Crack repair what caused my acoustic guitar to crack. Article the diversity of modern classical guitar tone. This process will keep the glue from running over the top of the guitar, and making it a bear of a job to remove without damaging the guitar top once the glue has dried. Hello, im new here and ive seen alot of posts that might help me. Some of the most critical components on the guitar to. Cracks in the wood are usually repairable, depending on the degree of severity. Acoustic guitar top crack repair cleating cracks n sealing outter. Vintage kay guitar, crack on top and inside top brace is split causing the top to dish in. I loaned it to my cousin when he sent it back it was damaged in shipping this was a few years ago ups pretty much screwed me by telling me i could not make a claim on it since my cousin sent it and they told my cousin he could not make a claim since he. At this point, i guess i should tell you that this was my third attempt.
Taylor guitars are known for their balanced tonal response, and our guitar bracing plays a role in that. The arch top guitar has two braces that run along the length of the guitars top. 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. Refer to our article on humidity in the shop for more humidity control information. Please practice handwashing and social distancing, and check out our resources for adapting to these times. Baby taylors have a sitka spruce top, which is fairly readily available. The fallout from this piece has been very wide spread. Holds a cracked brace, a bridge plate or a crack cleat in. An acoustic guitars braces allow the bodys top and back to withstand the pull of. Check out the price list then describe your repair for us and well get you a live estimate. Bellucci guitars quilted maple back, sides and top, stradivarius model. Normally only the two main braces are fitted and the tradition is to use two long parallel braces or tone bars running from heel to end block. Guitar bracing refers to the system of wooden struts which internally support and reinforce the soundboard and back of acoustic guitars soundboard or top bracing transmits the forces exerted by the strings from the bridge to the rim. In fact any type of bracing pattern could be used with a double top fan bracing, lattice, ladder, radial, or whatever.
If you look closely youll see that i added a corner block to each side of the neck block to carry the load across the crack in the top. This inside acoustic guitar diagram illustrates the internal parts of a high quality acoustic guitar. A washboard texture which looks somewhat like corduroy is one of the first signs of dryness. For this guitar i wanted the bracing to be light enough to allow for a clear note when plucked with a fingertip, but firm enough to maintain its sustain and volume. Todd sams gives a simple and clear explanation of how to position dreadnought braces for the sound and volume of an early30s martin. These are wooden support beams that provide strength to what are, otherwise, relatively thin pieces of wood. The interior parts and how they affect the guitars tone, are explained below the illustration. Is the 1930s advanced x braced top superior to just scalloped top bracing if its just matter of difference, why higher. Back bracing is sometimes also made from spruce but is made from other woods too.
I loaned it to my cousin when he sent it back it was damaged in shipping this was a few years ago ups pretty much screwed me by telling me i could not make a claim on it since my cousin sent it and they told my cousin he could not make a claim since he didnt own it. Ive seldom seen a case where a brace stopped a crack on a. Careful design puts the relationship in the ball park initially and final tuning can be done after the guitar is strung. The wood for bracing needs to be light but strong and spruce fits this bill well. Bracing the top of the guitar is the subject of great mystery and debate. The interior caul is grooved to hold the glued patching cleat. Archtop guitars have less top bracing since they rely on the arched carve or moulding of the top for its strength. Here you see my way of repairing a typical top crack. It is very important that you know how to recognize this and what to do about it should your guitar start to show these signs of dryness. But were you to dig back far enough into the history of acoustic guitar manufacturing, you would come across a period in which the ladderbraced guitar was king. Bracing is the internal framework that helps shape the sound of an acoustic guitar. Classical nylonstring guitars had top bracing in a fan pattern, steelstring guitars were xbraced, and any other bracing pattern for steelstring models was probably lousy or at least inadequate. Acoustic archtop guitar bracing bob benedetto the art. Guide to hand splitting tone bars and guitar braces.
How to check for loose guitar braces festival guitarra girona. A crackedsplit brace can elude even the best eagle eyes. Most of the worst and hardesttorepair cracks happen on a guitar s top. The bracing needs to be selected for the back and acclimated to the shop. Holds a cracked brace, a bridge plate or a crack cleat in place while the glue sets. Refer to the article on guitar bracing for more information. Now, an acoustic guitars top shouldnt be dead flat they are arched, typically with a 4. How to repair cracks in your acoustic guitar guitar alliance. Furthermore, i recommend that the top plate, or soundboard be perfectly flat, with straight top bracing. In this article the effect of varying top and back thickness and using different rigidities of top fan bracing will be explored. A thin feeler gauge will easily slip between a loose brace and the top or back. The bracing should focus on the whole idea of the guitar.
Even if the sides of a body are braced, a crack can still run right through the brace. The luthier faces the challenge of bracing the instrument to withstand the stress applied by the strings with minimal distortion, while. Bracing styles for classical guitars this is classical. Loose braces can cause a guitar to warp or deform which can lead to cracks and damage. Guitar bracing exists to strengthen the top and back of the guitar, while also allowing enough flexibility and vibration to generate tone. 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. Crack repair guitar blog the official taylor guitars blog.
Vacations over and now its time to get back to work. Conventional guitargab wisdom has taught us for decades that the soundboard bracing for flattops was easy to summarize. The acoustic guitars top plays a big role in creating your sound. I recommend that there be an arch placed on the guitar back. Martin the first is widely attributed to be the inventor of the xbraced guitar, way back in about 1850. Handling each brace is sometimes necessary to locate the mystery brace as the crack can be very fine with no gap or separation. Top bracing is most commonly made from spruce, regardless of the tone wood used for the top itself. Glued inside the top and back of your acoustic guitar are braces. With the magnets holding everything in place, you have both hands free to apply soundhole clamps. How to fix loose and cracked acoustic guitar braces guitar. See more ideas about guitar, guitar building and acoustic guitar. I still really have my heart set on this guitar but was curious as to your thoughts on cedar. In fact, they say that is the reason why martin wont even use cedar for any of their guitars.
But my guitar friends say cedar tops are prone to crack, are too soft for a viable guitar top, and wont last. I stuck my little guitar inspection camera into the soundhole of several guitars to show the similarity and differences of various makers. What is bracing on a guitar and why is it so important. We dont want to damage the delicate bracing below and by making very. Nonscalloped bracing allows the top to vibrate yet keeps it stable. Taylor acoustic guitar top repair chicago fret works guitar repair. By far the most popular top bracing pattern on flattop guitars. But duplicating or salvaging the bracing and the bridge will be more labor intensive. Stewmac sells perfect tools for it, but when i want to get them to europe i pay the price of the tools, shipping cost and vat in holland. Incorporates scalloped bracing with aframe technology. Most of the worst and hardesttorepair cracks happen on a guitars top. The terms scalloped or x braced get thrown around a lot on acoustic guitar forums and in conversation but sometimes it can be a little hazy as to what these things actually mean to the sound of your guitar. It should also be mentioned that aesthetic considerations also play a large part in purchasing a guitareven if an instrument sounds good, it wont be very popular if it looks like a politician. Vclass bracing is a groundbreaking new taylor design a new sonic engine that transforms the way an acoustic guitar top vibrates to dramatically improve the sound.
Cracked top and brace need advice on home repair build and repair. Some acoustics even have small braces on the sides of the body. 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. It takes a great deal of time and skill to brace an acoustic guitar this well, so, cheaper beginner guitars are not made this well. Removal of select brace material reduces brace mass. Taylor reimagines acoustic guitar construction with new. Undoubtedly, as the top was pushed downward, the top cracked, and the glue joints on the brace ends broke loose. 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. The scoop on forward x bracing for greater guitar volume. In the 1920s and 1930s, gibson was struggling to compete with the more modestlypriced. My standard back bracing system is designed so that it can be easily tuned to the correct relationship with the top. Scalloped top bracing for j45 standard 1930s advanced xbraced top for certain sj, limited j45, and signature models. Repairing loose acoustic guitar braces haze guitars. Also the back plate wood is not nearly as forgiving as the top plate wood and will crack far more easily.
His guitar design was revolutionary at that time, and it has proven itself over the decades, as many leading players like john williams chose to perform on his guitars. This guitar came into the shop last week, with a severely bellied top and a lifting bridge. Xtc bracing guitar building, acoustic guitars, instruments. Now you can upload photos with your repair estimate request. Double topping refers to the way the soundboard itself is treated. Utilized on guitars constructed with a dovetail neck joint. Many guitar tops crack if the instrument is placed only halfway in its case and the lid slams shut. This could be because the guitar gets a knock but, often, some or all of the. When the term latticebracing comes up, many classical guitarists immediately think of greg smallman, and the type of guitar he prototyped about 40 years ago. Magnets hold the interiorexterior cauls together through the guitar top. If thats the situation, youre probably looking at a new top and braces.
One of the most common instances is actually not a crack at all, but a centerseam separation. We recommend repairing promptly, to prevent the crack from. Everything from the cell structure to grain spacing, grain orientations, growth patterns, density, and more, are on my mind as i look at a potential piece of wood for a component of a guitar that im working on. Even if we were to compromise stiffness or weight by using a lesser grade of wood for the top, with the proper bracing, the acoustical outcome can still be first rate. The ladder braced guitar typically has less punch than the xbraced guitar but often does have more depth than the arch top guitar. Arguably, nothing affects the sound and tone of the guitar more than the bracing. Cedar tops taylor guitars guitar blog the official. These braces are found behind the bridge area on an acoustic guitar top.
Fix a cracked guitar top without hampering the tone. The diversity of modern classical guitar tone and volume due to plate thickness and bracing. But, still, theres plenty of room left to tune the bracing when were done. X marks the spot the development of martin braces martin braces evolved from the ladder bracing used on the viennese guitars martin learned to build before coming to the us, to the fan bracing learned from spanish guitars, to several variants of x bracing before settling on the mature x pattern still used today. In order to make a successful guitar, more attention must be paid to the design and construction of the bracing, including the arching of the top of the guitar. A bellied top can cause high action, bad intonation, and a weak sound. This is why the inside of acoustic guitars has braces running across the top and back. Before i left, i finished up a job for my friend john fohl who plays with the likes of dr. The braces are slowly glued in place using nothing but fresh, hot hide glue.
The xbrace is what we now consider to be the standard topbracing pattern on flat top guitars. The martin company applied this bracing pattern to their guitars long before steel strings were ever used on guitars. Bracing for the top is the most important bracing in terms of the tone of the guitar. My own preference, regardless of the wood used to carve the top, is select european spruce lightweight, quartersawn and stiff. This week i wanted to talk about an aspect of an acoustic guitars sound that gets brought up to me a lot by customers, guitar bracing. Historically, some guitars have used ladder bracing, which looks exactly as the name implies, with multiple lengths of wood stacked horizontally across the width of the guitar. Plate bracing unlike many other stringed instruments such as the violin family the guitar has a braced sound board and back plate. Dan erlewines tricks for gluing loose braces stewmac. Ladder bracing is commonly found on vintage parlor guitars as well as some vintage flat top guitars.
Crack repair cleats in spruce, indian rosewood, and mahogany for repairing acoustic guitars with the tj. Dropping the guitar in its case especially an illfitting one that allows the guitar to move around inside can do it, as can running into a mic stand or your partners guitar. See more ideas about guitar, guitar building and classical guitar. A popsicle brace provides an additional 1 x 2 glue surface where wood fiber was the primary support. Dan erlewines tricks for gluing loose braces youtube. Transcribed from danas lecture, 1990 guild of american luthiers convention. If memory serves me correctly, john told me he picked it up at continue reading. Theyre all flat top steel string guitars with solid spruce tops, braced with different versions of the basic martin cross bracing. This is an art of controlling stiffness and influencing different kinds of movement. In the worst case, the top wood will be splintered and the bracing broken. This is perhaps the strongest article ever published in american lutherie about voicing the top and bracing of the steel string guitar. Bracing the soundboard building an acoustic guitar in. Its not as important as the top s bracing so the wood used isnt as important either. How bracing affects your acoustic sound while tonewoods get lots of attention, and rightfully so, many players overlook how bracing affects the sound of an acoustic guitar.