Newport Binding Shrinking Near Neck?

[tbonesullivan]

I noticed this a while ago, and it doesn't appear to be anything structural, but like all OCD guitar owners, I'm worried the cracking might spread, or at least some dirt and crap will get in there.  Right on both sides of the neck of my Newport, it looks like the binding is shrinking somehow. I see no evidence of any neck instability, and there is also not cracking anywhere else. The binding itself feels like it is sunken in from the edge of the bottom of the guitar.  It is a 17 year old guitar now, so things do settle over time.

I guess the question is, what should I do about it, if I do anything? I don't play that much high on the neck, but when I do the sides of my fingers kinda catch on the crack, as it's sticking out. I'm in the middle of doing a bunch of finish touchups on various guitars, so while I've got a working lacquer pen, I might as well use it as much as I can before it dries up.

[BubbaVO]

I have that on my Newport too. I'm not worrying about it.  If it actually becomes an issue that impacts how it plays, I know a few people who can fix it.  

[gorch]

I'm reading that tomorrow when the humidity is lower and the text has had shrinked.

[Steve Haynie]

Spruce must be affected by humidity more than mahogany or maple when it is used on a semi-hollow or hollow body. 

[Stike]

There is going to be more seasonal expansion and contraction with the wood on a semi hollow with an unfinished interior. That binding though is celluloid which is not exactly stable stuff and can shrink/degrade over time. 

[bubs_42]

1 hour ago, Stike said:

There is going to be more seasonal expansion and contraction with the wood on a semi hollow with an unfinished interior. That binding though is celluloid which is not exactly stable stuff and can shrink/degrade over time. 

NAILED IT! 

[tbonesullivan]

Currently, these reside in the basement, which has a humidifier in the winter, and a dehumidifier in the winter. However, I am not the second or even third owner of this guitar, so I do not know what it was up to before I got it. There isn't a ton of oxidation on the metal parts though, which usually happens when there is a lot of moisture.

I've considered trying to put some glue into the crack, but it really is super small, and it probably wouldn't go anywhere.

[Steve Haynie]

At one of the HFC tours I asked about the underside of acoustics being unfinished, and the answer was that Ovation had been spraying a sealer coat on the undersides, or they had tried that for a while, to prevent humidity from having as much of an effect on the tops. 

[tbonesullivan]

Interesting. I always have wondered about that, as finish definitely does serve as an impediment to moisture flow. EBMM Necks are all oiled, so they tend to react a lot faster to moisture changes.

I think for now, I'll just let it be. I can learn to avoid putting my hand there. Also, if I do put some finish touchup stuff over it, chances are that it will just crack again.

[gorch]

Actually, I need to check mine. We are having quite some temperature ups and downs throughout the year over here. 

[tbonesullivan]

The ebony fretboard on my G&L Legacy got some cracks on it around the dot inlays. Ebony is somewhat brittle though. Refrets can be brutal on it due to this.