Healing Finish Cracks

[Menehune]

My T-51 has two finish stress cracks in its neck pocket, each emanating from the inner pocket corner. Can I wet the  cracks with lacquer thinner applied with a fine artists brush to heal them (and thereafter scrape and polish the repair), or is lacquer thinner not an appropriate solvent for that enamel Hamer used?

[hamerhead]

Leave it. As the 2 different wood types expand and contract independently the cracks will eventually reappear anyway.

[ARM OF HAMER]

4 minutes ago, hamerhead said:

Leave it. As the 2 different wood types expand and contract independently the cracks will eventually reappear anyway.

                                                      This ^^^^^

[tbonesullivan]

I would third that. I've owned very few bolt-on guitars and basses that do not have cracks there. They just happen. Sometimes the neck can shift a little, sometimes it's just a really tight neck pocket. I mean, you could try putting some super thin super glue on it, but chances are it would come back relatively quickly.

Also, I think most of the T-51s were after the Nitro days for Hamer, so the lacquer thinner probably won't do much, if anything.

I've got a EBMM Luke with a rosewood Neck, and it's got cracks on either side. I just learn to live with it.

EDIT: Also both of my Hamer diablos have the cracks. I think one of my G&L legacy guitars does too. My Carvin Bolt, EBMM Steve Morse, and Fender Tele are crack free... so far.

Also, set neck nitro guitars... eventually seem to get cracks on just about every wood joint

[FrettyMcgee]

Unless its a obsessive compulsive thing, don't sweat it at all.

There's not a bolt-on on the planet that won't experience those cracks, I'd be shocked if it didn't.