Is this bridge crack an issue?

[DenverSteve]

Originally Posted by charles Tauber

Difficult to be sure from the photos but it looks like the bridge is separated from the top all along the edge of the bridge.

Luckily it's a very sharp large photo. I have it enlarged to fill a 25" monitor and see no evidence, or suggestion, of any gap between the body and bridge.

[John Arnold]

IMHO, it is not an issue, other than cosmetic. There is very little stress in that part of the bridge, so it is not likely to get worse. I am pretty sure it is a previously undetected crack that has been there all along. I would repair it with CA and ebony dust. It is an inexpensive fix.

[ljguitar]

Originally Posted by Wade Hampton

That’s a strange place for a bridge to crack. There’s no obvious reason for one to crack right there.


whm

Hi Wade

Probably lax quality control the day those were made. One slipped past some inspector.

They are mass produced…

[Frank Ford]

As John said, it's a check or crack in the ebony that went unnoticed in manufacture. Those of us who've made lots of bridges see these from time to time. Ebony is often so black so it can be difficult to tell grain direction or detect small flaws until the surface is near its final finish condition

This crack is not in a structurally vulnerable location so I'd say it needs no attention at all.

Now, it might open a bit more, so I'd give it a nice drink of cyanoacrylate to fill the gap, improve the look and stabilize things back there, just for a bit of insurance. Regular wood glue is not an good choice because it has no cohesive strength, and the goal is to improve the structure while filling the gap.

You'd wnat to do a neat job, sand an polish the area to mimic Martin's "wax job" on the bridge.

[KenL]

That IS an odd crack, never seen one in that spot.

I agree with several comments above and would have it filled with super glue and ebony dust. Cheap enough to do.