Guitar finish crack repair

Offering a state of the art, temperature and humidity controlled environment, as well as a full staff of highly skilled and experienced luthiers, gibson is fully equipped to perform any and all. Dealing with a guitar finish repair using gluboost products. Fill the crack with the nail lacquer, but not all in one go. Dan erlewine demos three of his favorite finish repair tips. As an instruments wood expands and contracts with moisture content stress is placed on the finish. Guitar repair tucson specializes in functional repairs to working player guitars. Fixing crack in the lacquer the steel guitar forum. With the consistency of honey, the thick gel formula works as a gap filler. However, you can put enamel over lacquer without it attacking the lacquer.

Taylor uses a uv cured polyester finish instead of a lacquer. Feel free to contact us for help in having a crack or ding repaired. One of the most common instances is actually not a crack at all, but a centerseam separation. Guitar repair tucson is a full service repair shop, performing functional repairs on most brands. Nasty as the crack looked, it was not difficult to realign and clamp with some nice fresh hide glue. Checking will vary according to the extremes the instrument has been through. The chips are fairly small but go through to the wood and have cracks that are about 1cm long coming out of them.

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. I have a 1999 american strat that has a couple of chips in the finish. Stewmac visited mamie minch and chloe swantner at brooklyn lutherie. Finish crack in polyurethane how to repair the gear. Ive also heard crazy glue and wetsanding will get them out, but im not experienced in guitar repair and dont want to be sanding on the finish. For this reason, the lacquer used to fill a chip or crack can continue shrinking weeks after a nearly invisible repair. Depending on the crack, finish repair may not be advisable or necessary. But lets get started in case the customer shows up early carrying a weapon. Repairing cracks in acoustic guitars examples of cracks caused. This involves cutting a piece of matching wood as closely as possible to the crack itself and fitting the filler wood into the crack. If you are interested in having repair work done at our factory, please contact customer service. It doesnt seem like there are any cracks in the wood itself, just the clear finish. How to repair acoustic guitar finish guitar repair bench. Most cracks we see here at finger lakes guitar repair are related to improper climate control or impacts with foreign objects.

This budget model 210 has suffered some hard knocks which have left it with two top cracks and a pretty serious ding. Located inside every guitar center store, our staff of experienced, certified technicians. Fix a guitar poly finish with help from an experienced guitar builder and repair technician. Did your luthier say anything about the action on your guitar. I poured a nickelsized drop of lacquer onto the bottom of a plastic dairy carton, and let it sit for an hour to thicken. This usually happens when the guitar is allowed to dry out, causing the two halves of the top to come unglued at the center seam. On top of that i have a crack where the neck meets the body that id like to repair. Taylor top crack and finish repair finger lakes guitar repair. Using the right product to repair these issues is very important to a. How to age the finish on a nitro finish guitar our pastimes. A closed crack is one that will leave no gap when the instrument is properly humidified. The best kept secret in bass guitar repair is superglue.

We see body and neck cracks occur mostly from lack of humidity and impact causing damage. The lacquer has checked all over, but the neck is the most severely affected, with the finish actually beginning to lift and fall off. How to repair cracks in your acoustic guitar 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. Here is a tutorial on the complete repair of a les paul example. I have an applause ae28 electricacoustic guitar that plays pretty well, but doesnt look so great. So to me it looks like a crack in the finish but im not 100% sure so i wanted to have some opinions.

Repairing polyurethane finishes diy do it yourself. Acoustic guitar top crack repair cleating cracks n sealing outter cracks. I recently bought a used epiphone zephyr regent jazz box, and found two very thin hairline cracks in the polyurethane finish right by the nut where you would hang the guitar. Elliot johnconry of ejc guitars ages dans patch of new plastic binding so it blends in with the old binding around it. Ill probably take it to a professional to have it fixed, but would value anyones opinions on how they would go about this repair. Acoustic guitar cracked top repair by randy schartiger. Fixing a small chip in your guitars finish issue 174 september 27, 2012 this issue of trade secrets is a video.

Repeat this process multiple times until the finish repair is higher than the surrounding area. This video i put to use my new magnets and cleat the first crack in the bottom of the lower bout of the guitar. Just wondering what kind of options i have to fix this, not concerned too much with the aesthetics of it but its deep enough. At our shop, we use it in dozens of ways, but unless you understand its properties and know how to handle it safely, you can wind up in trouble in a matter of seconds. Now you can upload photos with your repair estimate request. Mamie shared this great tip for making scratches disappear, while renowned guitar photographer john peden shot closeup photos. Because of the modest value of this guitar, im going to have to execute a nice looking and solid repair in a hurry. While it is difficult to tell anything from the posted pics, there is really no such thing as a finish crack on a poly finished guitar like an epi. I put a scratchcrack through the lacquer finish of my johnson jo27 with a bridge pin puller. It can be seamlessly repaired with that same material.

Conversly, an open crack exhibits a gap when properly humidified. Depending on the severity and location of the crack, a repair is as simple as stabilizing the wood and applying glue to secure it. How to repair cracks in your acoustic guitar guitar alliance. Super glue plays an important role in many types of guitar repair. Lacqueredover nuts will be replaced as carefully as possible to leave a clean result. Martin guitar performs warranty and nonwarranty repairs on martin instruments at the factory. Removing scratches from guitar finishes lacquer repair. You might try putting a small dab of clear enamel on the chipped place. Using the right product to repair these issues is very important to a good end result. You can take it a step further by having some finish work done to make it look as good as possible if youre concerned about aesthetics. Realize that i am being quite picky to say that i can see the repaired area but i try and educate my customers to the nature of lacquer so they know what to expect.

Nitrocellulose laquer finish repair the unofficial. A crack on your prized guitar might feel like the end of the world, but it can be remedied if you follow a few easy guidelines. We recommend repairing promptly, to prevent the crack from spreading. How to touch up and repair electric guitar finish guitar repair. When touchup work on the finish is performed, its done to try to make the crack look better. Also i tried pushing both side of the crack but apparently nothing moves. Modern polybased guitar finishes are hard plastic, and when theyre damaged, pieces fall off. Is it possible to speak to the repair person working on my guitar. Id say it has been subjected to extremes of temperature and humidity. The finish over the repaired crack can either be omitted, done for protection alone, or done invisibly nitrocellulose finishes only. Dan erlewine shows how he makes a new finish repair on a 1956 strat look as old as the original finish all around it.

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. Any suggestions on repairing a crack in the finish. Some of these cracks will never materialize into an external crack, where as, others will. 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. 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. Acoustic guitar top crack repair cleating cracks n sealing outter. Is it possible that it could be more reflective of a wood crack, perhaps, but i really think this pattern is completely consistent with the following observations1 new nut installed at exact site of crack origin. And i even put a strong torchlight in a dark room to see if the light went through the guitar from the inside out but it didnt. To repair these cracks the stress must be eliminated by removing the pickguard and reattaching or replacing it. This 1930s kay deluxe is a fixerupper that dan erlewine repaired in order to sell. Exercise care when peeling the old binding away so you dont damage the finish of your guitar. Expose the guitar to the lighting, which quickens aging.

What to do about cracks in guitar finish acoustic guitars harmony. While im not opposed to accumulating some mojo on this guitar, id also be up for some technical experimentation id never try on my martin. Check out the price list then describe your repair for us and well get you a live estimate. Back to the side repair, i sanded the repaired area level. There is nothing worse than a nasty chip, ding or crack in your favorite guitar. Im pretty sure the jo27 has a nitrocellulose lacquer finish. When repairing cracks it is usually a two part process. Guitar center repairs is your goto spot for expert stringed instrument repairs, upgrades and servicing.

Ernie ball, gibson, fender, ghs, none of them are stiff or hard to play unless the setup is. There doesnt appear to be a crack in the wood, but i can feel the cracks in the finish when im playing open chords. That is because poly remains more flexible than the wood, and will not crack unless there is a crack in the wood beneath it. I have a jackson that, apparently, has a polyurethane finish and id like to redo the chipped clear finish around the nut so that the nut seam is covered.

If you choose to have the finish repaired as well, the time and cost of the repair will be considerably higher. Contact your local guitar center store for pricing and more information about these repair and maintenance services. Taylor factory service centers and uv finishequipped service centers can repair cracks and, in many cases, make them disappear completely. Its important to note that a ding or a finish chipout wont affect the guitars sound, playability or humidification and repair is generally not something required for the performance of your guitar. I wouldnt use lacquer to do the repair because the thinner will also soften the original lacquer finish. We also use it to repair chips in polyurethane or uvcured finishes. A medium formula is great for repairing fretboard cracks. As the guitar sits in the sunlight, or fluorescent lighting, expose it evenly to the light source. Weve watched dan erlewine repair this 1930s kay over the previous 3 trade secrets. Glued cracks still leave a small valley in the finish.

Can i put a heat gun on it and make the poly crack melt into itself. Repairing guitars becomes easier as you become more skilled at diagnosing the problem and replacing parts properly. How to repair a crack in a solid top acoustic guitar our. Welcome to precision guitar works we are a small locally owned and operated repair shop and custom instrument builder in indialantic, fl serving the melbourne area and space coast musical community. You can see a couple of places where the finish is missing at the edge by the fourth string tuner. Use fluorescent lighting to age the nitrocellulose lacquer finish.

Instead, paint it into the crack in a thin layer and let it dry for a few hours. Its probably for that reason that most players do not do so, without negative consequence. Crack repair guitar blog the official taylor guitars blog. Most of the worst and hardesttorepair cracks happen on a guitars top. Some of these cracks will never materialize into an external crack. You can fix a guitar poly finish in a few different ways depending on the nature of the problem at hand.

We also service electric guitars, mandolins, banjos, bass guitars and other stringed instruments. There are a couple of cracks in the thick plasticy finish. Instrument repairs, maintenance and modifications guitar. Im assuming my best bet is to remove the finish to eliminate the cracks. Recently purchased a used fender, due to a sudden drop in temperature it had a pretty sizeable crack in the finish develop before it got to me. 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. I would be more concerned about your guitar feeling stiff and hard to play and less concerned about a crack in the finish. This is an extremely common, somewhat expected condition on older instruments with lacquer finishes. And, sure enough, i sanded right through a bit of the original stain because there was a bit of misalignment in the impact zone. Uvb 3fluorescent lighting can be used when sunlight is not available. 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. This video shows many more discoveries of preventive maintenance not performed and what can and does. The backs of guitars probably finish third in terms of frequency of cracks. Luthier and instructor, robert obrien, shows how to fix hairline cracks in a brazilian rosewood guitar back and then repair the finish.

Mark off chippedcracked area with tape 2s around chip. The backs are usually a little thicker than either the top or sides, therefore a bit tougher. Repair chips and cracks in finish fender stratocaster. Matters of improper humidity usually dont affect the thicker, harder woods on the back as much. Cosmeticrepair options may be available for an additional charge. The guitar repair shack will structurally repair a crack inside and out with options for finish touchup or partial refinishing prices vary depending on damage. Because its thicker, it dries a little slower and this gives you a bit more time to work when youre fixing split wood.