Strange cracks

[Riverbend]

Anyone ever experience cracks like these? The walnut back on my 2001 00-01W has recently developed these almost hairline cracks that don't appear to have gone all the way through, but are deeper than the satin finish. Our house is fully humidified at 45% and this little beauty has been out of it's case and on a stand for months. It's now in a case with a homemade humidifier waiting and hoping for some improvement. The cracks most resemble what you would see with lifting veneer, even though this is solid wood, and they don't appear to necessarily follow the grain.

[George]

Do you suppose someone may have knocked it off the stand?  Could be structural impact damage?

[Riverbend]

Do you suppose someone may have knocked it off the stand?  Could be structural impact damage?

Highly unlikely, plus there's no visual evidence one would expect from such damage. Everything is lifting outward.

[George]

I had a similar experience with a piece of Claro Walnut once.  During the build process it just split like that.  Someone suggested it had not been properly kiln dried?  Cannot imagine an acoustic guitar being kiln dried, unless it was torrefied.  But this was an electric guitar body and had been purchased from a hardwood store as a slab.

[unclrob]

I have no idea why its cracking.Just want people to know that lots of wood for guitars is now kiln dryed and has been for many,many years even decade's.

[broKen]

Does the guitar hang on an exterior wall? It appears to be excessive moisture.

[B0WIE]

You sure it doesn't follow the grain? Looks like it does to me.
Some woods "check", though I've not known that to be a problem in walnut. More so Brazilian.
Humidity was suggested though I've never seen that from humidity. Fast expansion and contraction can check the wood, and the finish. Does sunlight pass over that guitar, through a window, during the day? Or, is the A/C vent on the wall opposite the guitar?

[Riverbend]

Does the guitar hang on an exterior wall? It appears to be excessive moisture.

It does not hang on a wall and is nested securely on a stand. And you're right that it does resemble excessive moisture, now that I think about it, though there has been no exposure to any moisture.

[Riverbend]

You sure it doesn't follow the grain? Looks like it does to me.
Some woods "check", though I've not known that to be a problem in walnut. More so Brazilian.
Humidity was suggested though I've never seen that from humidity. Fast expansion and contraction can check the wood, and the finish. Does sunlight pass over that guitar, through a window, during the day? Or, is the A/C vent on the wall opposite the guitar?

This seems to be a real head scratcher. I've worked with wood since I was a boy and have never seen solid wood do anything quite like this. Especially walnut, at that. As for the grain, walnut does have it's subtleties, and perhaps I'm misreading the grain pattern, but these cracks wander enough to bring that into question. And being what I would call plain sawn, as opposed to rift or quarter sawn, gives the wood more opportunity to separate in this way. And the stand sits in an area safe from sunlight and ductwork.       

[broKen]

It does not hang on a wall and is nested securely on a stand. And you're right that it does resemble excessive moisture, now that I think about it, though there has been no exposure to any moisture.

Your own body, perhaps?

[Riverbend]

Your own body, perhaps?

Nope,  I'm not one to perspire much and can't remember ever playing it without a shirt on. Thankfully at this point it's only cosmetic.

[B0WIE]

Doesn't look like something struck it.
The moisture idea seems odd as I've never seen a guitar crack from moisture on the surface. Maybe you guys are thinking of bare wood but this is poly finished wood. You can pool water on that stuff and it won't crack. I also believe the cracks are following the grain for the most part. There may have been moisture in the wood itself and it cracked (or cracked the finish) as the guitar settled in. Or, it could be random, unexpected checking form the wood.
For the finish itself to do this out of nowhere would be strange.

[Riverbend]

And I'm further flummoxed by the fact that there is no evidence of this happening on the inside of the guitar.

[B0WIE]

And I'm further flummoxed by the fact that there is no evidence of this happening on the inside of the guitar.

Sometimes, it's hard to see cracks in unfinished wood, especially if it's expanded again and concealed the crack. I'm not saying it's absolutely got to be in the wood, but that wood can sometimes hide cracks but the finish can't. I have a classical with a hairline crack at the neck joint. The finish shows a crack but the wood is closed up too tight to get even the thinnest glue in there.

[Walkerman]

 2001?  That is 16 years.  Are you the original owner?  Did the cracks just start?  Had anything changed in the guitar's environment before the cracks appeared?  With a guitar that old, it is hard to imagine a luthiers error

[Mikeymac]

You could certainly check with Larrivee. If you're the original owner, it is under warranty (although that may not cover this). Those cracks don't look like they were caused by moisture or dryness. 

I could be wrong, but on a guitar that's 15-16 years old, if it was going to crack from lack of hydration, it would have done so by now... the woods should be pretty stable at this point.

I'd ask Larrivee, just out of curiosity...not with any expectation that they should have to fix it. But they might find it interesting.

[Riverbend]

2001?  That is 16 years.  Are you the original owner?  Did the cracks just start?  Had anything changed in the guitar's environment before the cracks appeared?  With a guitar that old, it is hard to imagine a luthiers error

I'm not the original owner. I bought it on eBay early last summer, and it was in mint condition showing virtually no sign of being played. The environment in our home is ideal, as well, with steady managed humidity. About the only thing I can figure is that due to the sawing of the walnut in this particular instance, the wood might've dried out just enough (45% RH, so "dried" might not be accurate) to lift partially between growth rings. It in no way affects the sound or playability and I'm not losing any sleep over it at this point, but I do find it unusual and plan to monitor it closely. 

[Riverbend]

You could certainly check with Larrivee. If you're the original owner, it is under warranty (although that may not cover this). Those cracks don't look like they were caused by moisture or dryness. 

I could be wrong, but on a guitar that's 15-16 years old, if it was going to crack from lack of hydration, it would have done so by now... the woods should be pretty stable at this point.

I'd ask Larrivee, just out of curiosity...not with any expectation that they should have to fix it. But they might find it interesting.

I think I need to do exactly as you suggest, which is to inquire with the minds at Larrivee. I bought this used and in mint condition last year.

[markj]

The Larrivee website has a contact request form.

https://www.larrivee.com/contact

You can upload photos along with the request.

In my experience, they are very good at responding to these inquiries.

[Riverbend]

The Larrivee website has a contact request form.

https://www.larrivee.com/contact

You can upload photos along with the request.

In my experience, they are very good at responding to these inquiries.

Thank you!