fixing this guitar top

[jerry mc hugh]

What would be the best way to fix the top of this guitar. I think it is a KG 11 Kalamazoo. I did put some small cleats inside but is there a way to do anything with the top?

[Ned Knepp]

Hi Jerry, Can I ask you about your level of expertise? 

I'm not trying to be judgmental but it's hard to know how to answer without knowing something about your experience level, tool availability and such plus, frankly, I'm a bit puzzled that you managed the cleats but aren't sure how to close the cracks. 

In the case of cracks like this, it's usually possible to work glue into the crack and clamp it  with a flat caul on top and a supporting caul underneath . It's important to be careful not to accidently extend the crack in doing so but it's not particularly hard if you have the clamps and cauls.

Magnets work very well for this sort of thing. They do need to be powerful.  I have a  large shoe box full that I removed from a pile of old disk drives. Some of the small ones are only good for holding glue (flux) brushes to cans or such but the larger ones work well enough that I pinch my fingers with them way too regularly. 

I usually fix the crack THEN cleat them after the glue has been cleaned up. This way I'm working with a flat surface as much as possible when I clamp things up. I also usually need to "work" the crack a bit by flexing one or both sides to get the glue through the crack and the cleats may get into the way of that flexing. 

[jerry mc hugh]

The cracks were fixed properly. I was trying to match the old finish. I think I will just keep it like it is.