martin crack

[giventofly]

i was just playing around some on my martin 000-15 which is maybe 5 years old and just recognized a crack maybe 1.5-2 inches long on the top side facing the ceiling. it isn't pertruding much but its definitely there. Is this something to be really worried about, or can it be easily repaired? I took the strings off to relieve pressure. Any suggestions? thanks!

[bbocaner]

they are usually pretty easy to fix.

do you have a humidifier in the case?

[davess23]

When you say "top side facing the ceiling" do you mean on the side of the guitar, a crack in the rosewood or mahogany, or on the spruce top, behind the bridge? Is the crack on a seam?

bbocaner is right be concerned about the humidity factor. If this crack is due to the wood drying out, you need to humidify the guitar (get a hygrometer and try to keep the environment around the guitar in the 40-45% range) and also to check for other problems. Some other stuff to check:

-- is the top sinking? Strings buzzing or rattling because the bridge is now too far down?
-- are fret ends starting to protrude past the edge of the neck?
-- tap the top...any struts or braces coming loose?

Check out the Taylor web site for tech tips on humidity and acoustic guitars. While I'm not necessarily a big fan of Taylor guitars, I admire Bob Taylor for his efforts to make us all more aware of how to care for our instruments.

[royd]

what they all said ;) It is a simple fix, but do get it fixed asap, you don't want things to get worse.

[Dave Orban]

They're easily stabilized (a bow-tie of wood, oriented against the top grain), glued under the crack from the underside of the top), and should have no negative impact on sound or playability.

In fact, my favorite acoustic is a '56 Gibson LG-2 with several rather large stabilized top cracks (even some on the back, too). It is a real beater, but it sounds like a million bucks...!

[giventofly]

Thanks to everyone who replied. the entire guitar is mahogany, and the crack is on the actualy side of the guitar. the action was a little high til i took off the strings, but not horrible, i deemed that a result of needing a setup. our entire house is humidified, so i don't know if that is the case, but i put a humidifier in the case. Does anyone know of any good acoustic guys in the DC metro area?

[Topcat]

Did you buy it new? If so, send it back to Martin. Be sure you have the warranty sent in.

Terry

[GuitarsFromMars]

Thanks to everyone who replied. the entire guitar is mahogany, and the crack is on the actualy side of the guitar. the action was a little high til i took off the strings, but not horrible, i deemed that a result of needing a setup. our entire house is humidified, so i don't know if that is the case, but i put a humidifier in the case. Does anyone know of any good acoustic guys in the DC metro area?

Go see Michael Dove at The Guitar Shop on Conn. Ave.He can repair it so you'll never even know it's there,but it will take time,as he is in demand.