Too dry to rehumidify?

[Bob Hensley]

We have an old Martin which came in split from waist to waist thru the endblock among other problems. It appears to have been stored in a shed or attic somewhere for many years, and is extremely brittle. We have had it in a big black plastic bag with humidifiers for over a month, but it is still so brittle that when trying to dry clamp it before attempting to glue, that my thumb went thru the side as I tried to match the edges.

Do guitars reach a point where they cannot be rehumidified? Or is there anything we can do to try and make this instrument less brittle? I am afraid that even if we get it together it will not be stable enough to restring.

Thanks!

[Kerry Krishna]

 Can you post a bunch more photos Bob?  Thanks!

[Bob Hensley]

Not sure if these tell the story any better, but here they are. It had multiple problems when it came in - the headstock was broken, the fingerboard was loose, and of course it had this huge long crack. The headstock went very well, but this crack is trying my patience - and making me wonder if I didn't bite off more than I can crew....

[Glen H]

The thumb through the side makes me think maybe the wood has simply dry rotted.  Humidity won't help that I'm afraid.