warpix Posted May 23, 2010 Share Posted May 23, 2010 Hey All, Happy to discover this forum, I'm Phil from France-Elsass, I have the opportunity to buy a Epi FT135(jumbo) for 190$, it sound well, but there is a problem on the bridge (chevalet in french), I join a photo to understand. The seller tell me that it is not a problem, but I ask myself if it's easy to change and find this piece, or if there is a risk if i put jazz-strings for exemple. Tell me please if you think is a good deal or not or give me your thoughts, Best Regards and happy day for you all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warpix Posted May 24, 2010 Author Share Posted May 24, 2010 Hi all, Please try to help me, what would you do in my position ?, I've allready a good acoustic furch, but I'd like another to play on opentuning, always ready. THXS everybody Phil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TommyK Posted May 27, 2010 Share Posted May 27, 2010 It appears that it has been 'repaired' with carpenter's glue... it's not holding that well. This type of damage, cracking through the pin holes, is caused by either 1. Severe drying 2. Over forcing the the pins into the holes. Bridges can be had from luthier supply houses like LMI and Stewart-MacDonald. These are US based supply houses. Both LMI and Stew-Mac sell via the internet. I don't know if they ship to France. Bridges are not very expensive. However, most bridges have the saddle slots milled for just the saddle, and not the extra width of the saddle holder. This not all bad. Some say you get better tone by removing the adjustable saddle holder and only installing the saddle. But as saddles are usually thinner than the .25 inch adjustable saddle holder, a filler piece or pieces are needed to installed in the slot to make the saddle snug in the original slot. Since you plan to replace the bridge, you can start fresh and order up a bridge with a standard saddle slot. You are not likely to find an exact fit on the bridge Find a bridge that is slightly larger than your old one so that it covers up the 'scar' left by removing the old bridge. The old bridge should be removable by steaming the glue which holds it to the guitar top. Be aware that the black dots below the pins are plastic plugs covering screw heads. These screws go through the top and have nuts and washers on the underside. Pick these plugs out with a sharp tool. or just remove the nuts on the underside and steam the bridge off with the screws as a unit. Re-installation of these screws is up to you. There are those who believe this is over-kill and that a properly glued bridge should hold just fine. The other thing to check is the bridge plate on the inside. It is directly under the bridge. It is glued up under the sound board to reinforce this area. Sometimes, when the bridge cracks, the crack continues down through the bridge plate. This too, if cracked needs to be replaced. But having the bridge plate cracked is not a foregone conclusion. Use an inspection mirror and flashlight to check. Now.. knowing what work is involved, you can decide whether you want to tackle this job yourself. Having a professional luthier do this for you will likely cost you 190$ or more. By the way, a FT135 is not, technically, a jumbo. I don't know what to call it, but it is not a jumbo, neither is it a dreadnought. Is this a good deal? If it had not structural issues and was in good, cosmetically, I'd be tempted to spend $190 US. But, with this amount of work, I'd be unwilling to spend much more than $100 US. I don't know what the exchange rate is. But, $100 is approximately equal to a modest, day's wage over here. If the bridge plate is cracked. $50 US... tops. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3 Chord Hippie Posted May 28, 2010 Share Posted May 28, 2010 Hi Warpix I've owned an FT-135 since I bought it new in 1975. It's been a great guitar, the price is a little high for the guitar in question. That's about what I paid for mine new. They popup on ebay for about $75.00 a couple of times a year. They are almost impossible to find parts for (the bridge in particular) a larger bridge is the way to go. As a bit of caution check the neck block they have a tendency to come unglued. It's a fairly easy fix, but not for the money you'd be paying. Look at the the PR4E pack, about the same price and you gain an electric acoustic (love mine) with a dynamic amp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aoresteen Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 ... By the way, a FT135 is not, technically, a jumbo. I don't know what to call it, but it is not a jumbo, neither is it a dreadnought.... The FT-135 is an 000 "auditorium" size which is sometimes known as "OM" for Orchestra Model - by Martin standards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TommyK Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 The FT-135 is an 000 "auditorium" size which is sometimes known as "OM" for Orchestra Model - by Martin standards. Yup, that sounds about right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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