does checking occur even if you are using guitar humidifers and keeping it under the best possible conditions? Thanks in advance........ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigKahune Posted February 5, 2011 Share Posted February 5, 2011 Are you sure you didn't bump it with your wrist or watch when reaching high? If that was right in the seam, I wouldn't think much of it. But being a ways off the seam, I find it unusual. Could be a finish crack that developed from weight stress and instead of occurring in the seam, it popped a ways away. By weight stress, I mean the weight of the guitar pulling on the strap button, with possibly some extra arm weight on the lower bought (?). I would take it to a luthier/shop for an opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gilliangirl Posted February 5, 2011 Share Posted February 5, 2011 My guitar is humidified properly all the time and I have finish checking around the soundhole, so yes, even properly humidified it's possible. It's so hard to tell from the pic what's going on there. Are there similar marks on the other side of the neck joint? Is that where guitars typically crack? Lots of folks have had strap buttons installed where yours is, and have had no problems at all. What your describing really shouldn't cause a crack. Like BK said, take it to a tech/luthier if you're concerned. Sometimes peace of mind is worth a whole lot more than we think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hype Posted February 5, 2011 Author Share Posted February 5, 2011 Are you sure you didn't bump it with your wrist or watch when reaching high? If that was right in the seam, I wouldn't think much of it. But being a ways off the seam, I find it unusual. Could be a finish crack that developed from weight stress and instead of occurring in the seam, it popped a ways away. By weight stress, I mean the weight of the guitar pulling on the strap button, with possibly some extra arm weight on the lower bought (?). I would take it to a luthier/shop for an opinion. I definitely didn't hit it with a wrist watch (I don't wear watches), I'm not sure if the crack was there at the time of purchase. I do recall playing on the upper frets (12th fret to be exact) when I noticed the crack. I'm hoping it's a lacquer crack rather than a wood crack, but I guess my question is how can you tell? I do believe that the weight on the strap pin caused this crack, but like you said it's so far from the seam. I will bring it into the shop. Can anyone tell me how to distinguish between a wood crack and lacquer crack? Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hype Posted February 5, 2011 Author Share Posted February 5, 2011 My guitar is humidified properly all the time and I have finish checking around the soundhole, so yes, even properly humidified it's possible. It's so hard to tell from the pic what's going on there. Are there similar marks on the other side of the neck joint? Is that where guitars typically crack? Lots of folks have had strap buttons installed where yours is, and have had no problems at all. What your describing really shouldn't cause a crack. Like BK said, take it to a tech/luthier if you're concerned. Sometimes peace of mind is worth a whole lot more than we think. Hi Gilliangirl, There was no cracking on the underside where the strap pin is installed, just on the upper part. I believe the weight from my strap on the pin and my playing is causing a lot of upperward force on the neck possibly causing the crack. I like your Avatar. What kind of guitar do you have there? Hype Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gilliangirl Posted February 5, 2011 Share Posted February 5, 2011 Hi Hype, The guitar in that picture is a 2004 Southern Jumbo, my favourite guitar. Ksdaddy is one of our moderators here and is really well-versed in guitar repair. Hopefully he'll be around to see this thread and determine what's going on here. The laquer cracks I have are minimal and it's easy to tell they don't go any further than the laquer. Do you have a really powerful flashlight that you could shine on the mark? I'm guessing it's harder to determine depth of a crack on dark-stained wood. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dhanners623 Posted February 5, 2011 Share Posted February 5, 2011 Lacquer checking can happen even on a properly humidified guitar; my observation has been (and the experts can correct me if I'm wrong) is that temperature issues and the flexing of the top have more to do with checking than humidity. Since we're not dealing with your top, flexiing wouldn't seem to be an issue here. That said, what's inside the guitar opposite the mark? Is that where the neck block is? If the neck block covers it, if it's a crack it is probably not going to propagate very far since that's a big gluing area. But if it right at the edge of where the neck block is, maybe there's some issue. I want to stress that I'm not an expert, and it is probably a good idea (and you'll sleep better) if you take the guitar to one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onewilyfool Posted February 5, 2011 Share Posted February 5, 2011 There are those who claim, that the checking which appears on the top of guitars actually makes the guitar sound better. More movement in the top....it "breathes"...more vibrant....to me it is a minor cosmetic issue and I could care less. Some collectors like the crackling....gives the guitar a little aged "mojo" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lars68 Posted February 5, 2011 Share Posted February 5, 2011 You can put some naphtha on the mark using a Q-tip. Do it repeatedly, and if it comes through to the inside you have a crack. If the area inside is hard to see, run your fingertip across it and see if you can smell naphtha on your finger. Lars Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
57classic Posted February 5, 2011 Share Posted February 5, 2011 I'm neither a luthier nor do I pretend to be one but I am a woodworker. What you identify as a crack or check is cross grain. It seems unlikely to me that you would get so straight a crack through the wood, especially in that location, across the grain without a traumatic event of some kind. Maybe a direct impact from the edge of some other object. You don't mention any other deformities on the guitar. I agree you should probably take it to a tech but I suspect it is only cosmetic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
devellis Posted February 5, 2011 Share Posted February 5, 2011 Lots of good advice so far. It looks more like an abrasion than a crack to me but the photo isn't great. It's possible that there was a high spot there (essentially, a minor crease) after the side was bent and that it didn't get completely sanded out before finishing. Were that the case, it might be just high enough to wear unevenly. If so, you could probably feel a bit of a ridge where the flaw is. But it might not be. Put a strong light source near the crack and look inside to see if the light is traveling through a crack. If not, it's probably not an issue. As noted, if it's a crack backed by the neck block, the neck block is as hefty a crack cleat as you could hope for. I would think that it would mitigate against cracking, in fact. If it's just in the finish, I'd not worry about it. The possible crack scenarios just don't seem that likely unless it got banged into a corner right where the mark is. Also, checking usually isn't particularly straight-lined. I'm leaning toward the abrasion theory again, either because of a crease or just something that scratched the finish. When yo get it figured out, please let us know what it actually turns out to be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.