Help with a D30-BL

[tele4tone]

I picked up a D30-BL in so so condition. What causes the neck to push in on the body like that? There is some finish cracks and the top has a crack in the middle that looks repaired. No strings... yeah that was a little scary. So I may have been screwed, but I have been wanting a guild player (not a museum piece) and this fits the bill IF I can get it fixed.

 

[West R Lee]

Hard to see in the photos, but if the neck looks like it's pulling the top in where the neck meets the soundhole, it's string tension, or a combination of string tension and the top drying. Several of us have had this discussion on numerous occasions here.

From the time strings are placed on a guitar, the forces of physics begin to pull the neck.....up on the headstock end. The best way to lessen those forces are to use light guage strings. Obviously, even they still pull the neck, but the most tension you can put on the neck is with heavy strings. If your D30 has cracks where the fretboard meets the top at the soundhole, or if the top is sunken in there, it's probably had heavy guage strings on it for a while.....or has been kept very dry.....or both.

West

 

[Taylor Martin Guild]

Get some humidity inside the guitar for several days before you re-string it.
I hope that you have a case for it.
I have a friend that plays Maple Guild and the top on it was also bellied in.
I gave him a humidifier and a week later, the guitar looked a lot better.

Use light gauge strings when you re-string it.
Good luck. I hope it turns out good for you.

 

[GardMan]

Hard to tell from the pics... but it looks to me like you have cracks on both sides of the fret board, extending all the way to the soundhole. Might even be a little misalignment, like the neck is collapsing into the soundhole.

While cracks along the side of the fret board have been attributed to humidity, Frank Ford also explains they can also be caused by exposure to excess heat loosening the neck block and braces in the upper bout... allowing string tension to pull the neck into the soundhole:
http://www.frets.com/FRETSPages/Luthier ... rack1.html
http://www.frets.com/FRETSPages/Luthier ... crack.html
I'd get that looked at...
D

 

[tele4tone]

here is a better pic

I think you got it figured out.... The guy said this just happened one day. Anybody know a GREAT luthier that repairs this.... My guy in Indianapolis is getting out of the business and I hate finding a good luthier........

Thanks, so far guys

Jeff

 

[tele4tone]

So... Initial repairs look to be around 140-500. I'm sending it off tomorrow.

 

[tele4tone]

Talked to the luthier today. He said "maybe two more weeks" but everything is going back to the way it was. no neck reset needed

Wood takes so long to fix

 

[adorshki]

Man I would have been POSITIVE that needed a reset. You lucky dog! Keep us "posted"! :lol:

 

[kostask]

I would think that the neck block has come loose from the sides, and more than likely the transverse brace (under the top, below the fingerboard extension. This is probably more related to heat exposure than drying out. I am also a little bit surprised that a neck reset is not required, but it could be that the neck heel/neck block joint didn't heat as much as the sides and transverse brace, and so there wasn't any movement there. The guitar was probably overheated while tuned to pitch, and the heat allow the joints to fail, which let the string tension pull on the neck, loosening or breaking the transverse brace (allowing the top to dip), and with the support of the transverse brace missing, the neckblock, now being supported only by the guitar sides (and the back, but this doesn't really contribute a lot of strength in the direction of the string pull), starts to move forward, causing the cracks along the sides of the fingerboard in the top.

More than likely, the repair is consisting of moving the neck block back into position, after which the transverse brace can be re-glued or replaced. Gluing the cracks near the fingerboard can be a problem, as some of the length of the crack is either very close or covered up by the neck block. The good part is that any repair in that area can use some pretty large cleats, as they do not have any tonal effect.

Kostas

 

[tele4tone]

These are some emails from David Collins the Luthier working on it. I like the communication. Too bad he is in another state LOL

"Your Guild has been clamped up for about a week now, and it looks very likely that I should be able to coax it back in to position and stabilize it without any need to remove and reset the neck. I use a rather slow, gentle clamping and repositioning process to return bent and distorted wood to position. I should likely be able to take it out of the clamps by the end of the week to know for sure, but so far it looks like it's coming back very nicely. Still a few weeks before it will be completed with at least minor touchup, but looks at this point like it should come in at the $*** estimate or below. Thanks for your patience, and I'll update you on how it looks after this weekend. David Collins

Hello Jeff -

Just a quick update - the neck moved back on to position quite well, and I
will be able to stabilize it there without having to do a full neck reset.
I still have to take care of some shoulder bracing and minor touchup, so
it will still be a few weeks out before it's completed, but everything it
going quite smoothly.

Best Regards,

David Collins"