Can a guitar with a bridge that is coming up, a cracked neck, and body coming ap

Question:<a href="http://tinypic.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i13.tinypic.com/854796e.jpg" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic"></a> where the yellow is is where the damage is. the bridge or what ever its called is like 2 cms off the body. and the neck is cracked and where woods meet on the body is like coming apart. can it be fixed , its a cheap guitar but it holds alot of sentimental value. how much would it cost to get fixed

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: <a href=http://answers.yahoo.com/question/"http://tinypic.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i13.tinypic.com/854796e.jpg" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic"></a> where the yellow is is where the damage is. the bridge or what ever its called is like 2 cms off the body. and the neck is cracked and where woods meet on the body is like coming apart. can it be fixed , its a cheap guitar but it holds alot of sentimental value. how much would it cost to get fixed

If the guitar is worth something to you, take it to a luthier and get an appraisal. Only you can decide what is a reasonable investment. A friend of my son once gave him a guitar that had been sitting in his garage for over twenty years and it was in really rough shape. The top was literally curling up and the neck was bowed so badly that I swore I could shoot an arrow with it.

He was in love with that guitar though and wanted to see it restored. I took it to our local luthier, Baron Martin at Frets and Necks (in El Paso) and he told me that:

1. The guitar was worth saving

and

2. That he could save it!

It took him some time, but we got a call that the guitar was ready. It was a beautiful guitar when he got done with it and I was tempted to add it to my working stock, but I realized that it was my son's appreciation for the instrument that caused me to react in what many would say was a financially reckless manner. So, my son owns that guitar now and one more classic guitar has been brought back from the brink of death. I feel good that it was not made into a lamp, or thrown out with the kindling, my son actually confessed that he thought I was taking him seriously, and my wife doesn't think I'm any crazier than she ever did so it's all good.

The repairs you are talking about are probably in the range of $200 - 350 dollars in this area, although sometimes a luthier will give you a break if he or she is not busy and they realize that it's a labor of love. Your can always dedicate your penny jar to the guitar's repair, or when you are settling your monthly accounts, round up to the nearest dollar. When the excess amount in your account reaches the level of the estimate, get the work done. I do not recommend getting one thing done at a time since most of what you are talking about are fundamental structural repairs. Until you can get it fixed, make sure the strings have been loosened and store it in a warm area where the weather can't get at it so the damage won't get any worse.

I used to deal with a lutheir in San Fransisco who would let me bring in an instrument to be repaired, and leave that instrument on display until I had paid the account in full. That might be an option for you as well. If the first estimate seems high, don't hesitate to get a few more estimates before you decide which one to take. Also remember that the price you pay in a music store will almost always be 35 - 40% higher since they pay the luthier and then take a profit on top of that.

If none of those options are good, you can get a repair manual and parts from Stewart MacDonald http://www.stewmac.com
You may or may not be up to the task, but at least you tried, and you will always learn something from attempting the repair. I work on guitars for my students all the time and have done a few repairs in somewhat unconventional methods that have come off surprisingly well. I use rail clamps, books to weigh down parts, and a product called Gorilla Glue (only on parts that you never want to separate again, and be sure to get both sides of the weld wet before you glue it clamp it down. Let it set for at least six hours before you peek and you have to wipe down the break every five or ten minutes for the first hour or so. One of the amazing things about Gorilla Glue is that it oozes out for about forty five minutes. I think that's how it gets into the cracks so well) (If the wood is warping, it will probably have to be steamed, and the bridge should only be glued back with Elmer's Carpenter Glue or Hide Glue. Clamp the bridge from the sound hole with C clamps, or if the bridge is not yet warped, pile books on top of it to weigh it down until it sets. I do this all the time)

I could not view your picture for some reason, but best of luck, no matter what you decide to do. There are those who don't understand that musicians actually have relationships with their instruments and want to do right by them. I sympathize and appreciate your intentions.

Only a $2500 Martin, Gibson, or Taylor would be repaired with this much damage - and even then the question would be will the repaired instrument be fully restored. The bridge is a common repair ($100 - 200) but the neck and body repairs are extensive - probably $800 to 1000 if they can be done.

Keep the guitar for its sentimental value, but spend the money on a new instrument instead of getting it fixed.