MorrisrownSal Posted March 18, 2018 Share Posted March 18, 2018 Hey guys... My Farida. $379. Fab guitar. I have already had a pro fix a top crack on the cheap (without finish work), and now I notice the bridge lifting. Specifically look on the bass side of the bridge in the second picture. So, I can take it to Russo's and they can do it right, or I can do it myself. From what I understand, I would have to buy clamps, and I could probably use Titebond or Elmers glue. Thoughts? I wouldnt do this to my Gibson, but I might be inclined to try it myself on the Farida... If you have done it, What did you do? Tips? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave F Posted March 18, 2018 Share Posted March 18, 2018 No tips but once you get it fixed put some silk & steel strings on it to ease the tension Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j45nick Posted March 18, 2018 Share Posted March 18, 2018 Sal, The problem is that you/we don't know exactly how the bride is attached, and what the original adhesive might be. A good tech would probably remove the bridge completely, clean off all the glue from the underside of the bridge and the top, and start from scratch. Anything less than that is destined to fail again, probably sooner rather than later. New glue rarely sticks well to old glue, and the glue line is the structural entity here. Most glues used in guitar work are not gap-filling, and depend very much on two tight-fitting, clean mating surfaces to create a strong bond. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blindboygrunt Posted March 18, 2018 Share Posted March 18, 2018 Gaffer tape Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EuroAussie Posted March 18, 2018 Share Posted March 18, 2018 Super glue ! And Tobasco sauce. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MorrisrownSal Posted March 18, 2018 Author Share Posted March 18, 2018 errr maybe this is above my pay grade Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
george wooden Posted March 18, 2018 Share Posted March 18, 2018 Sal, a word to the wise, this is beyond my skill and experience level, and I carpentered for over 30 years. A smart craftsman learns to stick to their own craft. If you don't have the experience, tools, and expertise in this craft then rely on someone who does. In too many of these situations, bad things can occur, most of which never crossed your mind. Is the bridge going to crack, split, or break while I am in the process of heating and prying the glue joint apart? Is a chunk of the finish on the top going to come up with the bridge? There are a lot of chances for negative things to happen. How many guitars do you figure you will repair in the next decade? Fine grade professional tools don't come cheap, nor does building a workshop. Just my humble opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MorrisrownSal Posted March 18, 2018 Author Share Posted March 18, 2018 George... i think you are right. All the smart folks come from Texas. And come to think of it, why should they guitar's value have anything to do with it. Its either a great sounding guitar that is worth fixing, or not... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JWG4927 Posted March 18, 2018 Share Posted March 18, 2018 The drawback of buying a cheap guitar. Even if it sounds good, the expense of fixing it if it breaks is the same as if it wore a Gibson logo. $379? Just lose it at guitar center. They will give you 60 % of market value Any online shopper will love it, or return it for 100 % refund Or $379? You can try your luck and maybe learn something or $379 ? Just screw it down. Done Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
george wooden Posted March 18, 2018 Share Posted March 18, 2018 George... I think you are right. All the smart folks come from Texas. And come to think of it, why should they guitar's value have anything to do with it. It's either a great sounding guitar that is worth fixing, or not... Thank you, Sal, I don't place myself in that group. I have always tried to learn from the mistakes I make on each project so I don't have to reinvent the wheel on the next project. If your child gets injured you get them whatever medical attention they need. If you have a guitar that reaches deep inside you physically, or emotionally, and it needs the attention of a skilled craftsman, you see that is where it ends up. To yourself, if you qualify, or to someone that does. A $200 or a $2,000 guitar, doesn't matter. You don't commission a butcher to custom make fine living room furniture. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gearbasher Posted March 18, 2018 Share Posted March 18, 2018 I've done 3 re-glues in my life. Two came great and one went FUBAR on me. I used a clothes iron to heat the bridge and soften the glue (protecting the top with heavy cloth). A heavy feeler gauge to get under the bridge as the glue softened. Cleaned up all the excess and used Titebond to re-glue them. The only thing I bought were bridge clamps from Stewart Mac. The one that went bad on me was a nitro finish that I over heated and the finish just lifted up. I say "no guts no glory". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MorrisrownSal Posted April 3, 2018 Author Share Posted April 3, 2018 This is pretty dumb. To re-glue the top crack, re-glue a brace, and re-glue a bridge...$279. For $379 guitar. Does one throw the guitar away, or fix it? I'm going ahead with it, but I have a bad taste in my mouth. I’m actually taken aback by the pricing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave F Posted April 3, 2018 Share Posted April 3, 2018 Would be about $100 with my luthier Just buy a new one Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MorrisrownSal Posted April 3, 2018 Author Share Posted April 3, 2018 1522715232[/url]' post='1927815']Would be about $100 with my luthier Just buy a new one I thought about it. But then I’d feel bad for sentencing an instrument that I like to the island of misfit toys. Weird feeling. Don’t expect many to understand it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave F Posted April 3, 2018 Share Posted April 3, 2018 Keep it for slide work Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldCowboy Posted April 3, 2018 Share Posted April 3, 2018 If you like the guitar, I'd have the repair done properly. The same degree of skill/amount of time goes into repairing a cheap guitar as an expensive one, so you can't really fault what a luthier charges. It'd be good starting point if you're interested in learning guitar repair, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uncle fester Posted April 3, 2018 Share Posted April 3, 2018 For a $379 guitar, unless it is the end all be all to yourself for some reason (but with your collection, I'd be surprised if this stood alone) - there's something really satisfying in doing something yourself. It's a skill, and there's sure to be lessons learned, and probably a chance to screw it up altogether - but if you don't try, you don't learn those lessons. I understand the desire to have it fixed right, but it's already been cracked, the bridge is lifting - I'd be skeptical this is the last thing to cause issues. I'd probably try to find a group of knowledgeable (opinionated folks) who could walk me through it and take it one step at a time. My 2 cents - interested to see where you land. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murph Posted April 3, 2018 Share Posted April 3, 2018 Run a few screws through it and put nuts on the inside. WWEVHD. (What would Eddie Van Halen Do.....) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lars68 Posted April 3, 2018 Share Posted April 3, 2018 If I were you, I would go ahead and try it myself. If you manage to repair the guitar successfully, you will bond with it even more. I would imagine that the most tricky part is to safely remove the bridge. You always have the option to ask the luthier to remove the bridge for you, but then reglue it yourself. With careful clean-up work, the correct glue, and a set of clamps, there is not that much that could go wrong with glueing it down yourself. Best of luck! Lars Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jinder Posted April 4, 2018 Share Posted April 4, 2018 $279 seems really steep for this repair...I had a similar issue with a Recording King RNJ25, my luthier went in with a small LED light and some tiny maxillofacial surgery tools to clean up the underside of the bridge and the top, injected a fillet of glue and clamped it for 48hrs. Was absolutely perfect and never caused another problem. Cost me £100 all in including a fret polish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leonard McCoy Posted April 4, 2018 Share Posted April 4, 2018 It's not that easy a fix as it might let on. Watch some of Jerry Rosa's luthier videos to get an idea what the job entails. I think the price is pretty spot on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MorrisrownSal Posted April 4, 2018 Author Share Posted April 4, 2018 I'll get it back in three weeks. they want to humidify it, then do the work. The good news is I won the office NCAA pool. Maybe that affected my decision to fix it. Its too nice a little guitar to vanquish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
george wooden Posted April 4, 2018 Share Posted April 4, 2018 I'll get it back in three weeks. they want to humidify it, then do the work. The good news is I won the office NCAA pool. Maybe that affected my decision to fix it. Its too nice a little guitar to vanquish. Good choice Sal, with the value you place on that guitar, running the risk of changing a repair to a disaster is worth not trying to make it your first repair effort. Find a discard somewhere and make it the start of a new learning curve. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jinder Posted April 4, 2018 Share Posted April 4, 2018 I'll get it back in three weeks. they want to humidify it, then do the work. The good news is I won the office NCAA pool. Maybe that affected my decision to fix it. Its too nice a little guitar to vanquish. I think if you really dig a guitar, the value of it becomes immaterial. I played my Epi IB ‘64 Texan at my gig last night and was thinking that if I was faced with the same repair cost for something on that, i’d do it in a heartbeat. That guitar cost me £200 used, but the pleasure it’s given me over the last few years is immeasurable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave F Posted April 5, 2018 Share Posted April 5, 2018 I advised Sal to not put the money in the guitar but he didn't listen to me but that's okay. I don't even take my advice I put over a couple hundred into this $50 guitar then modified a LP case for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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