I bought this guitar for 40 pounds the other week hoping i can repair it .
The crack runs through the sides and the neck .
So gentlemen my main worry is how i´m going to tackle the crack in the neck .
Any ideas ?
Thanks

A skilled luthier could make a nice repair on this. If you are going to do it yourself and don't mind looks, I would force Elmer's carpenters glue into all the cracks, line them up, and clamp them down. Use a damp rag to wipe up squeezed out glue in side and out. This maybe all you need to do, but if you feel the neck heel needs more strength, then once the glue is set, remove heel cap (use razor knife) and drill from the neck heel toward the fingerboard, stopping short of hitting the fingerboard, and glue in a dowel. 3/8y inch dia. should be good. Glue heel cap back on. If done carefully you might see the fine glue lines, but at least you could play the guitar and save a few pounds. I did the very same repair to a Mexican Pimental flamenco in 1976 and it played fine and sounded as always. You might need to purchase some adjustable guitar clamps ( I like the maple cam ones) for this job. I would think you would need about five clamps. two on each side and one for the heel. Tighten the sides ones carefully and the heel snugly. I would do heel clamp first. Maybe our forum luthiers will have a better way, so hold off for some more opinions. http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Tools/Clamp ... lamps.html

I agree with Manos.
Test the clamping arrangement dry and adjust until everything looks like it will come together evenly and that there are no chips, splinters or anything to prevent the cracks from closing completely.
When working glue into a crack, I dilute it with the tiniest amount of water and I gently flex the crack open and closed which will cause the glue to be sucked in by the vacuum created.
I would definitely go with the dowel reinforcement described by Manos.
After the glue has dried thoroughly .. you can also reinforce the side cracks on the inside of the guitar with strips of cotton cloth soaked with wood glue. If you do this, practice on some scrap pieces of wood first.

Note: I have only repaired a couple of cracks .. there may be better methods out there.

Good luck .. you may end up with a jewel for your efforts.

Jim in La Pine

Victor,

I think the photos are telling me that the cracks are not clean wood, and an attempt to glue this whole thing has already been made. Again, I'm just assuming from photos, but it looks like something similar to Titebond or some other aliphatic resin glue was used. That significantly complicates your repair efforts. Fresh glue will not stick to old glue, and since the heel/foot area are such a structurally-important spot, other measures will be necessary if a lasting repair is to be made. Your situation is a perfect argument for using hide glue in lutherie. Hide glue can stick to itself, and just a little heat and moisture, along with a little fresh hide glue would've addressed the problem.

You might have to do the best you can to get some glue inside the joint, then clamping it. Once dry, it may also be worth to saw-out the (contaminated) glue joint of the heel portion with a tenon saw, and gluing-in tightly-fitting veneer of Spanish cedar, matching the width of the cut. This veneer insert will give you a better, stronger joint than the old gummed-up glue line. Having a tightly-fitted dowel run through the heel portion is a pretty good idea as well.

Otherwise, for a more controlled and permanent repair, the back can come off, giving more options to stabilizing and reinforcing the "foot" as well as doing a clean, neat job of repairing cracked sides.

Peter

Peter is right on the glue. Most luthiers will tell you never to use Elmer's or similar white glues because if it ever needs re-gluing in the same place, it won't stick. Also to remove a bridge or fingerboard presents a problem if glued with such. Aliphatic resin glue like Titebond is used and recommended by some luthiers, but still has many of the same issues as Elmer's. The ground hide glue that requires heating up to melt and apply is the best, but involves more than just squeezing out of a bottle. I was never much for the bottled liquid hide glue. If this guitar is of some value, it might be worth taking to a qualified luthier and getting the job done correctly as Peter has indicated. If the cracks have old glue or don't match up well, a home repair might make it even more difficult for a luthier to repair. If I figured right at 40 pounds, you have $65 in it and even if a proper repair cost $300, you still have a signed 1976 Conde for a bargain price.

Thank you all for your speedy and helpful replys.
I have removed the cap and found that a dowel has already been fitted and glued in with what appears to be super glue .
Will the glue hold ?
Should i redrill and fit a bigger dowel ?
I´m looking into getting the hide glue for the sides and also like the idea of cutting out the contaminated area of the heel as i have a few blocks of spanish cedar wood at home .

Many thanks
Vic

Victor, So someone has already made a real mess of this guitar. If this guitar was in perfect shape, do you have any idea on it's value? I cannot find any info on Manuel Conde of Madrid. I assume he is related to the Conde Hermanos guitar making group. I have heard of Julio, Fustino, Mariano, Mariano Jr. and Felipe, but never of Manuel. If one could establish an estimated value then it might help on making a decision on how to restore or repair this guitar. As Peter said the best work can only be done by removing the back and cleaning up and supporting the side cracks. This would also allow for completely sawing out the heel crack and old glue mess and inserting a properly fitted piece of cedar in there. I would think the dowel will have to be drilled out and replaced once the heel crack is repaired. Also the sides and heel will require finishing. Hopefully the guitar is french polished making finishing over the repairs easier than with varnish or lacquer. If the sides have been glued before with other than hide glue, then simply re-gluing them probably will meet with failure. I am surprised that the former repairer didn't take time to get the heel crack lined up and glued nicely before inserting the dowel and ending up with the ugly gap in the heel. If this was mine I would take it to a luthier for an estimate. If the estimate was more than the guitars worth, then I would try to fix the heel crack as Peter recommended, drill out the old dowel and glue in a new one. Something needs to be glued inside over the side cracks to stabilize them. Maybe very thin small strips of soft flexible wood cut across the grain, but fabric would also work. Sad to see a nice old flamenco with a botched attempt at repair.

Hola Victor

You mention pounds which make me think that maybe you live in Britain.
You probably already know about guitarreros here but if you are not sure and you decide to find a guitarrero to repair your guitar please do feel free to contact me and I can tell you of some I know who are very good.
Saludos

Tomás