Drilling into Guitar Top?

[Kerenel]

Hey guys, I have an old Yamaha dread with a big Crack in the top (right on the bottom edge, about a fist length from the lower bout). I've been doing some expirimenting in micing, and I was thinking about drilling a hole over where the Crack is, just big enough so that I can slide an SM57 in there. Sort of like micing a port on a bass drum. Is this gonna ruin my guitar? I can't imagine tonally it'll be a big deal, but is the drill gonna rip apart the bracing or anything? Thanks.

[Bruce Weldy]

Hey guys, I have an old Yamaha dread with a big Crack in the top (right on the bottom edge, about a fist length from the lower bout). I've been doing some expirimenting in micing, and I was thinking about drilling a hole over where the Crack is, just big enough so that I can slide an SM57 in there. Sort of like micing a port on a bass drum. Is this gonna ruin my guitar? I can't imagine tonally it'll be a big deal, but is the drill gonna rip apart the bracing or anything?

Yes, it will ruin the guitar. Both in value and sound quality. Plus, an SM57 is absolutely the wrong mic to use on an acoustic guitar except in a pinch. A mic inside will most likely be boomy. It will get reflections from all directions. There are mic systems designed for using internally in an acoustic, but the capsules are designed specifically for that purpose.

For the price of a 57, you can get a decent soundhole pickup.....that would be a much better option.

And, the crack in the guitar can be fixed by a luthier.....or you could even glue it yourself.

[Bill Fitzmaurice]

I'd fix the crack by gluing a strip of very thin plywood (used for model airplanes) over it on the inside. For example:
https://www.amazon.com/Darice-MI5121-Ai ... B000BQYGJ4

[BrentEvans]

Get YouTube certified... Plenty of videos on this subject.

Jerry Rosa:
https://youtu.be/kGrQVNsT5ro

Dan Erlewine/stewmac:
https://youtu.be/Nbn6rcSzAP8