Kohno Model 20 Side Cracks


1. The Patient. The back and sides of this guitar were constructed from Brazillian rosewood. This tropical hard- wood commonly develops cracks with age.	2. Side Cracks. There were two cracks that went through the side of the guitar accompanied by a number of smaller cracks that were not visible on the inside of the instrument.


3. Fabricating the Cross Patches. After cleaning the cracks with a toothebrush and istilled water I worked some hide glue into the cracks. I then made two cleates (or cross patches) from East Indian rosewood. Indian rosewood is a relative of Brazillian rosewood.	4. Brazillian Rosewood. Indian Rosewood has become a common substitute for the all but extinct species of Brazillian rosewood. We reserve our limited stock of Brazillian rosewood for visible repairs, such as patching holes, replacing bridges, etc...


5. Gluing the Crosspatches. We glued these cross patches with hide glue because hide glue has a strong initial tack. There's no after photo because there was no touchup done to these cracks so the before and after photos from outside the guitar look pretty much the same. Noteworthy classical guitars such as this one are typically finished with shellac by a method called french polishing. Instruments with this type of finish can be touched up to make crack repairs invisible.