Recently I've noticed that my guitar (classic) has some crack on the top of the neck, precisely where the neck connects to the head.
I've doing some research and it seems that it's not a big deal, and it's absolutely solvable.
My doubt is the following, I've been told that in order to fix it one would have to open the crack and glue it.
In this case the crack seems very small and I'm worried about following that procedure.
Of course a Luthier would do it, but I don't know if it's the right thing to do, or there's some easier way (and cheaper ) to solve it.
I'm attaching some photos to illustrate the problem.
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2 Answers
Take it in and let a pro do it. How did this happen? Was it a surprise when you found it or did you knock it over and cause the split? I have a home made Les Paul (I made it) that I knocked over twice. The first time the head stock split but did not open, as a result the wood grain fit perfectly together like a jigsaw puzzle. My dad (a Luthier) and I fixed it just as you mentioned, we gently separated, or opened, the split and filed it with glue (don't recall if it was wood glue or epoxy). However, the second crack was not clean, like a compound fracture with shards of wood poking out that did not fit back together properly. That time we fixed it but it's very sloppy. The Luthier will have to check to be sure it's a clean break. From the pics it almost looks like the crack is only in the finish. Is this the case? Or is it really in the wood too?
I do not know of any other way to patch a split in the wood.
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Thanks for your answer! Actually I don't know what happened, I've left my guitar on the coach, some friends where playing and yesterday while I was taking a closer look I've noticed the crack.– ChaosJun 5, 2019 at 5:41
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It definitely seems that's just the finish, but actually if you apply a little pressure you can notice ( almost unnoticeable) that the crack opens a little , so I am assuming that the wood below is damaged as well. Such a pity, you can bet I won't allow anyone else to play my guitars. In 15 years of practice and more than 10 guitars anything like this has ever happened to me– ChaosJun 5, 2019 at 5:44
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I'll follow your advice and send it to a Luthier. By que the way, after fixing the crack, have you noticed some changes on the instrument besides the look?– ChaosJun 5, 2019 at 5:47
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(1) Don't leave your ax out, and (2) don't let friends touch it. In my case the break was completely my fault. The guitar fell forward and hit the floor face down, I suspect the inertia of the head rotating forward caused it to snap. This may have happened to yours when you wern't looking.– user50691Jun 5, 2019 at 11:52
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As for changes in the performance of the instrument. It was a poor quality copy, I made it in high school. Also, back then I used a lot of effects and quite frankly couldn't tell you if the crack had a profound effect on the tone. The first crack was so clean that there was no change in action. The second was a mess.– user50691Jun 5, 2019 at 11:53
It looks like it's being held together by the tension of the strings, which isn't too bad a scenario. It could stay like that for years!
However, if you need it fixing, an obvious is take it to a luthier. I've repaired several breaks like this, and yes, the split needs to be opened up to get the adhesive (generally epoxy resin two pack) into the gap, to contact as much material as possible. Then clamping hard till set.
If you feel brave, have a go yourself. Open up, and put a small wedge in before applying adhesive, so it penetrates as far as possible. I've had heads come off completely, that have been successfully repaired, so this looks 'not too bad'.
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1Thanks Tim, I think that I won't risk to make a huge mess. Good to hear that it's not actually a tragic situation. I must confess that I've had a little heart attack when I saw the crack. Let you know how situation evolves.– ChaosJun 5, 2019 at 9:22