Taylor T5 - crack in bridge

[TedShred]

Hi. Was hoping someone could tell me how serious a bridge crack on a Taylor T5.

[Fathand]

A friend bought a new Baby Taylor, the bridge came loose because it was flat and not fit to the guitar top. They would not fix under warranty and quoted $300 to repair.

I removed it fit it and replaced it for $110 including new strings.

That should give you a high/low of repair estimate.

[TedShred]

Thanks for the input guys, much appreciated. I gotta say, I was just sick to see that crack. I'm positive it's just developed over the past year or so but... yeah, it sucks.

I was wondering whether to have it fixed.

I'm doubly sick because my Santa Cruz OM/PW has developed a crack in the top so I'm kind of in the same boat with that guitar too. (Seeing that was like a gut punch.) I actually took them each out of their case this afternoon to take pictures to get ready for a sale when I noticed all this.

[ChrisN]

Originally Posted by TedShred

I'm doubly sick because my Santa Cruz OM/PW has developed a crack in the top so I'm kind of in the same boat with that guitar too.

You're allowing the guitars to dry out during the winter months of low ambient humidity, so they're cracking (quite possibly inside the guitars, as well, so consider having the bracing checked). Guitars should be kept in the 40-53% humidity range, with occasional short-period moves beyond that range. I suspect uncontrolled humidity during a long Canadian winter could be subjecting your guitars to humidity well below the acceptable range for way too long. You can humidify the guitar in the case, or control the humidity in the room.

[CaffeinatedOne]

Well, first invest in a humidifier and keep an eye on the hygrometer. Your winters may reach 10% relative humidity - or less. That can split a guitar top right open. As ChrisN mentioned, the room humidity should stay in the area of 45 - 50%.

AND get humidifiers for each guitar.

As to the broken bridge, it may not be an awful repair, depending on how readily the old one comes off and whether the bridge plate inside is compromised. But that bridge has to go. You could try to repair it, but in a short while it would crack again, next to the one you repaired.

[jbrnigan]

FWIW - some years ago I purchased a solid wood Tacoma dread with a rosewood bridge that had a similar crack(s). I paid half the market price for the guitar because of the crack. A luthier friend of mine advised.....(replace the bridge - or)
Remove the strings and bridge pins......I checked the bridge plate inside the guitar, below the bridge. It was fine. The bridge crack did not appear to extend through the spruce top. Using a "damp" sponge, I hydrated the bridge, and over a couple of days the crack closed up. Using Starbond, Medium CA Glue (Premium Cyanoacrylate), I applied it to the crack and let it "wick" into the crack in the bridge. Re-applied the damp sponge, and over the course of a week, applied, sparingly, more of the CA and let it wick into the crack. Finally, I let the guitar sit, and the bridge stabilized, the crack was barely visible. I lightly sanded the bridge and finished it with some 800 grit wet or dry. I played that guitar for a few more years and the crack never did expand. It was then, always kept in a humidity controlled room with other instruments. When the guitar finally found a new home, I pointed out the repair to the new owner - by that time the guitar was 20 years old, still sounded awesome, and the new owner was unconcerned (as was I).

[Howard Klepper]

That crack is fixable, and without removing the bridge (unless it's already loose). I would not put damp sponges on it, but I would want it to be stabilized by a week or two at a guitar-healthy humidity of about 50-55%. If you glue a crack when it is overhumidified, there is a greater likelihood of it opening again at a good midrange humidity.

If it doesn't close completely (it probably won't) I would fill with fine ebony dust before fsoaking with thin CA glue, and follow with medium to top it off. Sand to level and to match the surface on the rest of the bridge. Gently clear excess glue from the pin holes with the appropriate reamer (and tape over the bridge plate during the gluing process).. Finishing with light oil or nose grease is optional.

This is a routine repair and can be done to be invisible to anyone who has not been told to look for it.

[Earl49]

I had a bridge crack repaired last year on my 1968 Silvertone. The wood is probably ebonized pear wood, but it is black. The luthier used a high strength epoxy and finished it so nicely that you cannot tell where the crack was. He probably mixed in some ebony dust, as mentioned above. His repair was less than the cost of buying the two necessary long-throat clamps to do it myself. Now my first guitar is playable again and almost certainly good for the rest of my life.

Those cracks look like some ham-handed owner drove in the bridge pins, which is not necessary.

[phavriluk]

Earl, I agree. It's astounding to me how little owners know about care and maintenance.

[phavriluk]

Earl, I agree. It's astounding to me how little owners know about care and maintenance. In this case, folks, those bridge pins are WEDGES.

[Piercast]

Originally Posted by Howard Klepper

That crack is fixable, and without removing the bridge (unless it's already loose). I would not put damp sponges on it, but I would want it to be stabilized by a week or two at a guitar-healthy humidity of about 50-55%. If you glue a crack when it is overhumidified, there is a greater likelihood of it opening again at a good midrange humidity.

If it doesn't close completely (it probably won't) I would fill with fine ebony dust before fsoaking with thin CA glue, and follow with medium to top it off. Sand to level and to match the surface on the rest of the bridge. Gently clear excess glue from the pin holes with the appropriate reamer (and tape over the bridge plate during the gluing process).. Finishing with light oil or nose grease is optional.

This is a routine repair and can be done to be invisible to anyone who has not been told to look for it.

I have done quite a few this way. If done correctly it’ll be invisible and might very well be a permanent fix. If, however, using the naphta trick first reveals the crack extending farther along the "ears", I'd replace the bridge as it'd probably be faulty to begin with. Taylor sells them for next to nothing, just send the serial number to support and they’ll send the correct one.