What varnish color can "hide" crack lines on sound

[rainiert]

Greetings!

Im having my guitar re-finished with the hope of "hiding" the black crack line on the guitar's sound board (cedar). Sanding cannot totally eliminate the black line caused by the dried glue the previous luthier used to to fix the crack...

Thus, Im relying with the finish color to sort of "hide" the long streak of crack. Any suggestions for the varnish that I can use?

Thanks!

Rainier T.

[DWPC]

I'd be suspect of the quality of the repair. A repaired crack should be almost invisible. Was the repair done by a skilled luthier or a Stratocaster repair shop? Was the proper glue was used for the repair? Hide glue or white glue wouldn't leave a black line. Was the crack closed or just filled? If I were you, I'd have a different luthier look at it to see if the repair was done correctly. Perhaps it can be redone to be less obvious.

[rainiert]

DWPC-

The previous owner of my guitar didnt know much about classical guitars and probably had it fixed in some cheap guitar repair shop. My luthier now thinks that Superglue like Loctite might have been used by the one who attempted to repair the crack in the past- thus the black line. With regards to being "filled" or not- Im not too sure... But my luthier now says nothing else can be done to eliminate the line... The black line can only be reduced down to a certain level and that's it.

Anyway, having it redone is out of the question since Im on a tight budget nowadays... Plus, the luthier said a real overhaul has to be done since the sides have to be sliced open in order to do such... Besides, the guitar is just a hi-end Takamine... not some US4000 guitar...

So, my option is really on choosing a good color scheme... My luthier sugests the natural color to best "hide" the crack... Any other opinions based on your own experience?

Rainier T.

[DWPC]

Speaking from a lot of general wood finishing experience (not a luthier), I don't know of any way to conceal a single black line with a transparent finish, even a very dark one. Try a sample on a piece of scrap before deciding. A really skilled wood finisher (or faux finish specialist) could paint a fine line matching the base wood color right over over the black line to mask it before applying the clear finish; like a faux wood finish on a door. But that can be $$. Or you could just refinish it in black lacquer (the Nashville look?).

If it still sounds good as is, I wouldn't invest much in cosmetics....its resale value will likely remain poor. Better to put the cost of refinishing towards your next guitar.