Advice on repairing a 1964 Guild D40?

[atsesta]

Hi,

I'm new to this forum and was wondering if anyone could offer me some advice on getting my old guitar repaired.

I haven't played it in years, it's been sitting in it's case in my closet. I showed it to a friend the other day and discovered that it has a nasty crack on the front. I had some minor cracks repaired back in the 70s and they're still solid.

Is this guitar worth repairing? What should I look for in a repair shop? I live outside of Boston, if anyone has a recommendation. It's sounds good, stays in tune (barely needed tuning when I took it out of the case) and my friend says it has a really nice bass.

Marion

 

[Dr. Spivey]

Greetings Marion, welcome to LTG. It sounds like your D40 is worth repairing. List price on a new one is $2699. :shock:

I'm sure some members in your area will pop in with advice on a good shop.

 

[capnjuan]

Hi Marion and welcome to LTG. I agree w/ the Doc ... get it fixed. If it's the somewhat typical split down the center seam from the bridge to the heel, good humidity can close it up some and a good luthier even further ... very much worth the cost of the fix. CJ

 

[Taylor Martin Guild]

Hi Marion and welcome.
As already mentioned, the cause of the crack was probably from the lack of humidity.
Solid wood, acoustic guitars need to be kept in a humidity range of between 40% to 60% relative humidity.
Do do this, many of us use what is called an in the guitar case humidifier.
You can purchase one for under $20.00, or just make your own using a sponge and either a baggie or a plastic soap dish.

You should start to humidify the guitar right now!

Cracks are more cosmetic than a structure a problem.
Guitars are made from wood and glue in the first place.
The repair will be noticeable but well worth doing.

After the repair is done, barring no other problems, your Guild should be worth much more than the cost of the repair.

Be sure to have the neck looked at to see if it needs to be reset.
This is common on older guitars.
If it needs a reset and the crack repaired, it may cost more than you will want to pay.
Get several bids if you can.

Even if the guitar needs these repairs, it will be worth the cost compared to the cost of a new Guild D-40.

If you don't want to have the repairs done, you may find someone here that would want to buy it and have the work done.

Good luck with the guitar and report back with what you do with it,
TMG.

 

[chazmo]

Agreed with TMG, and welcome aboard, Marion.

Start humidifying the guitar right away. Then you can take it to a luthier for bracing repair. That is not an expensive repair (cleating a crack).

Best of luck.

 

[creeksideguy]

Hi Marion, any chance you could post pictures? I have a 64 D-40 also. It would be interesting to compare the two.

Lee

 

[atsesta]

Thank you all for your quick reply. I'll try to address all your comments here. It's encouraging to hear that it's worth repairing.

The crack is below the sound hole, running from the pick guard almost to the edge. I can definitely start humidifying, but I think it's beyond that because the edges of the crack are not flush against each other. One edge is slightly below the other.

My friend who looked at it works in a music shop and I dropped it off for his repair guy to look at a couple of days ago. I think there's more wrong with it than the crack, but I'm waiting to get it back from him and get a full report.

When I get the guitar back I'll try to post some photos.

As for cost of repair, keeping or selling it, etc., right now I'm trying to gather info.

 

[Appalachian Blues]

welcome to the forum Marion, hope all goes to the upside on your '64 Bluegrass Jubilee. Keep us in the loop on how things turn out for ya!

 

[chazmo]

Thank you all for your quick reply. I'll try to address all your comments here. It's encouraging to hear that it's worth repairing.

The crack is below the sound hole, running from the pick guard almost to the edge. I can definitely start humidifying, but I think it's beyond that because the edges of the crack are not flush against each other. One edge is slightly below the other.

My friend who looked at it works in a music shop and I dropped it off for his repair guy to look at a couple of days ago. I think there's more wrong with it than the crack, but I'm waiting to get it back from him and get a full report.

When I get the guitar back I'll try to post some photos.

As for cost of repair, keeping or selling it, etc., right now I'm trying to gather info.

Marion, if you mean that the soundboard crack goes *across* the grain, from the pickguard down to the lower side, then that would be kind of unusual for humidity-related issues and is more likely an impact (and possibly the tip of an iceberg). On the other hand, if you mean that it's with the grain, then it almost certainly is humidity. You will be *amazed* at what humidity (or lack thereof) can do to a solid wood guitar. If you're interested, I highly recommend surfing the taylorguitars.com web site and viewing the videos on humidity. And, if the damage was humidity, don't be surprised if the guitar takes its shape back just with a little TLC! The cracks will probably need to be braced regardless once the guitar is back in its correct geometry.

Keep us posted.

 

[atsesta]

The crack is parallel to the grain. I'll get back here when I can post a photo.

 

[capnjuan]

... The crack is below the sound hole, running from the pick guard almost to the edge ... the edges of the crack are not flush against each other. One edge is slightly below the other.

Hi Marion; it can still be fixed for marginal money; gently pushed back into horizontal alignment and patched underneath with butterfly tabs or cleats. More money if you want to mess with the aesthetics of the finish. It's a shame but not something that, when fixed, will have appreciable effect on tone or playability. J

 

[Scratch]

Welcome aboard, Marion and good luck with the repair. Love those D40s...

 

[6L6]

Welcome to the Forum!

I can't think of ANY '64 Guild D-40 that's not worth saving. You live in an area where there should be MANY excellent luthiers capable of doing the needed repairs.

If you feel like shipping the guitar to the West coast (San Francisco Bay Area), I would recommend Gryphon Stringed Instruments (Palo Alto, CA) and Gary Brawer Stringed Instrument Repair (San Francisco). Both places have the folks who will make it right.

6

 

[Russell Letson]

My '65 D-40 has had more surgery than Joan Rivers and it's still a fine instrument, so it's hard to imagine a mere crack that would cost more to fix than the guitar is worth in money, let alone musical terms. And, as others have pointed out, unless this is some sort of trauma damage, a repair is not going to be either technically difficult or (relatively) expensive. Most competent repairmen tackle these jobs regularly, so it's not like you need the guitar equivalent of the Mayo Clinic, either.

 

[Brad Little]

Is this guitar worth repairing? What should I look for in a repair shop? I live outside of Boston, if anyone has a recommendation. It's sounds good, stays in tune (barely needed tuning when I took it out of the case) and my friend says it has a really nice bass.

Marion

I agree with other posters that it is worth repairing. You might try the Music Emporium in Lexington. I haven't been there in years, but their reputation is very high.

Brad

 

[chazmo]

Oh, Marion, I didn't realize you were in the Bean-town area. My luthier, Pete Maricle, is a wonderful guy and does fantastic work. He's in Mansfield. Let me know if you want his info...

Another thought is Bill Tippin, who is in Marblehead.

 

[atsesta]

I just got my guitar back from my friend, whose repair guy in his shop thought that fixing the damage was a little over his head and recommended someone else, who's supposed to be the "best" in this area."

But this is his assessment:
Needs the top crack steamed/patched/glued
Could use a new saddle (My friend disagrees, thinks it's fine and the action is great)
Binding is cracking/shrinking

As for cost/value, he said repair would be around $250-300, and the guitar would be worth around $400. As is, it's worth around $250. From all your comments, these numbers don't make much sense. I will keep looking.

My luthier, Pete Maricle, is a wonderful guy and does fantastic work. He's in Mansfield. Let me know if you want his info...
Another thought is Bill Tippin, who is in Marblehead.

Chazmo, I live a lot closer to Marblehead than Mansfield, so I might be interested in his info after I see the recommended expert.

I agree with other posters that it is worth repairing. You might try the Music Emporium in Lexington. I haven't been there in years, but their reputation is very high.

I live about a mile from the Music Emporium, so I may go in there tomorrow, since I have a day off from work.

I can't think of ANY '64 Guild D-40 that's not worth saving.

Wow, I had no idea these guitars were so loved. Thanks for the encouragement.

 

[chazmo]

I just got my guitar back from my friend, whose repair guy in his shop thought that fixing the damage was a little over his head and recommended someone else, who's supposed to be the "best" in this area."

But this is his assessment:
Needs the top crack steamed/patched/glued
Could use a new saddle (My friend disagrees, thinks it's fine and the action is great)
Binding is cracking/shrinking

As for cost/value, he said repair would be around $250-300, and the guitar would be worth around $400. As is, it's worth around $250. From all your comments, these numbers don't make much sense. I will keep looking.

The cost of repair doesn't sound that high. I would think about doing the binding repair though... it depends on the amount of shrinkage. It might be better to just leave it alone and just deal with the structural stuff for now.

I live about a mile from the Music Emporium, so I may go in there tomorrow, since I have a day off from work.

I can't think of ANY '64 Guild D-40 that's not worth saving.

Wow, I had no idea these guitars were so loved. Thanks for the encouragement.

It just could be that we are slightly biased around here. Seriously, though, you won't go wrong reversing humidity damage on an old Guild. A '64 is from Hoboken, NJ, which gives it automatic recognition as an early Guild from one of their most creative periods. And, by the way, if you're right about the year, this is a very early D-40 indeed! Hans Moust says this model bowed in 1963.

Oh, and as regards the Emporium... Has anyone explained GAS to you yet?!

 

[atsesta]

A '64 is from Hoboken, NJ, which gives it automatic recognition as an early Guild from one of their most creative periods. And, by the way, if you're right about the year, this is a very early D-40 indeed! Hans Moust says this model bowed in 1963.

Oh, and as regards the Emporium... Has anyone explained GAS to you yet?!

Hoboken? When I was in high school in NY City in the early '60s the worst thing you could call a guitar was a New Jersey cigar box :lol: It really is a '64 -- I looked it up on the Guild website. Hans Moust PMd me and said he'd look up the serial number and give me some more info about it.

No, I don't know what GAS is. Am I in for some fun?

BTW, I have to confess that this is all very new to me. I'm not at all a guitar expert, and am starting to feel a bit guilty about letting my Guild sit in a closet for so long.

 

[Brad Little]

No, I don't know what GAS is. Am I in for some fun?

Either fun or bankruptcy:GAS = Guitar Acquisition Syndrome. I don't think there is a cure, maybe winning Powerball, and that only because you could then afford almost all the guitars you wanted, at least for a few years, before you spent it all and still wanted that custom made 12-fret Brazilian from (fill in the blank) luthier that costs 25k and you are down to 12K!
Brad Little