I have a Sho-Bro resonator, and it has some very fine hairline cracks between the two screwholes closest to the edge of the guitar and the edge, running with the grain of the spruce top. Also, there is a bit of a dent in the top where the tail piece has been applying steady pressure and has dented into the banding/top at the corner of the guitar. My question is are these unusual occurances? And how significant are they? Get them fixed or ignore them?
The picture has the contrast increased to make them a bit more apparent. They are easier to see than the picture makes them appear, but they are very fine. In the picture, they appear as more black vs. the dark brown of the spruce grain, and go down in the pic. The one on the left goes all the way to the banding, the one on the right is just starting to spread from the screw hole.
Thanks, Doug
Pedal steel, lap steel, resonator, blues harp - why suck at just one instrument when you can do so on many?
Are you sure the cracks go into the wood? I can't tell from the pic, but they may just be checks in the finish.
Also, does the guitar have a solid or laminated top? Most resonators use laminated woods. If that's the case with this guitar, it's safe to bet that the cracks only go through the outer veneer if they go into the wood at all. Unless you're seeing them gradually get worse, I don't think you need to be concerned.
The dent in the top is not unusual on guitars with separate tailpieces. Given the small amount of deflection after 40 years, I wouldn't worry about it.
I don't know if it's a blessing or a curse to always see faces in inanimate objects ...
I had the same issue with my Benoit resonator guitar. I was told by a top local repair guy that these cracks are stable and need not be repaired but I wanted to sell the guitar so I had the repair done. it simply involves gluing a shim on the underside of the top beneath the cracks. It's a common top repair on older guitars that most any competent repair-person/luthier can do. Cost me about $100.
Andy, that's just my reflection! Haha! Well, maybe not.
Noah, the finish is definitely cracked on the bigger one. I can't tell if it goes deeper or not - but seems like a crack due to a screw hole would most likely be in the wood, and then spread to the finish, not the other way around. Also, there are other "checks" in the finish, but these look different.
As to the top, it does look like a laminate. That kind of surprises me - I thought, being a 1978 (I just figured out) model, I thought it would be solid. Can anyone else who owns a Sho-Bro confirm they are laminated tops? But that's what it looks like in the sound holes (3-ply), although a little hard to tell absolutely due to the rough texture from the hole saw.
So I guess I won't worry about it. Particularly if I can get confirmation that it is a laminated top.
Thanks for the input, guys!
Pedal steel, lap steel, resonator, blues harp - why suck at just one instrument when you can do so on many?
Erv, based on the serial number, I think it is a 1978. The bodies were made by Gretsch - I think Shot did the resonator work, but perhaps it all was built by Gretsch - but design was for sure Shot. So, to answer the question, that makes it 41 years old next month (Aug. build, according to serial number).
Noah - the finish checks elsewhere on the guitar are the color of the wood behind, but these two are a thin, distinct (although not in the pic) black.
I decided to buy the Sho-Bro for two reasons - I played around with dobro tunings on my lap steel and concluded I wanted 7 or 8 strings - leaving out that 6th tone right in the middle made playing lots of licks more difficult, whereas having it just made it easy to find the licks I had in my head (maybe since I tune the lap to C6, and have a C6th neck on the pedal steel, although I'm still a novice on both). So the only affordable alternative was a Gold Tone Beard 8-string. I didn't feel like I needed the low E, so 7 strings made sense, and of course, why buy a new Chinese instrument when for about the same money I can get a vintage one that just oozes beauty and style! Besides, it was way ahead of it's time, with the rather large body giving it a big voice like a more modern resonator.
Pedal steel, lap steel, resonator, blues harp - why suck at just one instrument when you can do so on many?
This is a common spot to crack if the screw holes are not properly braced. Especially with the string tension on the tailpiece.... And especially on Spruce, Cedar or similar wood type.
I'd look inside and see if there is a tone ring or a soundwell. I forget what is in a Sho Bro, even though I have worked on a few. If it is a soundwell and kerfing is used for a brace, the screw may be missing the solid part of the kerfing.
Thanks for chiming in, Todd - nothing like advice from the master luthier! There is not a sound well - there are 6 posts between back and top made from wooden dowels. And looking further, I do think it is a laminated top.
There is actually a luthier (more repairs than construction, I think) here in Dumaguete, so I can have the problems addressed.
I'm a total newbie to dobros - so I don't know what a "tone ring" is - assuming a ring that fits under the coverplate and helps support the cone. Is it an either/or situation? Soundwell or Tone Ring?
Thanks, Doug
Pedal steel, lap steel, resonator, blues harp - why suck at just one instrument when you can do so on many?
If the top is a laminate, then it may just be a finish crack like Noah suggests. I have seen cracks like this on solid wood soft wood tops. I have seen solid wood Sho Bro guitars too. Your local repairman should be able to see what is going on and if there is an issue, should have no problem with a solution.
Hey Guys;
If this is a Gretsch made Sho~Bro then the top is a laminated 3 ply Spruce top! Gretsch never made a solid wood top for a Sho~Bro. Shot may have but not the Gretsch factory.
Gene Haugh
