Jerry:Your devotee in the FW Dallas Tx area. I thot I was slick but I bought a used Martin DRS2. Nearly broke my shoulder patting myself on the back for making such a good buy. BUT. After a few days I saw a previously overlooked lo humidity crack on the rear bottom bout. I shamelessly copied Swartigers method of repairing the hairline crack. Humidified guitar 4 straight 24 hour periods using a knockoff home made DampZit. Voila. Crack all but sealed itself. Then swiping another Randy proceedure, I applied Tite Bond glue using his method of repair, a suction cup to force the glue into the crack. Randy says you cant seal a crack without using cleats. After Tite Bond had set up, I lowered a flashlight into the guitar. Not a speck of light thru the crack. Several ways to kin a cat nuther words. May have stopped the crack from lengthening too. We'll see bout that. Another luthier uses a plastic cc to force glue into guitar cracks.
Jerry, I just watched your first six videos, from six years ago. Boy am I glad you were able to upgrade your camera. That 240 resolution just plain Hurts. It's like looking through dirty glasses, all day. 😭
Thanks for the share. I just started buying and selling old guitars in the last 6 months. You have the best how to videos on the Tube. Restoring a old Kay 6160 now and this crack repair video answered all my questions. Thank you for sharing you expertise. Love the water cup turn over trick, I do that maneuver well. Love it.
I am a hide glue fan. Not the bottled stuff, the one you cook. It's a great glue. I can see your point, and I thank you so much for the reply. Come to think of it, in my thirty two+++ years I've never had an instrument come back to me with a crack coming apart when I used hide glue. Continued success.
If you have flat/low wide frets, the coated strings work better for many things - like finger and pick noise (screechy & scratchy sounds). The windings around the bigger strings can make unpleasant noises that make lots of women cringe and complain. I got to the point i noticed that finger noise so when i discovered Elixer strings, my girlfriend liked them a LOT!! And i never had any problems with them shredding. Then i bought a nice PRS acoustic guitar and those frets did shred the Elixers because they were thin and tall and may have been made of a harder steel. But on my Gibson Dove the Elixers work great! It all depends on the frets.
Thanks for the great video. What a quality repair!! FWIW, I like to use my clean bare fingers to" press" the glue into cracks if at all possible. Doing this actually creates a small amount of pressure that insures complete penetration of the glue. Thanks again
Just a friendly tip linseed oil gets dirtier faster I recommend gorgomyte its a fretboard conditioning rag with some stuff on it it cleans also and takes off more dirt
Jerry Ya dun real good!!! Late 50's Kay guitar? My paw gifted me a 1946 Kalamazoo F hole geetar in 1949 (that's right - the last century) man I hated that guitar for many reasons. Saved enuff geetus to buy a clone of this Kay in 1951. I only used the cowboy frets so action didn't amount to a hill o beans. I wasn't trying to play "Blackberry Blossom"anyway. Just Big Mon tunes like "Nobody loves me" and "when you are lonely" in B flat.
Jerry, I was surprised at the use of Linseed Oil on top of the crack. The guitar seems to have a finish of some sort. It's a Kay so don't think it is nitro or lacquer. Maybe lacquer. Wouldn't buffing with lacquer thinner/something else relevant to the particular finish to try to reformulate the finish over the crack work? I've seen you do that so there must be some reason you didn't on this one. Good video, an oldie but goodie!
Jerry, I'm just getting into the UA-cam thing and I enjoy watching you and Randy you your repairs. I can't tell you how much I have picked up from you both. I have an Ovation from the 80s that I bought off eBay and I'm fixing it myself to keep forever, it was left in an attic for a long time with the strings on it and it pulled the bridge up and left some pretty ugly cracks in the top, looking at it, it kinda looks like someone tried to glue the bridge down before and used some sort of glue that won't respond to heat. The bridge looks ok but I'm thinking about buying a new one because I don't know if this one is structured sound. I mean when the bridge popped off, it took half the soundboard with it. Can I send you a few pictures and get your thoughts ( maybe some pricing) on it? RP
Nice video! Thanks for sharing! When you said you "wouldn't use anything but the original titebond" (rather than titebond 3), is that the one that is literally called "titebond the original wood glue"?With an orange label? There are many kinds of titebond on amazon. Thanks & Merry Christmas to you and yours!
I string 3 or 4 a day using just about every brand. To me the stretch or lack of is where D'darios really shine... they tune up quicker than any string I've used. Nashville guys told me this way before I figured it out myself.. As far as Coated strings go, Elixers are "dead" out of the pack (cant tell that to customers though lol)... There are great for a guitar that rarely gets played, last for yrs!
help! I've recently found my Vintage acoustic from 10 + years ago in storage outside its case.... the face of it is in verrrrrrrry bad shape from weather cracks to what seems to be gnaw marks. I'd like to hear your thoughts on how to make it playable again. I'm not worried too much on how it looks just want to bring it back to life. it's probably my most meaningful one I've got. is there a way I could send you a few pictures and let you see what I mean?
No, it was not cleated. Brace was directly below the crack. The brace was the cleat in this case. I rarely use cleats when the joint is good. The glue is stronger than the wood. So most of the time it really isn't necessary. The old timers used them on violins often. And when using hide glue, they are needed because hide glue is brittle and not at all flexible. Plus it is not nearly as strong as wood glue. All my repairs are 100% guaranteed and in 32+ years, Ive never had a return due to the crack coming back. That should say something about how strong the glue is.
Arkansas Red, For some reason, UA-cam is not allowing me to see your 2nd reply. I just wanted to clarify, I am certainly not opposed to hide glue. It certainly has its use. My thought is that many folks use it strictly out of tradition. The old "because that's the way it's always been done." I myself do many things for the same reason, but only when common sense tells me that it is still the best way. E.g., using a scraper verses sandpaper to remove old varnish as opposed to chemical remover. However, when it comes to most glue jobs, I have switched to wood glues because of their crazy strength and yet less brittle properties. My belief is people like Stadivari, who always used the best material and techniques available in his day, would be using wood glue if he were alive today. Obviously just an opinion. Hope I have not offended you in anyway. Thanks for commenting. Good luck to you.
Got to admire your honesty Gerry. I'm with you, there are some people that are somewhat deluded in my opinion regarding the tone of guitars and strings etc. And since you are an honest guy. What are your thoughts on Asian "rip off" instruments. I recently purchased just such an instrument. It sounds good and plays great, looks good to with genuine abalone inlay. But I can't say I'm that comfortable with it having a famous quality guitar makers name on the headstock. I've ordered a 5 string bass that is a copy of another famous brand but this time I've asked them to omit the logo and put some inlay in it's place. What are your thoughts?
I am not too familiar with them. My brother bought one with tons of inlay. Doesn't have a brand on it. Pretty nice guitar. Sounds pretty good too. I couldn't possibly build one as nice for the money. I am definitely NOT a fan of inlaying a name brand on them. Otherwise its all good.
Hi Jerry, the only people cringing at your comments about strings are the high priced string manufacturers. :)
Jerry:Your devotee in the FW Dallas Tx area. I thot I was slick but I bought a used Martin DRS2. Nearly broke my shoulder patting myself on the back for
making such a good buy. BUT. After a few days I saw a previously overlooked lo humidity crack on the rear bottom bout. I shamelessly copied Swartigers
method of repairing the hairline crack. Humidified guitar 4 straight 24 hour periods using a knockoff home made DampZit. Voila. Crack all but sealed itself.
Then swiping another Randy proceedure, I applied Tite Bond glue using his method of repair, a suction cup to force the glue into the crack. Randy says you
cant seal a crack without using cleats. After Tite Bond had set up, I lowered a flashlight into the guitar. Not a speck of light thru the crack. Several ways to
kin a cat nuther words. May have stopped the crack from lengthening too. We'll see bout that. Another luthier uses a plastic cc to force glue into guitar
cracks.
Jerry, I just watched your first six videos, from six years ago. Boy am I glad you were able to upgrade your camera.
That 240 resolution just plain Hurts. It's like looking through dirty glasses, all day. 😭
I liked the way you made the little peg to push the top back in place instead of some high priced jack.
Thanks Jim. Wedges are my friend.
Just wanted to say thank you for your videos. It's always nice to hear the thoughts and see the work of an experienced guitar repair man.
Thanks for taking the time to comment. I really appreciate it.
Hey Jerry. Nice job. Surprised you didn’t do much more to it but I guess that’s all the customer wanted. Plus it is just a Kay so I understand.
Thanks for the share. I just started buying and selling old guitars in the last 6 months. You have the best how to videos on the Tube. Restoring a old Kay 6160 now and this crack repair video answered all my questions. Thank you for sharing you expertise. Love the water cup turn over trick, I do that maneuver well. Love it.
Thanks for the comments. Much appreciated.
I am a hide glue fan. Not the bottled stuff, the one you cook. It's a great glue. I can see your point, and I thank you so much for the reply. Come to think of it, in my thirty two+++ years I've never had an instrument come back to me with a crack coming apart when I used hide glue. Continued success.
If you have flat/low wide frets, the coated strings work better for many things - like finger and pick noise (screechy & scratchy sounds). The windings around the bigger strings can make unpleasant noises that make lots of women cringe and complain. I got to the point i noticed that finger noise so when i discovered Elixer strings, my girlfriend liked them a LOT!! And i never had any problems with them shredding. Then i bought a nice PRS acoustic guitar and those frets did shred the Elixers because they were thin and tall and may have been made of a harder steel. But on my Gibson Dove the Elixers work great! It all depends on the frets.
Thanks for the great video. What a quality repair!! FWIW, I like to use my clean bare fingers to" press" the glue into cracks if at all possible. Doing this actually creates a small amount of pressure that insures complete penetration of the glue. Thanks again
Todd thanks for the comment. I've done that myself. As you know, whatever works in a particular situation.
Just a friendly tip linseed oil gets dirtier faster I recommend gorgomyte its a fretboard conditioning rag with some stuff on it it cleans also and takes off more dirt
Jerry Ya dun real good!!! Late 50's Kay guitar? My paw gifted me a 1946 Kalamazoo F hole geetar in 1949 (that's right - the last
century) man I hated that guitar for many reasons. Saved enuff geetus to buy a clone of this Kay in 1951. I only used the cowboy
frets so action didn't amount to a hill o beans. I wasn't trying to play "Blackberry Blossom"anyway. Just Big Mon tunes like
"Nobody loves me" and "when you are lonely" in B flat.
Jerry, I was surprised at the use of Linseed Oil on top of the crack. The guitar seems to have a finish of some sort. It's a Kay so don't think it is nitro or lacquer. Maybe lacquer. Wouldn't buffing with lacquer thinner/something else relevant to the particular finish to try to reformulate the finish over the crack work? I've seen you do that so there must be some reason you didn't on this one. Good video, an oldie but goodie!
What about the elixir strings. ?
Jerry, I'm just getting into the UA-cam thing and I enjoy watching you and Randy you your repairs. I can't tell you how much I have picked up from you both. I have an Ovation from the 80s that I bought off eBay and I'm fixing it myself to keep forever, it was left in an attic for a long time with the strings on it and it pulled the bridge up and left some pretty ugly cracks in the top, looking at it, it kinda looks like someone tried to glue the bridge down before and used some sort of glue that won't respond to heat. The bridge looks ok but I'm thinking about buying a new one because I don't know if this one is structured sound. I mean when the bridge popped off, it took half the soundboard with it. Can I send you a few pictures and get your thoughts ( maybe some pricing) on it?
RP
Roger Parker thank you for the nice words feel free to send pictures my email is rosastringworks@gmail.com.
Thanks for the helpful video. Do you recommend normal linseed oil or boiled?
John I have to be honest. I have no experience with regular linseed oil. Only boiled.
Nice video! Thanks for sharing! When you said you "wouldn't use anything but the original titebond" (rather than titebond 3), is that the one that is literally called "titebond the original wood glue"?With an orange label? There are many kinds of titebond on amazon. Thanks & Merry Christmas to you and yours!
Yes I believe the Titebond original is in the orange bottle. It's definitely not Titebond 2 or Titebond 3
thank you I love watching yourgod I wish I could be as slilllful
I string 3 or 4 a day using just about every brand. To me the stretch or lack of is where D'darios really shine... they tune up quicker than any string I've used. Nashville guys told me this way before I figured it out myself.. As far as Coated strings go, Elixers are "dead" out of the pack (cant tell that to customers though lol)... There are great for a guitar that rarely gets played, last for yrs!
help! I've recently found my Vintage acoustic from 10 + years ago in storage outside its case.... the face of it is in verrrrrrrry bad shape from weather cracks to what seems to be gnaw marks. I'd like to hear your thoughts on how to make it playable again. I'm not worried too much on how it looks just want to bring it back to life. it's probably my most meaningful one I've got. is there a way I could send you a few pictures and let you see what I mean?
You can send me pictures if you like. rosastringworks@gmail.com
I Appreciate the prompt reply. I have emailed you
how to repair a big crack on the side of the top of a guitar?
Send it to me! Thanks for watching. Send me some pictures. Maybe I can suggest a fix.
+Rosa String Works how can i send you pictures? send me your email..
+Brian Chueng rosastringworks@gmail.com
Was the top crack above the sound hole not cleated to keep it from opening up again? Did I miss that part?
No, it was not cleated. Brace was directly below the crack. The brace was the cleat in this case. I rarely use cleats when the joint is good. The glue is stronger than the wood. So most of the time it really isn't necessary. The old timers used them on violins often. And when using hide glue, they are needed because hide glue is brittle and not at all flexible. Plus it is not nearly as strong as wood glue. All my repairs are 100% guaranteed and in 32+ years, Ive never had a return due to the crack coming back. That should say something about how strong the glue is.
Arkansas Red, For some reason, UA-cam is not allowing me to see your 2nd reply. I just wanted to clarify, I am certainly not opposed to hide glue. It certainly has its use. My thought is that many folks use it strictly out of tradition. The old "because that's the way it's always been done." I myself do many things for the same reason, but only when common sense tells me that it is still the best way. E.g., using a scraper verses sandpaper to remove old varnish as opposed to chemical remover. However, when it comes to most glue jobs, I have switched to wood glues because of their crazy strength and yet less brittle properties. My belief is people like Stadivari, who always used the best material and techniques available in his day, would be using wood glue if he were alive today. Obviously just an opinion. Hope I have not offended you in anyway. Thanks for commenting. Good luck to you.
Got to admire your honesty Gerry. I'm with you, there are some people that are somewhat deluded in my opinion regarding the tone of guitars and strings etc. And since you are an honest guy. What are your thoughts on Asian "rip off" instruments. I recently purchased just such an instrument. It sounds good and plays great, looks good to with genuine abalone inlay. But I can't say I'm that comfortable with it having a famous quality guitar makers name on the headstock. I've ordered a 5 string bass that is a copy of another famous brand but this time I've asked them to omit the logo and put some inlay in it's place. What are your thoughts?
I am not too familiar with them. My brother bought one with tons of inlay. Doesn't have a brand on it. Pretty nice guitar. Sounds pretty good too. I couldn't possibly build one as nice for the money. I am definitely NOT a fan of inlaying a name brand on them. Otherwise its all good.
If I win the lottery maybe you'll let me send it to you and you can put a beautiful rose on there instead.
Linseed oil. . . . .Hmmmmm..... same linseed oil with the strong fragrance ? That's why I only use it for glazing double hung windows, not guitars.
Thanks for your opinion.