My acoustic is on it's deathbed...advice?

bsanfordnyc

bsanfordnyc

New member
Alright,

My 1 and only acoustic guitar is suddenly starting to sound pretty shitty. I'm talking dead frets all over the place. Also, at the end of the neck near the tuning keys and the first bar, there is a crack in the wood. I'm sure the two things are related.

Is there anything to be done to salvage this guy? Or is it time to burn it and buy a new one?

Thanks,
 
What's a dead fret? What's the first bar - the nut?

Why don't you shoot a pic and post it. If you don't have a camera, scan it.
 
Take it to a tech and see how much it would cost to be fixed, and if its more than the cost of the guitar, sell it, if not its always good to try to save a guitar.
 
Humidity control saves acoustics. Between 55 and 65 percent is good. It's the big changes that really do them in. Pix would be good especially closeups of the damage.
 
crazydoc said:
What's a dead fret? What's the first bar - the nut?

Why don't you shoot a pic and post it. If you don't have a camera, scan it.
Click to expand...

A dead fret...you hit the note and either get a very dead sound or either the next highest note...the strings are hitting frets higher up instead of striking clean.

Sorry, I don't know all the technical guitar terms...I was calling the first bar where the strings come from the keys down to the first fret...


FYI, it is an ibanez :)
 
bsanfordnyc said:
A dead fret...you hit the note and either get a very dead sound or either the next highest note...the strings are hitting frets higher up instead of striking clean.
Click to expand...
This sounds like a set up problem. Sight down the neck to see if it is bowed or arched. If it is not fairly straight (it should be) it is remedied by a combination of action and truss rod set up. A good guitar tech can check this for you or you can do it yourself. I would also get a mechanics mirror and check the braces under the top in the area of the bridge. Make sure the glue joints haven't failed. Also take a playing card and if you can slide it between the top and the bridge at any spot, it is lifting.
 
ibanezrocks said:
Take it to a tech and see how much it would cost to be fixed, and if its more than the cost of the guitar, sell it, if not its always good to try to save a guitar.
Click to expand...


i agree with ibanez, check it out, but be careful where you go, they rip you off half the time...they charge 60 bucks to restring a 6-string (+the price of the strings alone...i feel bad for the kids who dont know how to string their guitar-and their parents.)
 
Sanjanjoseph said:
i agree with ibanez, check it out, but be careful where you go, they rip you off half the time...they charge 60 bucks to restring a 6-string (+the price of the strings alone...i feel bad for the kids who dont know how to string their guitar-and their parents.)
Click to expand...

On the other hand as one who repairs I get sick of people who bring in a guitar for a restring when it is a no-brainer really.
 
Do you know if the guitar has a truss rod? You should be able to see the end of it either by looking in the soundhole at the end of the fretboard,
http://images.google.com/imgres?img...art=2&prev=/images?q=truss+rod&hl=en&lr=&sa=G
or there should be a little triangular shaped patch screwed on to the headstock from the nut up between the tuners.
http://images.google.com/imgres?img...prev=/images?q=truss+rod+cover&hl=en&lr=&sa=G

If you have a truss rod, there is hope. If not, you're probably screwed with a warped neck, unless the bracing has come loose under the bridge as mentioned avove.

You could raise the height of the saddle until the strings clear the frets, or change the angle of the neck if it is a bolt-on, but it will never be right if the neck is warped or bowed.
 
Sanjanjoseph said:
i agree with ibanez, check it out, but be careful where you go, they rip you off half the time...they charge 60 bucks to restring a 6-string (+the price of the strings alone...i feel bad for the kids who dont know how to string their guitar-and their parents.)
Click to expand...
I see one of the purposes of this forum as passing on the knowledge that is gathered here. If I don't know something, I ask. I'm assuming people here are DYIers and arewilling to try repairs on their own. I get great enjoyment from taking a peice of "firewood" and creating a playable instrument. I have recordings that sound great using these instuments. bsanfordnyc, I encourage you to explore this problem on your own. At worst you will learn something and probably get to know your instument on a new level. Maybe it is firewood but it's fun finding out.
 
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