crack under jack

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crack under jack

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Miguel de Maria

Posts: 3532
Joined: Oct. 20 2003
From: Phoenix, AZ

crack under jack

I saw a Cordoba for sale with a repaired crack under the input jack. It looks to be about 3" or so, and runs laterally. As a result, the store is selling it for about $500 off. Is such an area critical, and do repairs in that area hold up? In other words, would it be worth it to pay $1000 for a $1500 gig guitar?

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Sep. 16 2018 6:46:13

keith

Posts: 1108
Joined: Sep. 29 2009
From: Back in Boston

RE: crack under jack (in reply to Miguel de Maria)

Is this the thin Cordoba? Does this guitar have the jack at the tail block? If so I would imagine it would be tough to get inside of the guitar to repair it from the inside. The crack could be sealed with glue and if an external patch is needed it could be done but it would show to some degree and therefore I think the guitar would be worth only $750 or less--that is, offer them that much if you are interested. $750 in the hand is worth more than $0 and a cracked guitar less likely to sell.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Sep. 16 2018 11:00:44

RobF

Posts: 1611
Joined: Aug. 24 2017

RE: crack under jack (in reply to Miguel de Maria)

I think the store is being ambitious offering a 30% discount from retail on an item with that amount of damage. These guitars can be found at discounted prices in new and undamaged condition.

Even if the repair is well done, the crack is in an area that will constantly be under a fair amount of mechanical stress if the guitar is used for gigging. It’s not the in the same category as a crack repair in an area that may never get any significant stress again.

Just my opinion, if the repair is sound and you really like the guitar, offering them 40% of retail is not unreasonable, it might even be considered generous. I wouldn’t go any higher than that. You probably are better off walking away from this one.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Sep. 16 2018 12:54:49

JasonM

Posts: 2051
Joined: Dec. 8 2005
From: Baltimore

RE: crack under jack (in reply to RobF)

Ironically I just watched my Luthier mentor make this same repair this week. The guitar was dropped on the end jack which caused a lateral crack in the sides and going all the way through the tail block. To fix it properly he made a spreader tool/ conical wedge to insert in the jack hole. This opened up the crack just enough to slip a thin pallet knife and apply hide glue inside the tail block. Then once that set he addressed the outside in a similar manner. It closed up the crack really well

Is this guitar center? I’ve seen them sell gk studio pro for 1k without repairs.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Sep. 16 2018 15:20:32

Ricardo

Posts: 14797
Joined: Dec. 14 2004
From: Washington DC

RE: crack under jack (in reply to Miguel de Maria)

quote:

I saw a Cordoba for sale

Say no more

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Sep. 16 2018 15:30:52

JasonM

Posts: 2051
Joined: Dec. 8 2005
From: Baltimore

RE: crack under jack (in reply to Ricardo)

Probably ridden harder than a rented mule

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Sep. 16 2018 15:36:16

Miguel de Maria

Posts: 3532
Joined: Oct. 20 2003
From: Phoenix, AZ

RE: crack under jack (in reply to Miguel de Maria)

Thanks for the opinions, guys. Here is the listing, and you can see the crack in the picture. Maybe I'm just being cheap.

I've been gigging my FCWE about 100X a year since 2006, and it's been a great workhorse for me. I was interested in one of these GK Pros because they seem to be rather similar, but a bit thicker, and have maybe a bit more acoustic sound. I also wanted a negra, since my FCWE is cedar-colored (who knows what it's actually made of :)

https://www.musiciansfriend.com/guitars/open-box-cordoba-gk-pro-negra-acoustic-electric-guitar

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Sep. 16 2018 16:00:30

Tom Blackshear

Posts: 2304
Joined: Apr. 15 2008

RE: crack under jack (in reply to Miguel de Maria)

I think asking for a 40 % discount would be reasonable.

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Sep. 16 2018 16:46:45

constructordeguitarras

Posts: 1672
Joined: Jan. 29 2012
From: Seattle, Washington, USA

RE: crack under jack (in reply to Miguel de Maria)

It looks like it comes with a comprehensive warranty, so maybe you'd have nothing to worry about. (I suspect someone else returned it under that warranty.)

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Sep. 16 2018 17:45:17

RobF

Posts: 1611
Joined: Aug. 24 2017

RE: crack under jack (in reply to Miguel de Maria)

After seeing the crack I really think you should walk away from this particular guitar. It’s just too expensive for what is essentially a used and damaged item, IMO.

It looks like they have two of that model available on open box special at the moment. Same price, too. Maybe call them and ask about the condition of the other one? It doesn’t have pictures up yet, but it may be a far better deal.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Sep. 16 2018 17:54:30

Miguel de Maria

Posts: 3532
Joined: Oct. 20 2003
From: Phoenix, AZ

RE: crack under jack (in reply to Miguel de Maria)

Yeah, think I'll sit tight. My other guitar still works, so there's no rush. Thanks for the advice.

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Sep. 16 2018 23:34:39

BarkellWH

Posts: 3458
Joined: Jul. 12 2009
From: Washington, DC

RE: crack under jack (in reply to Miguel de Maria)

Miguel,

I think you are smart for walking away from this damaged guitar. I am always skeptical of damaged goods. Even when they are repaired, they are often less than they were before the damage. Not worth the risk.

Bill

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Sep. 17 2018 0:49:06

Miguel de Maria

Posts: 3532
Joined: Oct. 20 2003
From: Phoenix, AZ

RE: crack under jack (in reply to Miguel de Maria)

Afflicted by GAS, I pulled the trigger on this different guitar:

https://reverb.com/item/14485511-cordoba-gk-pro-negra-acoustic-electric-flamenco-guitar-with-case-blem-a208

It's $300 off because of a "finish crack near the pre-amp," which supposedly is so small it's non-photographable. If it's that small and non-functional, it should be fine for my purposes. Hopefully this thing will play well, you never know with internet purchases, I guess. It will be my first guitar purchase since John built a blanco for me in 2011!

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Sep. 19 2018 17:29:58

Mark2

Posts: 1868
Joined: Jul. 12 2004
From: San Francisco

RE: crack under jack (in reply to Miguel de Maria)

Congrats on the new ax Miguel! Let us know how it sounds and plays.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Sep. 19 2018 19:31:59

rombsix

Posts: 7805
Joined: Jan. 11 2006
From: Beirut, Lebanon

RE: crack under jack (in reply to Miguel de Maria)

Hombre - I have one of these. Mine plays REALLY well. I had Andy set it up for me.

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Sep. 20 2018 2:22:05

Miguel de Maria

Posts: 3532
Joined: Oct. 20 2003
From: Phoenix, AZ

RE: crack under jack (in reply to rombsix)

Ole, Ramzi!

I got the guitar today. First impressions were kind of meh, to be honest. The action is high, the trebles are soft, and it has a very boxy, mid-rangey sound when I play it in my normal way. By adjusting my playing style, it starts to sound pretty decent. Interestingly, it seems to sound quite good plugged in, better than my other Cordoba (FCWE).

I am going to change the strings first and see how that changes it.

Weirdly, the guitar does not come with golpeadors! Apparently that is standard. There is supposedly a flaw near the pre-amp, which accounts for the $300 discount, but I am not even sure I can see it.

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Sep. 23 2018 3:35:42

Miguel de Maria

Posts: 3532
Joined: Oct. 20 2003
From: Phoenix, AZ

RE: crack under jack (in reply to Miguel de Maria)

So I am liking it quite a lot after changing to my standard D'Addario Normal Tensions, getting the action lowered (both at saddle and nut) and the neck straightened. I brought in my old FCWE (old-style Gipsy Kings model) and the guitar tech measured it and just tried to make them play the same, and he succeeded. I have brought it to three gigs, and it has performed well. I do think it sounds better amplified than the FCWE, and I think it's unamplified sound is actually quite decent. So far, I think this is a really flexible gig guitar, perhaps the best on the market for my purposes.

I ordered a golpeador from Cordoba and installed it yesterday--very carefully. Their instructions were to mist the golpeador with water while placing it. The job went well, except that a tiny bit of the blue masking tape got trapped under the plastic near the bridge. Arg! It's hardly visible, but I'm afraid of cleaning there too aggressively because I don't want to mess up the glue. Beyond that, there are some light bubbles, but maybe not too much?

Now here's the weird thing: I played it today for a while, and found my golpes have already resulted in some divots in the plastic. !??! I am not an aggressive player, and I haven't made divots in any of my other guitars. I'm thinking this golpeador sucks. I guess it hardly matters for my gigs, which don't require much at all in the way of golpes, but it looks that if I practice a lot of flamenco on this guitar, there'll be a hole in the finish in no time!

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Oct. 6 2018 22:06:22

rombsix

Posts: 7805
Joined: Jan. 11 2006
From: Beirut, Lebanon

RE: crack under jack (in reply to Miguel de Maria)

quote:

I guess it hardly matters for my gigs, which don't require much at all in the way of golpes, but it looks that if I practice a lot of flamenco on this guitar, there'll be a hole in the finish in no time!

Maybe reinforce that most common golpe area with an iPhone screen protector? That's what Orhan did - LOL. Or just take this to a proper luthier and have them remove this golpeador and put in a proper golpeador.

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Oct. 6 2018 22:16:10

constructordeguitarras

Posts: 1672
Joined: Jan. 29 2012
From: Seattle, Washington, USA

RE: crack under jack (in reply to Miguel de Maria)

Golpeador materials that I have used come with a sheet of plastic backing over the sticky side AND a protective plastic film over the face, which is softer than the actual golpeador material. Is it possible that you left the latter on? That would explain the divots.

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I always have flamenco guitars available for sale.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Oct. 6 2018 22:58:46

Miguel de Maria

Posts: 3532
Joined: Oct. 20 2003
From: Phoenix, AZ

RE: crack under jack (in reply to constructordeguitarras)

Wow, Ethan, you were totally right, thanks. I tugged on the side and the protective film came off. That also explains another mystery--why places where I had rubbed it a lot with a cloth-covered piece of plastic (to get out bubbles) had looked kind of dull.

I'm good to go now, no more divots!

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Oct. 6 2018 23:11:34

constructordeguitarras

Posts: 1672
Joined: Jan. 29 2012
From: Seattle, Washington, USA

RE: crack under jack (in reply to Miguel de Maria)

You're welcome. Glad it worked out.

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www.facebook.com/ethandeutschguitars
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I always have flamenco guitars available for sale.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Oct. 6 2018 23:14:39