This well gigged Lakewood, owned by Harbour, was recently in the workshop to have a nasty crack repaired near the sound hole on the bass side!
It also had a fret recrown and a new uprated Switchcraft jacksocket while it was in!
It also had a fret recrown and a new uprated Switchcraft jacksocket while it was in!
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The crack was actually two, and had been caused due to percussive playing, the owner had previously repaired the cracks with superglue, this had held for awhile but needing sorting properly.
Preparing the inside of the crack proved a long process, as the superglue previously used had soaked through the cracks and pooled inside, creating an uneven surface, this slowly had to be worked back flat before cleats could be installed.
Preparing the inside of the crack proved a long process, as the superglue previously used had soaked through the cracks and pooled inside, creating an uneven surface, this slowly had to be worked back flat before cleats could be installed.
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Due to the percussive playing style used on the guitar, we decided to custom make two cleat braces, that would be installed off the existing braces, these would give the support needed for the top without affecting it’s tone.
The cleat bracings installed, they had to be superglued in as it is impossible to use wood glue over any glue, this meant precise placement with no chance for adjustments.
The cleat bracings installed, they had to be superglued in as it is impossible to use wood glue over any glue, this meant precise placement with no chance for adjustments.
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The frets has worn down due to the amount of use and dents had started to form, which affects the clarity of the note. The fingerboard is masked off before the fretwork begins.
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During the recrown, the tops of the frets are marked to ensure that the tops are not filed, which would affect the level of the frets. Once recrowned, the frets are hand polished to a shine, removing any tool marks in the process.
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The finished frets, although the dents were too deep to remove, the curve is back in the fret, restoring a clean sounding note.
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The top of the crack was glued at the same time, then once set, nitrocellulose lacquer was built up in layers then flattened back to prevent moisture seeping into the crack plus improving the visual look of the cracks
The customer had previously repaired other cracks on the top of the guitar himself using the same superglue method. These were structurally stable so were best left until they caused an issue.
The customer had previously repaired other cracks on the top of the guitar himself using the same superglue method. These were structurally stable so were best left until they caused an issue.
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With all the work complete, it was back out being used on the gigging circuit!
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