Gitane D-500 crack

Josh Hegg

Shawn,

The issue here is the Latter-Braced, Floating Bridge guitar design ie. all Sel/Mac guitars. While Saga tends to over builds their models the basic design is very light. The D-500 being one of the litter models. With any carved/arched sound board ie. violin, guitar, etc. the entire area acts as the bracing. On larger carved tops as in an L-5 there are a few additional braces put in for long term stability but bi enlarge the design of a carved top instrument supports it's self. When a crack forms in a carved top the action of the top acts as an arch. As long as the two sides of the arch don't get too far apart the crack is stable. On a Sel/Mac guitar there is nothing to stabilize an open crack and the down pressure of the stings over the bridge coupled with the top under tension due to the design of the build will only spread the crack. Sort of like having a pin hole in a drum head. It's going to rip all the way if the tension of the head is not taken down.

I have said it before and I'll say it again... The Sel/Mac Guitar is not even a guitar! Most everything we know about guitars does not apply to a Selemer style build. From set up to repair it's a strange duck.

Cheers,
Josh

ultra_novice

Thanks for all the help! I've located someone who is supposed to be a good guitar repair person. However I've never dealt with him so I'd like to have some kind of idea on what kind of price would be reasonable for repair. Perhaps someone can judge the damage from this picture.

Edit: Can't seem to link or insert picture. Will try later.

Josh Hegg

Your image didn't work..?

Some guys go by inch like $20 and inch or what ever and others just say starting at $50. Every one is different. If you get your image working and I can see it well I can tell you about what I would charge to repair it to give you a ball park.

Cheers,
Josh

Jack

Hi Josh,

Here's the image he was going for...

Best,
Jack.

djadam

Thanks for the advice, Shawn. I hadn't considered the tonal properties of humidity in guitars, but it makes sense. I live in Colorado, so it's pretty dry here too, which is why I went for the room humidifier.

I just don't like loosening/tightening the middle strings to insert the planet waves thingy every time I use and put away my guitar - it seems like this would shorten the already short lifespan of a G-string. So if there's no danger in not using one while at home in the humidity-controlled room, I'll probably reserve the soundhole jobby for when I leave the house.

Again, thanks.

Ultra_Novice, I wish you the best of luck in getting that repaired. I can only imagine how it felt to hear such a noise coming from your instrument!

sockeye

FWIW, I've tried a bunch of humidifiers, and I like this John Pearse one the best:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 0065573379

It's simple, easy to use and works well year after year. I've had 2 of the Planet Waves ones and the foam doesn't seem to absorb water well after it's gotten wet/dried out a few times. I've heard from others who have had the same experience.

Remember that over-humidification is just as bad as (if not worse than) over-dryness.

I bet if you get that D-500 really well humidified that crack will close up to where you can barely see it. And assuming the glue bond between the top and braces is still tight, you may well be able to keep it from spreading further just by keeping it humidified. My 2 cents.

As far as cost, I had a bad crack repaired and cleated by a guy who's widely considered the best in Philly, and he charged $120. It was much worse than yours -- caused by a shrinking pickguard which had curled up and taken the top with it -- so the top was not just cracked, but badly curled/warped. He did an amazing job closing it up & added 3 small cleats. (I had a bunch of other work done at the same time which may have brought the price for that item down.)

Keep us posted!

John

badjazz

sockeye wrote:

Remember that over-humidification is just as bad as (if not worse than) over-dryness.

Living In Honolulu, I can confirm that over-humidification can be a real problem. Not to mention that if your guitar gets 'water-logged', the top feels and sounds heavy and gets unresponsive. Which leads me to my second point, which is that I always thought, and my experience seems to confirm, that guitars actually sound better when drier, not wetter, as the top gets lighter and stiffer. I guess that I always thought that the worst material for a soundboard would be dense and mushy, which is how I would think a really 'wet' soundboard would sound. Anyway, that's the theory I've always heard, not that I really care as long as my guitar sounds good and isn't cracking or warping. I bet the right answer is someplace in the middle.

Josh Hegg

I've got the John Pearse humidifiers at http://www.fretobsession.com in the accessories section.

The pricing is not current yet so if you are interested email me for better pricing.

Cheer,
Josh

Shawn

djadam wrote:

I just don't like loosening/tightening the middle strings to insert the planet waves thingy every time I use and put away my guitar - it seems like this would shorten the already short lifespan of a G-string.

I wouldn't worry too much about loosening/tightening the strings. The Planet Waves humidifier is narrow enough to fit between the strings without having to loosen or tighten them. In fact, it is made of a slick plastic and slides right in without damaging the strings either.

Josh Hegg

Novice,

Looking at your picture... Yep that's a crack. And a full one too. Wish you were closer to me so I could help you out. I think most repair techs are going to charge you about $150 - $250 to fix it. If you like the guitar it's worth it if not... PM me. I'm always looking fro fixer uppers.

Cheers,
Josh