Vintage F model question- Help!

[yoods]

Howdy wood and mandolin repair experts.

I have a question about a vintage F model mandolin that I am holding for a few days deciding whether to buy it or not. I can really use your help deciding if this is something I really need to worry about or not. I don't have a mandolin luthier nearby to check this for me.

It has two very slight and short (barely hair sized) surface cracks on the top that follows the grain. The don't appear to be deep, but I am no expert. They almost look like scratches.

Both are on the treble side of the mandolin; one is in-line with the grain starting where the lower point begins, as you go from the tail-piece to the point, about 1/4" long starting at the binding. The other is about one inch from the upper point (between the point and the neck), about 7/8" long in-line with the grain starting from the bindings as well.

My question is do I really need to worry about this?

Is this just a sign of things to come where the top has real problems, or is this to be considered normal for a 80 year old instrument and I just need to keep it humidified during the winter months? I will add that the top appears stable and is not sinking or anything.

Thanks so much for your help on this as I am really concerned; both for the value of the instrument and its health and playability down the line.

[HoGo]

I'm not an expert, but from your description the first crack is typical "lower point crack". Many old Gibsons have it and the Distressed Master Model does too... . The other crack may be a result of a fall (caused by neck leverage) or low humidity.
You should have them repaired by a pro, it should not be expensive. They do not seem to be 'dangerous' to both health and value.
And, I bet they go all through the top.

[Ken Waltham]

No problem. Don't worry about them. If this is a nice F2 or F4, go for it, the cracks are meaningless. As stated, if you repair them, have a good pro do it. It will not need any finish touchup, and don't let them do any. Just humidify the instrument, and glue when it's closing up. Any finish work to try to cover the repair/crack will impact your value, and.... it looks funny.
Ken

[yoods]

Thank you very much for all your comments. They are very helpful and they relieve my concerns a bit. And thanks for the comment about the finish, yes that is important to me too.

Please help me a little more in my education about such cracks.

I just got this mando and would like to meld with it for a while, if you know what I mean. If I can avoid it I would like to wait from giving it to a luthier to seal the cracks.

So, am I safe to assume that if I just monitor the cracks over time, make sure that they are not getting any bigger (and humidify the mandolin in the winter) that all is okay? Or am I being stupid and should bite the bullet and take it to a luthier now? In other words, the cracks being very small now, if they were to increase in size, would they generally do so gradually where I can catch it before they become a problem?

Also, does anyone have a general idea of how much such repairs cost?

Lastly, would it be correct to infer from your comments that finding some hairline cracks on the top of vintage F's (and vintage A's for that matter) is not unexpected? This last question is more for if I come across other vintage instruments and I just like to know what is considered "normal". If this last question is more complicated than just a short answer and someone can point me to another source where I can read-up on this I would appreciate it. Thanks much!

[HoGo]

I do not know about US prices. The sooner you have that done the better as there is dirt and polish accumulating in the cracks that will be almost impossible to get out of there to get decent glueing surfaces.

[Bob DeVellis]

Well, the cracks won't get any smaller, but they may well be stable. I wouldn't consider it a matter that should be totally ignored, but it's probably okay to wait a little while before getting it taken care of. In the meantime, keep humidity levels constant, don't switch to heavier strings, etc. Any instability you introduce into the forces acting on the instrument might make matters worse. Also, don't apply any chemicals to the top that might get into the cracks. Don't even clean the area with a damp cloth, as that might force crud into the cracks. There's probably a bunch of cred there already, but it's bet not to get in in deeply.

[Bob A]

I have a 192w F4 that I've owned for 30+ years. It's had a crack on the treble side, under the pickguard, running to the outer ring of the soundhole rose. It was apparently glued a long time ago, and is perfectly stable. The instrument doesn't go out much, so I don't know how constant change would affect it. I've seen several F4s with cracks in this location.

The back shrinks on these instruments sometimes, and pulls away from the rim around the tailpiece area. This is an easy fix and not a problem, unless you leave it unrepaired.

This sort of thing is common. It shows up in mandolins because the construction is so solid. With a violin it's easy to pop the top and back off and reglue, which relieves the stresses inherent in the ageing process.

[yoods]

Thanks all for the good information.