Binding separation from drop. Repair options?

Spd2Last

Member
Joined
Dec 20, 2020
Messages
11
Reaction score
2
Location
Miami, FL
Hey there!

So I bought a Kala KA-SA-B baritone from Amazon Warehouse (I know... I know...) that was listed as "Like New" but with a hefty discount. These solid acacia baritones go for about $400 new, and with the recent Prime Day specials, I got an extra 25% off warehouse items on top of the already discounted price, so I thought why not? Worst case if it comes broken, I can just return it.

Anyways, I knew it was a gamble to begin with. Now that I've received it, I see that the uke has been dropped on bottom right. There's a dent in the binding and some of the binding has separated not only at the point of impact, but also on the bottom left side.

Aside from that, there's 2 minor dents on the back of the neck, but most importantly, the tone and function of the uke doesn't appear to be affected by the drop. Everything's in tune, and it sounds great. So is this something that I can patch up with some glue, or should I be considering other repair options? I don't know the severity of this, but obviously wouldn't want the separation to continue throughout. FYI, I live in South Florida where humidity is just right for ukes and stable.

Thanks for the help.
 

Attachments

  • uke.jpg
    uke.jpg
    96.3 KB · Views: 35
  • bottom left.jpg
    bottom left.jpg
    93 KB · Views: 35
  • bottom right.jpg
    bottom right.jpg
    92.2 KB · Views: 36
Last edited:
I would post this on the luthiers lounge for more opinions from builders, but you could use some titebond glue pushed into the joint and wiped clean, then hold the binding on tight with blue tape taped across the joint. When dry, the squeeze out of glue can be cleaned off with a damp rag, especially if it is still freshly dry.
 
That is a pretty uke and I assume that with discounts there is no warranty. Keep in mind that the purpose of binding is to protect the tonewood and consider yourself lucky. As for repair, can you press the binding back to the body with your thumbs or is it rigid? If it flexes with pressure then you can do the repair with some glue as suggested above and you may need a clamp if the glue takes long to dry. If it is rigid and you can't press it back to contact repair options may be more complex
 
The binding is pretty rigid. I put some force on it, but didn’t see it budge at all. I saw something online where some moisture and heat may help it flex enough for realignment, but I wanted to get some opinions here first before trying anything out.

I would assume there’s no warranty on this instrument though it doesn’t hurt to try. Didn’t even think about that, thanks!
 
Yes wood can be softened with heat and moisture and that's how sides are bent but the trick will be to apply this to a small area. On the pictures the gap does not look big, and as this is mainly a cosmetic and not a structural issue it may be possible to just fill the gaps with a glue that hardens to similar colour and leave everything where it is. That is often done with solid figured wood that separates along the figuring.
 
Top Bottom