Acoustic neck separating from body

[bytemare]

Pics will probably explain this best!

At first I thought this would need a neck reset. But it looks like the body wood has actually separated. But it's rock solid, I cannot move it, and the brace on the inside is intact.

Is this basically a neck reset? Or something else and how should I fix it? (local luthier in the area quoted me a neck reset over the phone for $700, but he hadn't seen this).

If don't want to fix it, what would be a good price to list this at? It's a Guild D25-12, made in USA. Thanks!

 

[ARandall]

Thats not a neck separating, thats something heavy landing on it and breaking the neck shaft and neck block away from the top.

 

[nuance97]

Yeah the neck block has definitely broken free in there

 

[BadPenguin]

Yep, what they said. The neck block has separated from the top, causing the neck under the tension of the 12 strings to bow forward, and cracking the top. VERY common with 12 strings. Take it to a good luthier. Might cost a few bucks, but if you love the guitar and plan on keeping it forever, worth the investment.

 

[Steven]

What they are asking for the repair is the same price that model sells for on the used market in very good condition. It's a tough call. You will get very little for it should you opt to sell it. Why not see of you can go to a large music store and try out a few Guilds in the 1K range. Compare their sound and feel, to your current guitar prior to the mishap. They may have a used model you like as much.

Their are also other model guitars that get great reviews:

7 Best 12 String Guitars Under $1000 (With Superior Tone) - 2023

Adding a 12-string guitar to your arsenal is a great way to expand upon your skills as a guitarist. Here are the best 12-string guitars for under $1000!

producerhive.com

 

[bytemare]

Thanks for the replies! I really don't have anything invested in this at all - how is this fixed? What's strange is that it seems rock solid, even under tension. I don't really want to put $700 (which is just for a basic neck reset) into this, and I honestly don't know of a local luthier that I could trust. It could be kind of fun to try this myself though.

Nice link about 7 best 12 strings under 1k! Thanks.

 

[ARandall]

The issue here is that multiple things are damaged.
At the very least the neck has to come out/off, and then maybe even the spruce top has to be removed to address the neck block issue (if the glue joint has failed then you'd need to remove all original glue or at the minimum consider an epoxy re-do). Then the top has to have the bit around the fretboard where it has crack/slipped aligned and glued back to the rest of the top. And I'd be concerned about the 2 bits of top bracing that sit under the fretboard area either needing re-attachment (once again with cleaning old glue off or using epoxy) or being broken and needing full re-fabrication.
Its the sort of repair you'd need a LOT of time or experience (and preferably both) to consider taking on.

 

[the great waldo]

That guitar may have been left in a car in the sun . The blocks moved and taken the top with it . After the guitar has cooled down the everything has set hard again, which is why it's solid again. It's a hassle doing a repair with this kind of problem and can get expensive.
Cheers
Andrew

 

[bytemare]

Update: fix, which is a restoration, is 800-900.

I hit the top with a bit of steam and was able to soften the glue and move the top/fretboard back into place. There is a hairline crack in the brace top brace running horizontal to the top. So I'm guessing this is where the issue is. Any ideas of how this would be fixed? It's obviously not worth it to have it professionally done, but would love to take crack at it.

 

[redking]

I've seen lots of crazy shit in the Luthier's Forum, but that is the first time I have seen something like that - almost like it was slowly squeezed under hydraulics or something. Good luck with the fix!