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Thread: F hole crack repair

  1. #1

    Default F hole crack repair

    Hey guys! Look for some professional, or at least educated, opinions of this crack on the top of a 2018 Gibson. It just arrived from a seller and I have 48 hours to figure out how big of a deal this is.

    So, I guess I'm asking for opinions on IF I should have it repaired, and also how much it might cost me. Pics below. Any helpful comments are welcome!

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  2. #2
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    Default Re: F hole crack repair

    Definitely get it fixed. I did the same thing quite awhile ago by picking up the instrument carelessly with my thumb over that area (but on the tail end side). Let it go for awhile but it did start getting longer so it got fixed. Always was nervous about the crack getting to the bridge.

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  4. #3
    Teacher, repair person
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    Default Re: F hole crack repair

    It should be repaired or it will spread. $50 to $100 if it is done now-- I don't know exactly what prices are like in Denver. In my small-city modest income area, I would charge 50 for a hide glue repair. If it gets larger, it will cost more.

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  6. #4
    Registered User jim simpson's Avatar
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    Default Re: F hole crack repair

    Quote Originally Posted by rcc56 View Post
    It should be repaired or it will spread. $50 to $100 if it is done now-- I don't know exactly what prices are like in Denver. In my small-city modest income area, I would charge 50 for a hide glue repair. If it gets larger, it will cost more.
    Would it require a cleat?
    Old Hometown, Cabin Fever String Band

  7. #5
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    Default Re: F hole crack repair

    Possibly. It would not hurt. It would be very easy to install if it was done now.

  8. #6
    Registered User sunburst's Avatar
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    Default Re: F hole crack repair

    If the crack is fairly new I would fix it with CA.
    High quality thin CA will wick into the crack when applied at the edge of the f-hole and if the crack is new and tight is will hold remarkably well.
    I would only cleat if there is wood shrinkage, misalignment or other problem brought on by delaying a prompt repair.

    If the crack is old and dirty, I'd clean it with distilled water and then glue with hot hide glue.

    The CA repair is relatively inexpensive, the clean-and-HHG repair is obviously more expensive (the price for delay).

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  10. #7
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    Default Re: F hole crack repair

    Note that while John and I might not take the same approach to the repair [we all have our personal preferences], both of us recommend that the work be done immediately.

  11. #8
    Registered User j. condino's Avatar
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    Default Re: F hole crack repair

    Stabilizing the crack and doing expert level finish work that will make it invisible are two completely different conversations. Stabilizing the crack is easy and there are a couple of ways you could approach it. Finish work is ALWAYS challenging, even to folks with decades of experience, and usually takes much more time and effort than most people can understand.


    As someone who writes professional insurance estimates and damage certification for several of the big national companies on a regular basis, there would be a significant value drop in that damage compared to a pristine example.

    If the tension is not released immediately and the crack is not stabilized, it will likely unzip the top at least to the bridge area if not further. I saw one similar last year that went all the way to the tailpiece...not a happy day for the owner, especially when the original builder refused to work on it.

    Did you buy it knowing the crack was there or did it occur during shipping on an instrument purchased in otherwise good condition? I'd probably return it if the later answer; life is already complicated enough. (Maybe chose a different shipping company!) Mandolins are supposed to be fun and stress free....
    www.condino.com

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  12. #9
    Registered User Greg Mirken's Avatar
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    Default Re: F hole crack repair

    Paul Hostetter once gave me a super idea for crack-stoppers. A Tyvek mailing envelope cut into small circles works great; it’s about impossible to tear so the crack can’t lengthen. I was skeptical but it glues very strongly with either Titebond or hide glue. I’ve used Tyvek on several instruments, including bass f-hole cracks.
    Shade Tree Fretted Instrument Repair, retired
    Nevada City, California

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  14. #10
    Certified! Bernie Daniel's Avatar
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    Default Re: F hole crack repair

    I fixed a crack almost just like that one a Gibson F-5G that I once had.

    I did almost exactly like John suggested. Mine had a bit more finish damage in that there was a larger, more noticeable patch of bare spruce in the crack where the entire finish had popped away from the wood. So the fist thing I did was to blend some Trans-Fast (water based) dyes until I had exactly the right color (I did not have the alcohol based Trans-tint dyes in those days) and lightly touched up the bare spot until it color matched almost perfectly. I let it dry for a day and then filled in the crack with cyanoacrylate glue -- it does a great job of wicking into the crack and also it acts like a finish over the bare wood. You could hardly see it after that.

    BTW I have also used Paul's the idea of using strips of USPS Tyvek mailing envelopes and clear epoxy and that works great too on stabilizing cracks -- used it to cleat up some cracks in the top of an archtop guitar - - you'll never find a lighter repair cleat!
    Bernie
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    Due to current budgetary restrictions the light at the end of the tunnel has been turned off -- sorry about the inconvenience.

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