Andy with Guitar Posted November 29, 2023 Share Posted November 29, 2023 (edited) I have a Guild D44 that has major cracks on the top. One crack extends 3/4 through the top, and 2 others about 1/4 the way through, and some cracks are not so noticeable. I have taken it to a guitar repair man, and he suggests repairing the top rather than replacing it. The damage is so bad that some of the bracing is also broken. Has anyone experienced with this type of repair? I have heard that the repair affects the quality of the sound. My other option is to replace the top. I look forward to your opinions. Edited November 29, 2023 by Dad3353 Correcting title spelling... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dad3353 Posted November 29, 2023 Share Posted November 29, 2023 You say that there are major cracks, and broken bracing. This would be best repaired by replacing the top altogether, by a reliable qualified luthier. Will that affect the sound..? Quite certainly, and for the better. Only worth doing for an instrument of quality in the first place; your Guild qualifies, I'd say. Let us know what you decide, and how it turns out, please..? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EdwardMarlowe Posted December 2, 2023 Share Posted December 2, 2023 I'd compare the price of the two options. Years ago I had a Tanglewood dreadnought top suffer a crack. I had a tech add a thin patch on the back to hold it and stop the split getting any worse, and that worked well (with no discernible impact on the sound). Sounds like your top is far enough gone that a replacement might be as easy as repair, especially if the labour time (likely to be the most expensive bit of any repair ime) is about the same... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
