I recently took out my Sheraton II semi-hollow guitar to play it after not having played it for a few weeks to discover that it has a crack in the body, starting from the lower f-hole and going out past the bridge. Judging by the crack going down the body in the f-hole, it doesn't appear that the crack is more than about halfway through the thickness of the front of the body. I am not entirely sure how this happened, but as I haven't noticed it until now, I am thinking it got cracked during a show and might be getting worse as I continue to play/handle it. Is this something that I should get fixed immediately? Also, can something like this even be fixed without having the entire front of the body on the guitar replaced?
I have links to two photos of the crack. Unfortunately I only have my laptop's webcam to take pictures with, but you can see the damage in them. The first photo shows the crack starting at the bulge in the f-hole closest to the pickups, extending back to the bridge. The second photo is a good overhead shot of the whole thing.
Thanks for your help!
-Brad
Brad, the links to the pictures aren't working for me, so I'm trying to imagine what you're describing.
A crack from the F hole past the bridge is pretty substantial - sounds like it's at least six inches long, and running against the top grain. Running against the grain is sort of a good thing.... because it probably won't lengthen as you play.
Cracks can almost always be fixed without replacing the top, but the top may (and probably will) have to come off to cleat the crack. But it's not a beginner fix - I'd get a luthier's opinion if you can.
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