Dumpster Find
- Thread starter Ravon
- Start date
My singer I've been working with found this in a dumpster next to where she works. The top has the only crack I can find, running up from the bridge toward the soundhole for a few inches (pic). Frets are a little rough and some fingerboard pitting but the necks straight. Probably just dress the frets (replace a few?). Missing the nut, and the bridge.... not so sure about, any suggestions? Repair or toss the bridge? Looks like the bridge has a screw on one side while the other was pulled out completely. The bridge has a crack in it but looks repairable. The chipboard case is in great condition. It was free so I'll at least get a new nut, fix the bridge issue and repair the top crack. Finally got a twelve string 
!
!
silverfox103
Senior Member
Hey Ravon
That was a great find! Yairi's are very good guitars. I refer to them as Japanese Guilds, way better than anything Yamaha or Takamine puts out. I would definitely fix that up, that is not junk by any means. I own 2 Yairi's right now and have probably owned 7 or 8.
Tom C.
That was a great find! Yairi's are very good guitars. I refer to them as Japanese Guilds, way better than anything Yamaha or Takamine puts out. I would definitely fix that up, that is not junk by any means. I own 2 Yairi's right now and have probably owned 7 or 8.
Tom C.
Yeah Tom, when she handed this to me and told me to take it my eyes got wide :shock: . I told her it was definately a very good and desirable guitar. She didn't want to spend the time or money fixing it up and wanted it out of her way so we're both happysilverfox103 said:
I may just try this repair myself. Never repaired a guitar but I'm kinda handy
taabru45
Enlightened Member
Take it to a good repair guy, not all that much wrong with it and have him check it for loose braces etc, fix the crack, and you'll have an amazing guitar....sweet....what a day for you.... Steffan
Steffan
silverfox103
Senior Member
taabru45 said:Take it to a good repair guy, not all that much wrong with it and have him check it for loose braces etc, fix the crack, and you'll have an amazing guitar....sweet....what a day for you....
Have to agree with Steffan, take it to a good repairman. I don't think you have expensive repairs there. Fixed up, I betcha that guitar is worth 7 to 9 hundred. As for the bridge, I don't believe those screws are original.
Tom
Seven to nine hundred you say?! I'll be taking it to a professional ASAPsilverfox103 said:taabru45 said:Take it to a good repair guy, not all that much wrong with it and have him check it for loose braces etc, fix the crack, and you'll have an amazing guitar....sweet....what a day for you....
Have to agree with Steffan, take it to a good repairman. I don't think you have expensive repairs there. Fixed up, I betcha that guitar is worth 7 to 9 hundred. As for the bridge, I don't believe those screws are original.
Tom
RussB
Member
Nice score. Being the hands-on guy that I am, projects like that intrigue me.
And that maple table is outstanding!
And that maple table is outstanding!
killdeer43
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Wow! I guess I've been diving in the wrong dumpsters. :lol:
Congrats on a real find! You could certainly take it to a repairman but you could also take on the project yourself, and learn a little in the process. Take your time and remember what you paid for it. :wink:
Cheers,
Joe
Congrats on a real find! You could certainly take it to a repairman but you could also take on the project yourself, and learn a little in the process. Take your time and remember what you paid for it. :wink:
Cheers,
Joe
Thanks all. The luthier/repair gentleman I took all my guitars to has long passed so I don't know any repair guys. My only option is to go through a music store locally (they sold me the D-55 recently) who in turn then subs the work out. I have confidence that the store uses a good repair guy but the hired employee when I called this afternoon, hem-hawed around when I asked his name and he never would tell me (for obvious reasons I guess) but he gave a glowing report on his ability. So I don't know, I might just get a mirror and light and just look in there to see what the heck I'm up against and read up a bit on repairing/cleating cracks, removing and replacing bridges and saddle and nuts and such. All we really have is time, right? Maybe it'll give me a reason to start hanging out at the LTG Repair Forum
Okay, I just got a mirror and light and looked in there. The good news is the top and back are crack free and the braces all look secure. The bad news is that there are two machine screws inserted in each end of the bridge. Looking at the top of the guitar it looks like one is missing but its there and I assume from looking at it from the top, the screwheads may be snapped off. I found one very fuzzy and distant photo of the same model 5068 that I have and it certainly looks like there are two factory screws on each side of the bridge. Don't know how hard it would be to find a replacement bridge but what I'm reading about this model is that its kind of a rare bird. Interesting to note too is that in my short reading about this guitar is that it has a solid cedar top, (laminate?) mahogany B/S's, with ebony bridge and fretboard. However, between the 1st and 2nd frets that section of fretboard is considerably lighter than the rest of the board, kinda strange. This is why I'd like to talk to the person face to face who's doing the repairs. I'll be in Nashville tomorrow on some business (two hour drive one way) so I might just drop into Gruhns with it and see what they have to say about it (I've heard their repair work is kinda pricey though).
taabru45
Enlightened Member
I think that if you get that guitar repaired properly, you'd find its real voice, which is probably extraordinary given the vintage guitar...It is a well put together instrument and you could gave them give you the details of the woods...Right now my F112 is getting a reset and new bridge etc, because of the hack job someone did before...better to have it done right and get years of enjoyment, that is if you plan on keeping the instrument...that is a pretty sweet guitar and might surprise you if it is fixed well...regards Steffan
fronobulax
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Ravon said:
For the same obvious reasons, my local store would not tell me who they subcontract with and for what, but they were explicit that they, the store, would stand behind the work no matter who did it for them. Given that the store owner started out doing repairs himself that makes them marginally better than I would be in terms of figuring out who the good luthiers are.
I didn't have time to stop in Gruhns in Nashville. Had the guitar in the car but didn't get close to downtown until close to 4pm and the traffic then was awful as usual. Nashville traffic anytime is awful. Veterans Parkway was backed up (52 car pileup the other day there) onto I-65, wrecks, semi's stalled, hip hop bass thumping the whole time, the works. So much for getting home before dark Anyway, I'll talk to the owner of the music store here in my area and specifically state what my concerns are and even write those on paper and put it in the case. Above all, I want the original bridge restored and if thats impossible an original replacement. Hopefully they'll keep me updated on whats going on as well, I'll mention that too. We'll see how good their repair guy is. I'll keep ya'll informed
Anyway, I'll talk to the owner of the music store here in my area and specifically state what my concerns are and even write those on paper and put it in the case. Above all, I want the original bridge restored and if thats impossible an original replacement. Hopefully they'll keep me updated on whats going on as well, I'll mention that too. We'll see how good their repair guy is. I'll keep ya'll informed Heres the dilemma I'm facing with this bridge thing. I found two photos of the same model on the internet, heres one http://craigslistvintageguitarhunt.blog ... in-st.html Both photos show what looks to be two screws on the bridge. The photo I can't find again looked to be a more period snapshot from the seventies (just my guess) and it showed two slotted screw heads placed in the same spot as mine. Anyway I posted on the Alvarez Yairi site my concerns and got a reply from someone who stated they had four ( they really didn't say if they were the same model though) and none had screws, and that both pictures were of guitars that probably were fixes for a lifting bridge. The only thing I do know at this point in the search is that Alvarez Yairi have used several bridge designs for their acoustics. The search continues..... :?
silverfox103
Senior Member
Hi Ravon
As I own a couple of Yairi's, I visit that site occasionally, the lady that answered your question, Diane "yairi luvr", you might say is the Yairi worlds Hans. She also has a collection similar to Grot's. If she said it did not have screws from the factory, take it to the bank.
Tom C.
As I own a couple of Yairi's, I visit that site occasionally, the lady that answered your question, Diane "yairi luvr", you might say is the Yairi worlds Hans. She also has a collection similar to Grot's. If she said it did not have screws from the factory, take it to the bank.
Tom C.
Thanks Tom, I will. I guess I was just hoping for some pictures of this model, maybe someone on that site will eventually post one. The thing that was bugging me was that it just seems so coincidental that the only photos that I could find of this model both had screws in the bridge. Now just wondering if just glue is gonna hold this thing down under tension. I guess I'll find out soon enoughsilverfox103 said:
!Also whats odd about this "repair" is that looking with a mirror at the screws from inside the guitar, there are no nuts or washers and no evidence of any in the past, such as dimpling of the wood where the washers were. If I were doing a repair like that I would at least secure it as the fine threads of a machine screw certainly would not hold that type of tension, why even go through the bother :? ?!
silverfox103
Senior Member
Ravon did you check out the photo library on the site(s)? There has to be one there.
Tom
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/yairiguit ... 00&dir=asc
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Alvarez_A ... 00&dir=asc
Tom
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/yairiguit ... 00&dir=asc
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Alvarez_A ... 00&dir=asc