can i fix this guitar ??? Help (pics)

[metalj]

Hello, i found this in the trash if you can believe it. ITs a low end Fender acoustic, but hey for free, I thought id try to get it running again. my local shope said $60-$70 would do it, but I thought id try to fix it myself.

All I need to do to get it playing again is replace the white string saddle. It is completely chewed up and demolished by whoever tossed it. the string grooves are gone, and there is 0 heighth to raise the strings up. So im thinking all i need to do is get the old white plastic string saddle out, and replace it with a new one, then add the string pegs in the empty holes.

My question is, how do i get the old saddle out without ruining the guitar? It looks to be glued in.

can i just drip some disolvent of some type in there and just lift it out??

Any special things i should be cautious of??

thanks for any help you can give.

 

[Light]

Get the new Acoustic Guitar Magazine. Frank Ford has an article in there on making a new saddle.

It SHOULDN'T be glued in, by the way, so if it is someone has already fucked up a repair on it.

And when you buy the saddle blanks, buy at least two. You WILL mess it up the first time.


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi

 

[jpw23]

Get the new Acoustic Guitar Magazine. Frank Ford has an article in there on making a new saddle.

It SHOULDN'T be glued in, by the way, so if it is someone has already fucked up a repair on it.

And when you buy the saddle blanks, buy at least two. You WILL mess it up the first time.


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi

What he said!!!!!

 

[metalj]

Get the new Acoustic Guitar Magazine. Frank Ford has an article in there on making a new saddle.

It SHOULDN'T be glued in, by the way, so if it is someone has already fucked up a repair on it.

And when you buy the saddle blanks, buy at least two. You WILL mess it up the first time.


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi

thank you mr. light. is the saddle considered just the plastic peice? or is it also the darker wood peice that it hooks into?

I will check out the mag. If it isnt glued in, how is it attached ??
thanks.

 

[jpw23]

thank you mr. light. is the saddle considered just the plastic peice? or is it also the darker wood peice that it hooks into?

I will check out the mag. If it isnt glued in, how is it attached ??
thanks.

Go to http://www.stewmac.com for saddle blanks

 

[Richard Monroe]

Yo MetalJ! The dark wood piece is the bridge. The white piece is the saddlw, which can be plastic, bone, ivory, or advanced synthetics such as Tusq.-Richie

 

[0018G]

I'd check the neck angle before I put any money into it(although saddle making is good practice of a handy skill).
Neck angle

Understand there is some wiggle room there, but if the straightedge nosedives into the top, it's probably a terminal patient.

On most low end, imported instruments, there is not alot you can do to change this angle-they just aren't made to be taken apart.

 

[Wish]

If it isnt glued in, how is it attached ??
thanks.

The string tension holds it in. The strings sit on top of it.

Have you tried pulling the saddle straight out with a pair of pliers?

 

[Crash ©]

FWIW... If the saddle is glued in you can get it out with a dremel tool, just have to be VERY careful...

Even if you find out the neck is BAD warped, you can always put a high nut on it and for about $25 (new saddle, nut and strings) you can have a standby Dobro...

--
Rob

 

[metalj]

The string tension holds it in. The strings sit on top of it.

Have you tried pulling the saddle straight out with a pair of pliers?

Yeah, the saddle is so far warn down that a needle nose wont even grab it. its almost flush with the bridge.

thanks to all who have relpied. ill keep trying. the neck seems to be ok. the dobro idea is a good one that i will have to keep as an option.

 

[Gonny]

I'd drill a tiny hole into the saddle, drive a tiny screw partway into the hole, grab the screw with some pliers, and pull.

That idea was me talking off the top of my head, and did not come from any experience fixing acoustic guitars, so take it with a very large grain of salt.

 

[Fusioninspace]

Since you said the saddle is almost flush with the top of the bridge, I wonder if the saddle broke through the bridge slot and top. You might feel around inside there and see if that's the case.

If so, you can still do a cheap fix it on your free guitar. Push everything back in place - watch for splinters! Then glue a splint to the inside.

I just had a hernia operation and that's kinda what they did for me ;-)

Good luck!

 

[heroics321]

Since you said the saddle is almost flush with the top of the bridge, I wonder if the saddle broke through the bridge slot and top. You might feel around inside there and see if that's the case.

If so, you can still do a cheap fix it on your free guitar. Push everything back in place - watch for splinters! Then glue a splint to the inside.

I just had a hernia operation and that's kinda what they did for me ;-)

Good luck!

Eh, I really doubt it. They're usually just that low to begin with, or someone took the saddle down to make up for the fact that the belly/bridge is lifting. If the problem is severe, the guitar probably isn't worth the price of the repair. String it as is with some extra lights or Martin Silk and Steels, and play on it until the bridge comes unglued. If it's buzzing that bad from the low saddle, take it into a store and see if they have a plastic one that's just a bit too large for yours and work from there (and for what it's worth, the saddle shouldn't have deep grooves where the strings rest). I could be wrong, it might be one of those random treasures you find on the treelawn, but chances are, the owner would have tried to get a few bucks off of it before it was tossed.

All else fails, like people above have stated, use it for practice... see if you can fashion a new bone saddle for it, maybe try a nut later down the road. Everyone should have a cheap guitar to practice repairs on.

 

[jaykeMURD]

If you do or buy anything, use Bone (not that fake crap either) for the saddle and the pegs. Makes a world of difference for the guitars overall sound!

 

[happyguy]

Hello, i found this in the trash if you can believe it. ITs a low end Fender acoustic, but hey for free, I thought id try to get it running again. my local shope said $60-$70 would do it, but I thought id try to fix it myself.

All I need to do to get it playing again is replace the white string saddle. It is completely chewed up and demolished by whoever tossed it. the string grooves are gone, and there is 0 heighth to raise the strings up. So im thinking all i need to do is get the old white plastic string saddle out, and replace it with a new one, then add the string pegs in the empty holes.

My question is, how do i get the old saddle out without ruining the guitar? It looks to be glued in.

can i just drip some disolvent of some type in there and just lift it out??

Any special things i should be cautious of??

thanks for any help you can give.

This might seem funny to some, but it works..
Use a Popsicle Stick
As a temp Fix / trial run.. or to help you with proper height, before you make one out of bone ect.. ... give it a shot.. You can cut the Popsicle Stick easy enough..
Good Luck to you. Fender makes some good cheap Acoustic's..