Any chance of fixing this?

This is an old guitar that stayed in my summer cottage through severe temperature changes and now the bridge seems to have almost peeled off.
Is there any chance that this could be fixed without going for extreme costs?

http://www.tdpri.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=132302&stc=1&d=1340712047

Looks like nothing the right amount of the right kind of glue can't fix?

That tearout (or what's it called), is that from the bridge or from the guitar top?.

A decent glue and clamp job should sort it.

Not sure where the hole orginates from, didn't get to poking around yet.
Any suggestions for a good glue type?

What they said. Glue and clamp.

I wouldn't bet on a glue and clamp fix.

Valdimir said, "This is an old guitar that stayed in my summer cottage through severe temperature changes and now the bridge seems to have almost peeled off."

However, the photo does not look consistent with the kind of damage that I've seen result from severe temperature changes. It looks more like tension damage, and given the distance that the rear of the bridge has lifted, and the angle and amount of the bridge pins showing below the bridge, there's a chance that the bridge plate has also been damaged so that it may need repairing/replacing as well. I notice that between the pin shafts, the top wood is split is several places beneath the bridge, and this will need repair too.

Based on my experience (which includes having repairs made and seeing them done, but not actually doing repair work), regluing a bridge is tricky, and is hard to do well. The top wood beneath it has to be prepped (including removal of loose, splitting pieces), so that it is strong enough to provide a firm seat. The bottom of the bridge also has to be prepped as well. It’s also pretty tough to reposition an original bridge to its exact, original position so that there is no "shadow." Sometimes an oversize bridge (or a belly bridge) is used, not only to reduce the chances of "shadow," but to provide a larger and stronger footprint to increase the surface area, which in turn, gives a greater surface for adhesion.

Good luck.

I had this happen to a guitar of mine and I used Epoxy. I know now that I used a glue that can't be removed easily if I ever have a problem, but ...... oh well, so far so good. I also used bridge pin holes for lining it up and then clamped it good.

No, not epoxy! This:

http://stores.castlekits.com/catalog/titbond2.jpg

It will be stronger than the wood itself.

However, the photo does not look consistent with the kind of damage that I've seen result from severe temperature changes. It looks more like tension damage, and given the distance that the rear of the bridge has lifted, and the angle and amount of the bridge pins showing below the bridge, there's a chance that the bridge plate has also been damaged so that it may need repairing/replacing as well. I notice that between the pin shafts, the top wood is split is several places beneath the bridge, and this will need repair too.


You are probably right. Leaving it in a cottage over several winters is just an assesment of my own carelessness.
I guess I could take it to a luthier, but it's probably not worth it. It's just an old guitar that's cool to have around for campfire situations.

Hi Vladinir,
As a luthier it would be an easy repair for me. Two pertinent questions, what your woodwork skills are and the value of guitar ? If the answer is low to both then the following may be helpful. Your biggest problem will be getting your hands on 3 deep throated clamps. If you can't then one suggestion would be the following ; reduce tension on strings then snip them close to the bridge. Do not remove pins, as stated above use them as guides. Firmly wedge support inside under the all of the bridge. Gently press bridge down and check if it sits back in original position. If so carefully insert glue ( any quality woodwork glue will suffice ). Try not to disturb any bits of timber under bridge. Firmly press down bridge and remove excess glue and check all is sitting properly. Improvise and place sufficient weight on top of bridge. Remove excess glue, check position and make sure the outer edges of bridge are firmly pressed to top.
If all of the above appears complex then source a local luthier, its an easy repair and won't cost much.

Hi Vladinir,
As a luthier it would be an easy repair for me. Two pertinent questions, what your woodwork skills are and the value of guitar ? If the answer is low to both then the following may be helpful. Your biggest problem will be getting your hands on 3 deep throated clamps. If you can't then one suggestion would be the following ; reduce tension on strings then snip them close to the bridge. Do not remove pins, as stated above use them as guides. Firmly wedge support inside under the all of the bridge. Gently press bridge down and check if it sits back in original position. If so carefully insert glue ( any quality woodwork glue will suffice ). Try not to disturb any bits of timber under bridge. Firmly press down bridge and remove excess glue and check all is sitting properly. Improvise and place sufficient weight on top of bridge. Remove excess glue, check position and make sure the outer edges of bridge are firmly pressed to top.
If all of the above appears complex then source a local luthier, its an easy repair and won't cost much.

I'll give it a shot eventually, as you said, the biggest problem is finding the right tools. I'll improvise with something like a wooden board and a garden rock.
My woodworking skills are as worthless as the guitar itself, so there is no worry about making any more damage.:wink:

I repaired my campfire Takamine last year, using the method glaveyj outlined, however I only had one deep-throated clamp (bought it for the job), so I used wood blocks the width of the bridge on either side of the clamp, to spread the force of the clamp.

My original bridge had split in two, so I did the fix with a replacement bridge from Stew Mac. You can tell I did it, if you know what I mean, but "pristine" isn't a word I'd've ever applied to that guitar anyway.

No, not epoxy! This:

http://stores.castlekits.com/catalog/titbond2.jpg

It will be stronger than the wood itself.


No. Regular Titebond. Not Titebond II.

Titebond II has a very long cure time and you may get some wood creep for a long time.

Jim