Okay, I understand we all want our instruments to stay new forever but I have a question. If I have a crack in my ukulele that doesn't buzz, is there any problem? Especially on the back?
I rebuilt pianos for many years. I've encountered and repaired thousands of soundboard cracks. After a few years all soundboards crack. When rebuildng a piano, it would be negligent not to fix them because the piano is disassembled. But, if the soundboard wasn't separated from the ribs (similar to ukulele or guitar braces) that give it its crown (like a radius) and the crack didn't buzz, it was no big deal. In fact it wasn't a problem at all. Theoretically the sound might be diminished by a thousandth of one percent or less, but please.
I hope some luthiers can give us some realistic input.