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Such a shame. I had a Santos Hernandez as well some years ago that belonged to Paco Amaya (carmens brother) and it was really fragile. It had cracks in the top too.
The main problem with some of these old instruments is that they were never built to withstand the tension of modern nylon strings. This guitar would originally have been fitted with gut strings.
Ricardo made a really intersting post a couple of weeks back about the development of nylon strings and how there was this myth that guitars had a certain lifespan. He pointed out that these instruments would sound fine and last like any othe instrument if they remained fitted with gut strings. Modern guitars are strutted to acommadate the extra tension and this should mean they last longer.
That guitar needs a very expensive repair job by someone who really knows what they are doing. I can only think of a couple of people i would trust with it (one being forumite Steven Hill) and even then this may not be worth the cost and risk.
i nearly p i s s e d myself. happened in storage..... in the middle of the rainforest in ecuador.... teleported suddenly and violently into the middle of antarctica in winter, then taken for a stroll in a sandstorm in saudi arabia....... maybe then it would do that lol.
What a shame... I would like to have this guitar but I thougt shi t just happend, you dont pay for it... but for 100 dollar I would buy it if its real.
Maybe the old lady tuned it way to high and with the fragile bracing of Santos this could happen? But with all the cracks its hard to believe this happend in storage.
If I had it I'd pull the back off and do a full restoration. Probably about 20-30 hours work spread over 3-4 weeks. Any guitar can be restored/repaired if you're willing to spend the money and time. Unfortunately it would still be a 60+ year old guitar that's probably worn out.
Any instrument can be repaired/restored. The damage looks horrible, but wood can be mended and one would be surprised what a fine restorer/luthier could perform here.
But as already mentioned, it is worn out as an instrument no matter how well restored.
However, what has not been mnetioned is its historical significance. Incredibly important historical significance.
Playability or not, this instrument deserves to be properly restored for these reasons. Such instruments by important luthiers are becoming more and more difficult to find. Pristine examples or not.
How sad would it be if all we had were the blueprinsts to Segovia's Hauser?? Do you understand why it is som important to preserve history?
From a players perspective, sure, why not spend that on an instrument you can play that will sound fantastic, without issue, with wonderful craftsmanship...
....then again, we have the collectors and its collectibility. More importantly, historical significance which should be preserved at all costs. This has quite a premium. This instrument has a lot of historical significance, not to mention monetary value.
And when restored, if properly restored, one will see it described merely as an instrument that had some cracks repaired to the tapa.
That this isntrument was left and forgotten for so long is very sad. I wish I had $3k to play with at the moment. I personally hope it does not become lost and forgotten again.
Good eye Tom, great Halloween post. Not something one sees everyday.
RE: Scary Halloween Photos (in reply to JBASHORUN)
Maybe it's a special "joke" guitar that Santos made in one of his lighter moments, with a quick release bridge to cause much mirth and jolliness at parties. Anyway, I reckon a bit of Evo Stick and a couple of nails or number 6 screws would keep that baby in place.
cheers,
Ron
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A good guitar might be a good guitar But it takes a woman to break your heart
RE: Scary Halloween Photos (in reply to henrym3483)
quote:
why buy a broke piece like this when you could get an excellent modern guitar for the same price which would last you longer.
Because it's a SANTOS! but I see your point. I doubt I'd ever be able to afford a Santos unless it was something like this. Restoring it would be a fun project. Or I should say, fun to send it off the John Shelton to restore it for me and getting it back looking wonderful
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such a loss 
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