GAD40 Dilemma

D30Man

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Okay so I am at Zoo music Garland, TX this afternoon and they have a beautiful GAD40.. Sounds great.. Only issue, and I failed to get a picture, is there is a small crack along the center of the ebony bridge.
Duane the manager, who is a pretty cool guy, tells me that is was brought in by a cop and that the crack has been there for like 7 years so it is holding..

Now Duane is asking $225 for the guitar and it has solid paduk ( sp ) back and sides, ebony fretboard / bridge and a built in pick up.. Other than the bridge it is in great shape. Top is clean.

The dilemma is that I have never dealt with a cracked bridge and wouldn't know what kind of cost I would be looking at if it needed to be a addressed..

Any thoughts on this? The price seems to be right. The guitar sounds amazing and for that price I can deal with the 1 3/4 nut width. Especially as I would see this as a campfire guitar.. But I want a campfire guitar that isn't going to cost me a ton in repairs..

As always this joint is loaded with knowledge, experience and intellect.. Appreciate in advance any wisdom...
 

dreadnut

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At that price, I'd say buy it. The bridge is probably stable and you won't have to do anything with it. Just my $.02
 

Okieguildfan

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I had the same guitar a few years back. I’ve kicked myself a few times for selling it. If I could get one for that price, I’d grab it up in a heartbeat. (Even if it had worse issues)
 

D30Man

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Well it seems pretty clear..

GD - Agreed.

Okie - Thanks for the encouragement. It is a player.. In a recent thread we were discussing the greatness of the early GAD series and it is true. They were just hard to beat.. It was like they had their own set of appointments and nuances that made them unique and you wont find these attributes on the later GAD and Westerly series guits.
 

stormin1155

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That's a price I couldn't pass up. Even if you had to have the bridge replaced I think you'd come out ok. I've successfully repaired cracked bridges, but they have to be removed to do it properly. Don't try gluing the crack without removing it.
 

CosmicArkie

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D-Man,

Both of those "issues" are easily remedied.

You are welcome to try out my A-25 which has a new bridge and is no longer a 1 3/4" nutted neck. The Harmony classical H173 which got the neck reshaped to 1 11/16" as well is down at the Beto Unit Prison ministry or you could have tried it, too.

Do it if it sounds good.
 

richardp69

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Okay so I am at Zoo music Garland, TX this afternoon and they have a beautiful GAD40.. Sounds great.. Only issue, and I failed to get a picture, is there is a small crack along the center of the ebony bridge.
Duane the manager, who is a pretty cool guy, tells me that is was brought in by a cop and that the crack has been there for like 7 years so it is holding..

Now Duane is asking $225 for the guitar and it has solid paduk ( sp ) back and sides, ebony fretboard / bridge and a built in pick up.. Other than the bridge it is in great shape. Top is clean.

The dilemma is that I have never dealt with a cracked bridge and wouldn't know what kind of cost I would be looking at if it needed to be a addressed..

Any thoughts on this? The price seems to be right. The guitar sounds amazing and for that price I can deal with the 1 3/4 nut width. Especially as I would see this as a campfire guitar.. But I want a campfire guitar that isn't going to cost me a ton in repairs..

As always this joint is loaded with knowledge, experience and intellect.. Appreciate in advance any wisdom...

My guy charges $75 to $100 to cut and install a new bridge.. Not a show stopper in my mind if you like the tone and feel of the guitar.
 

D30Man

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Arkie - Agreed sir and thanks.. Did you donate your guit to prison ministry? Very cool!

Stormin - Man I would never to try to fix a bridge on my own so no worries there. I know my limits very well.. I don't even jack with truss rods.. It is worth the $35 - $50 to have a pro set me up or make adjustments.. Not only that gives me an excuse to go to a guitar store..

Rich - Agreed and just saw from someone that Dan McCarthy here in Dallas charges around $150 for a bridge replacement.. So yeah not a dealbreaker for sure..


You guys are making this easy :)
 

Mark WW

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Are you for sure going to buy this? If not I would like to contact them but only if you are not in pursuit.
 

D30Man

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Are you for sure going to buy this? If not I would like to contact them but only if you are not in pursuit.

I am pretty confident I am going to pick it up. If for some reason I don't I will let you know..
 

GardMan

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A "hairline" crack in an ebony bridge can easily be repaired with some water-thin CAA superglue (I used CAA from StewMac) and ebony dust (sand an ebony bridge or end pin to make some dust... I used a violin end pin from StewMac because they were cheaper).

(1) Remove the strings and saddle...

(2) If the crack includes the pin holes, put paper towels inside the sound box to catch any glue drips...

(3) Mask off the top of the guitar (altho' I'd guess a GAD has a poly finish, which isn't damaged as easily by CAA as nitrocellulose)...

(4) Blow or use a small paintbrush to work some ebony dust into the crack...

(5) Use a fine applicator or microdropper to apply some water thin CAA cement to the crack, allowing it to wick in... allow CAA to set.

(6) Repeat step 5 if necessary...

(7) Use fine grit sandpaper to gently sand the surface of the bridge to remove residual glue/dust. Sand WITH the grain. I think I started with 250 or 300 grit, finished with 600 grit, and then some steel wool.

Remove masks, paper towels, and re-string.

I used this procedure to repair a hairline crack in the bridge of my '76 D-50 some years back... a near invisible repair that held for years (at least until I sold the guitar).
 

D30Man

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Mark, you taught me sumthin'!
I thought all the GADF40's were 12-fretters, but I guess it was only the Padauks.
"Huh".
Wonder why only those?
Uh wait a sec... I taught you somethin'??? That had to be an accident Al. Good question. She is certainly a 12 fretter..
 

D30Man

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A "hairline" crack in an ebony bridge can easily be repaired with some water-thin CAA superglue (I used CAA from StewMac) and ebony dust (sand an ebony bridge or end pin to make some dust... I used a violin end pin from StewMac because they were cheaper).

(1) Remove the strings and saddle...

(2) If the crack includes the pin holes, put paper towels inside the sound box to catch any glue drips...

(3) Mask off the top of the guitar (altho' I'd guess a GAD has a poly finish, which isn't damaged as easily by CAA as nitrocellulose)...

(4) Blow or use a small paintbrush to work some ebony dust into the crack...

(5) Use a fine applicator or microdropper to apply some water thin CAA cement to the crack, allowing it to wick in... allow CAA to set.

(6) Repeat step 5 if necessary...

(7) Use fine grit sandpaper to gently sand the surface of the bridge to remove residual glue/dust. Sand WITH the grain. I think I started with 250 or 300 grit, finished with 600 grit, and then some steel wool.

Remove masks, paper towels, and re-string.

I used this procedure to repair a hairline crack in the bridge of my '76 D-50 some years back... a near invisible repair that held for years (at least until I sold the guitar).

Yes!!! Gardman that is what I am talking about.. I will do just that! I did after all pick her up this afternoon.. I will post picts including said bridge crack when I have a chance. Thanks for the steps my man!!!
 
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