Crack repair on a taylor acoustic guitar silesia guitars guitar. The guitar doctor is a full service guitar repair shop in exeter. Martin d15 key crack repair the unofficial martin guitar forum. Fix a cracked guitar top without hampering the tone thin, strong wood patches for gluing cracks shut. We offer a variety of instrument repair and setup services. Put glue on the cleat and tighten the crack closed for a neat, professional repair. Gluing cleats onto a badly cracked back of blueridge br160 guitar.
Both were fixed with hhg years ago and are completely stable now. It sounds good, but now i need to figure out how to fix the crack. Neither will stick to itself once dried in the crack. This video i put to use my new magnets and cleat the first crack in the bottom of the lower. Crack repair cleats in spruce, indian rosewood, and mahogany for repairing acoustic guitars with the tj thompson top crack corrector. So this time im going to put a cleat behind the crack on the inside. By touching or rubbing the crack, you are working dirt and oils into the area, and this can make things much more difficult when gluing it back. I wouldnt use lmi white either for the same reason. This entry was posted in instrument, techniques and tagged cello, cleats, crack, luthier, reinforcing, repair, restoration, viola, violin. The photos show an invention i devised to pull a small cleat of spruce, rosewood, or mahogany thru the sound. To repair these cracks the stress must be eliminated by removing the pickguard and reattaching or replacing it.
If you have a picture of your guitar s condition, upload it to our estimator platform and well be able to get you an even more accurate repair. However, i wouldnt use it for crack repair due to the issue of not being able to repair the repair if something goes wrong. The devil is in the details first, we make a cleat out of matching wood to go over the crack. Cracks in the body of your solid top acoustic guitar are often cause by physical damage to the guitar or shrinkage due to a lack of humidity. The crack, which developed mainly as a result of the guitar drying out, is located on the lower bout, extending along the grain from the treble side of the bridge to the binding next to the heel block. By not putting cleats in, you may be rejoining the membrane but. Press the glueside of the cleat to the upper interior of the inside of your guitar, directly underneath the crack. This is the first article in a series i will be writing on the subject of cleats and crack reinforcement methods. Its basically threading a thin guitar string through a repair cleat, tying a knot at the end of the string or soldering a ball to the end, putting glue on the face of the cleat, threading the string up through a small hole in the center of the crack and raising the whole assembly into place and held with the tension of a single guitar tuner. If you have a picture of your guitars condition, upload it to our estimator platform and well be able to get you an even more accurate repair. If you dont humidify your guitars you may need to know how to do this fix. The crack gets filled with glue and three cleats are made to be placed along the break in between the braces on the inside of. When a guitar gets or develops a crack, what is used for cleats and how does the process of doing the repair work.
I used a very fresh transparent strong fish glue, but i didnt install cleats. Instead, ill inlay a thin piece of spruce, or splint into the crack and reinforce. Apr 03, 2010 ive wondered how this is done for a while now so, i thought that id ask. Apr 06, 20 if so, and those braces are loose, i would take it to a luthier to fix. Make sure the grain of the cleat is placed perpendicular to the grain of the wood on your guitar. This article will discuss the concept of cleating cracks, provide a simple method for making cleat stock, and fitting cleats. I wouldnt be afraid of a quality guitar with a fresh crack if i could evaluate it myself. Check out the price list then describe your repair for us and well get you a live estimate. Its a good thing to fix a crack on your guitar, but dont let your tone suffer in the process by going overboard with the repair.
Making a spruce cleat for the back crack crawls backward. Glue a perfect wooden cleat something new to the world of lutherie is our hardened steel cleat cutter. Heres some pics the lower bout on the bass side was broken off in 4 seperate pieces. After working some glue into the crack and clamping a spruce cleat on the inside, the crack is gently squeezed shut with a large bar clamp and cauls to fit the lower bout of the guitar. There is no movement on either side of the cracks when pushing on them there was when i first got the guitar. Repairs and restorations neck resets, rehumidify dried and cracked tops, glue and cleat cracks, reglue or replace bridges glue and touchup cracked headstocks cleaning aged finishes, repair loose binding refrets and new nuts with vintage touchups repair and clean hardware, repair warped tops, reglue braces. Taylor factory service centers and uv finishequipped service centers can repair cracks and, in many cases, make them disappear completely.
Whether the crack is caused by humidity or by impact, there is no immediate danger to the guitar. Give us a call to discus repair options and please be prepared to email a picture to us in order to receive the most accurate estimate. West seattles guitar repair shop serving the puget sound. I wouldnt just hit it with yellow glue if you want to keep this for a few more years. For guitar repair kelowna and okanagan rates, see the table below. While there are some repairs that require reinforcement, i avoid cleats unless. Apr 23, 2018 whether the crack is caused by humidity or by impact, there is no immediate danger to the guitar. How to fix a crack in the top of an acoustic guitar. Otherwise it was in great shape so we adjusted the price and made the deal.
Each cleat has a center hole for the crack clamps wire. Mar 06, 2017 this video i put to use my new magnets and cleat the first crack in the bottom of the lower bout of the guitar top. Top and back crack repair cleats tj thompson guitars. This video i glue three cleats securing two cracks in the back of this guitar. Final price may deviate from the list below depending on the extent of repair work required upon actual inspection of the instrument. Services precision guitar works melbourne fl guitar repair. If you can flex the crack some, i would rub some hot hide glue into the crack. Efficiently making and installing cleats to reinforce cracks is a necessary skill for luthiers. It creates perfectly round patching cleats from any wood you choose. This open crack wont stay closed, even after the guitars moisture content has acclimated to a relative humidity of 50% at 70 degrees. Now you can upload photos with your repair estimate request. Hello id like to ask if its professional to repair cracks without opening an instrument. If they came back i might be more liberal in slapping on cleats. Repairing cracks without opening a violin the pegbox.
I agree that if the crack is open, the guitar should be humidified until it closes up by itself. Top and back crack repair cleats tj thompson guitars pro. Crack repair guitar blog the official taylor guitars blog. Then i marked the stick at the location where it hit the guitar body.
If it is a later model made with ar then it is legitimate to do the repair with ar. Feb 26, 2008 acoustic guitar top crack posted in acoustic guitar discussion. A qualified luthier would probably glue and cleat those cracks to prevent them from growing. Put glue on the cleat and tighten the crack closed for. Acoustic guitar top crack posted in acoustic guitar discussion. Fwiw i dont recall ever having to redo a pickguard crack repair. How to repair a crack in a solid top acoustic guitar our. Since the invention of the acoustic guitar, we flattop back repair peeps havent had a crack repair method that was designed for and suited to our needs. Depending on the severity and location of the crack, a repair is as simple as stabilizing the wood and applying glue to secure it. Second, if you notice a crack, your first instinct may be to touch or rub it. How to repair cracks in your acoustic guitar guitar alliance. I purchased one of these spruce strips to repair a crack in the sitka spruce top on my martin om.
May 11, 2010 well, this is a little embarrassing, but it was my first attempt at serious crack repair. The photos show an invention i devised to pull a small cleat of spruce, rosewood, or mahogany thru the sound hole, and carefully, but firmly, increase pressure on the back of the cleat, and at the same time flatten out the area where the crack may be feelable. Martin d28 1961 brazillian rosewood guitar the closet reverb. Combined with installation cauls and strong magnets, they allow you to glue both the crack and the cleat in one operation. Today we fixed up a martin guitar that had several cracks in the top. Avoid cracks by insuring your instrument is properly humidified and well. Acoustic guitar top crack acoustic guitar discussion. Our versatile scissor jack lets you perform tricky repairs inside an acoustic guitar with ease. Repairing cracks in acoustic guitars examples of cracks caused. Guitar specialist guitar repair and restoration services. In an effort to avoid a repeat, and keep the new adhesive from pulling up wood fibers if removed again, this bare area of wood beneath the guitar is usually sealed with finish. Aug 06, 2014 first i placed the stick on top of the guitar with the magnet and cleat directly over the crack. If its a crack located close to a border, would it be ok to not put cleats.
This video i put to use my new magnets and cleat the first crack in the bottom of the lower bout of the guitar top. Thanks to the advent and availability of neodymium extra strong type of rare earth magnets, now we do. A simple repair consisting of working some glue into the crack and cleating it wont hold up in the long run. Cracked soundboard repair tutorial acoustic and hollowbody. You can push from the inside and outside to get it aligned perfectly after applying glue. These cleats are used as reinforcement and are clamped in placeusing specialized clamps or, in recent years, extremely strong rare earth magnetswhile the glue sets for maximum strength. This is the first article in a series i will be writing on the subject of. Are cleats like staples that dig into the wood, or, are they just small wooden braces that lap over the crack. May 30, 20 its basically threading a thin guitar string through a repair cleat, tying a knot at the end of the string or soldering a ball to the end, putting glue on the face of the cleat, threading the string up through a small hole in the center of the crack and raising the whole assembly into place and held with the tension of a single guitar tuner. The centerline has begun to spilt at both ends and is repaired and well as a few other small cracks.
Jan 01, 2012 the good news is the crack right beside it is still closed, and this one is still closed at the ends. Well, this is a little embarrassing, but it was my first attempt at serious crack repair. Using cleats to repair side cracks on the gibson tg1 guitar. Stewmac crack repair tools complete set stewart macdonald. If the damage is extreme, we may suggest a neck or body replacement. I plan on holding onto this guitar for a while, so i plan on getting it fixed. Since the invention of the acoustic guitar, we flattopback repair peeps havent had a crack repair method that was designed for and suited to our needs. Theres a lot of flex in this area of the back, which contributed to the original cracks and the repair opening back up. This video i glue three cleats securing two cracks in the back of this. The crack should be tight so i doubt you need to clamp or add a cleat. Featherthin and flexible, these cleats are light and responsive like the soundboard itself. You can also cleat with wood, however the curve is somewhat difficult to fit. Knowing how to evaluate the seriousness of a crack will allow you to determine whether to call a repair person immediately or whether it might be ok to leave it alone for a little while. First i placed the stick on top of the guitar with the magnet and cleat directly over the crack.
Pickguards and pickguard cracks the unofficial martin. The next step will be for the luthier to glue small wooden cleats inside the guitar that span the crack. If you own an acoustic guitar long enough, chances are good that youll have to deal with the repair of a crack in the wood. Holding braces, repair cleats and bridge plates for gluing. Ive wondered how this is done for a while now so, i thought that id ask. Martin acoustic side crack telecaster guitar forum. Jan 05, 2012 taylor factory service centers and uv finishequipped service centers can repair cracks and, in many cases, make them disappear completely. If so, and those braces are loose, i would take it to a luthier to fix. May 07, 20 this open crack wont stay closed, even after the guitars moisture content has acclimated to a relative humidity of 50% at 70 degrees. In other words, the guitar area isnt perfectly flat and needs to be. Ok, i just bought an old guild d25m on ebay for an awesome price. Acoustic guitar top crack repair cleating cracks n sealing outter cracks. Do you think it will hold well without reinforcement. Its between 56 inches coming up from the bottom on the top.
Buying an acoustic with top crack smart bargain or roll of. Top crack corrector tj thompson guitars pro luthier tools. Many hours, a pile of prototypes, and inspiration from luthier freddie cisneros, went into the development of our scissor jack. To do this, we make a cleat and glue it over the crack. Have these cracks meandered or grown at all since youve had the guitar. I was able to glue and clamp this crack and i cleated it at 3 points on the inside with pyramid shaped maple cleats for a solid repair, which because of the pyramid shape of. Our crack clamp uses a guitar tuner on a smooth polyethylene base, and with strong thin wire, it winches the crack shut. Dont do crack repairs without cleats or take your guitar to someone who does.
There is a crack on it, which the seller mentioned and he also said that it hasnt grown any in the years that hes owned it. And since a cleated crack will often cause a split next to the cleat if the guitar dries out once again, you could end up with a repaired crack, a cleat, and a new crack beside the cleat. A cleated humidity crack will not stay closed any better than a wellglued, properly rehumidified crack repair. The treble side brazilian rosewood had an approximately 8 long very straight and closed crack. The good news is the crack right beside it is still closed, and this one is still closed at the ends. Expert instrument repairs from the guitar doctor in berks county pa. The rounded tops taper down to nothing at the edges. Here we have a pretty nasty crack, more than likely due to the instrument drying out. Fwiw my old d18 has both the key crack and the other classic, martins pick guitar crack. This mark would tell me later, when i could not see the cleat, how far to insert it into the guitar body.
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