Small crack in Alvarez Yairi direct coupled bridge.

[Craiginva]

So, I recently got an Alvarez Yairi DY-52 and have been chasing down a buzz. At first I thought it could be fret wear, so I got fret work done on it. I just got it back and it was playing perfectly, but still had a buzz on the B and high E. After applying lemon oil to the very dry fretboard and bridge, and restringing the guitar, I noticed this crack going along the grain of the ebony in the bridge, and all the way down the the fret board.


Is this something that could be easily fixed at home or should I take it to a luthier?

[grinningfool]

Not understanding how it reaches the fretboard from there.
If it was mine I’d put a little super glue in the crack.

[Buc-a-Roo]

Yes.....a little confusing......the bridge is nowhere near the fretboard. I agree with wicking a bit of CA into the crack, particularity at the ends to prevent further movement.

[Craiginva]

Thanks. I meant soundboard, not fretboard, but I can’t seem to edit my post in Tapatalk. I’ll try wicking some ca glue into it to stop any more movement.

[John Arnold]

That is a pre existing seasoning crack in the wood, which is not in a place that risks the structural integrity. I would go ahead with the CA repair, but I seriously doubt it is causing the buzz.
Since the buzz is only on the first and second strings, a normal fix is to replace the saddle with one that is shaped to raise the action on those two strings.
But before doing that, I would make sure the frets are level and the neck relief is set as close as possible to 0.006".
Also, make sure there are no flat spots or grooves on the top of the saddle at the offending strings. Similarly, the fret tops should be rounded, not flat.

[Craiginva]

So, did the CA repair, and it worked. Fixed the buzz also.

[Craiginva]

Originally Posted by John Arnold

That is a pre existing seasoning crack in the wood, which is not in a place that risks the structural integrity. I would go ahead with the CA repair, but I seriously doubt it is causing the buzz.
Since the buzz is only on the first and second strings, a normal fix is to replace the saddle with one that is shaped to raise the action on those two strings.
But before doing that, I would make sure the frets are level and the neck relief is set as close as possible to 0.006".
Also, make sure there are no flat spots or grooves on the top of the saddle at the offending strings. Similarly, the fret tops should be rounded, not flat.

The reason I thought the crack at the bridge was the cause of the buzzing is I had already replaced the saddle with a new compensated bone saddle and had already had a local luthier level and dress the frets. They also cleaned up the nut slots. After all of that, and new strings, I still had a buzz at the high e and b strings. After the repair the buzz is gone.

[John Arnold]

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