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I just got a nice used guitar but the only thing that worries me is cracking in the bridge. It looks like its there from stress from the bridge insert being pulled toward the headstock by string pressure. Can anyone suggest how to fix this? I'm thinking of pourin medium viscosity superglue in to the cracks, forcing the gaps closed with some clamps, wiping the excess off glue with a rag soaked in acetone. Is this correct? Should I maybe pretreat the wood with a hot damp cloth before clamping it to increase pliability. Am I even close to a correct solution? Thanks,

Andrew

The pictures don't do justice but the cracks have a bit of depth to them, they're not just superficial. And I don't want them to get worse. Then again my cure is often worse than the ailment when it comes to me and my guitars.

Hi Andrew and welcome to the OLF

I am sure that some folks with far better repair chops then me will be along shortly to assist you. But until then I noticed that the split in your bridge follows the path of the saddle slot. And the saddle looks higher then it should be to me. This I believe is the cause of the crack in the bridge.

You will probably want to address what caused this crack prior to fixing the crack or it is likely to happen again. The folks who will likely weigh in here will probably benefit from some information about the string height and why the saddle is so high.

Thanks buddy.

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Ann Arbor Guitars

Hi Andrew. What kind of guitar is this? Your proposed method isn't necessarily bad, but has a lot of other issues that come with it, from acetone in proximity to some finishes, to condition and shape of the slot left after gluing, to the fit and height of the saddle, and a few others. If it's a nicer instrument and you're not experienced with repairs, this may be one to take to a professional. If it's a cheap beater guitar you could certainly glue it up yourself, but without a more well-fit saddle, possible setup issues, likely the slot being recut, you could likely expect it to open back up again.

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Eschew obfuscation, espouse elucidation.

Is there also a hairline crack through the pin holes?

Well spotted. I can see it running between the three middle pins.

If there are in fact cracks between the bridge pin holes as well as around the saddle slot, I wonder if there might be other issues besides the saddle being too tall and perhaps loosely fitted. If there are cracks between the bridge pin holes too, it might be wise to check to see if the top has bellied to any degree. If so, it could point to internal issues such as bracing or the bridge plate. Also, can you tell us the thickness of the bridge and how deep the saddle slot is?

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now known around here as Pat Foster
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http://www.patfosterguitars.com

Here is what Frank Ford has to say on the subject. http://www.frets.com/FRETSPages/Musician/Guitar/Maintenance/CrackedBridges/crackedbridges.html
My vote is for a new, thicker bridge as long as the action is good.

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Ken Franklin
clumsy yet persistent
https://www.kenfranklinukulele.com

Here's what I see, but could be wrong due to this being a picture:

The bridge is too thin, and saddle too high, resulting in additional stress on the bridge. You're going to have to take this to a competent repair person to replace this bridge, and also to determine why the saddle is so high above the bridge. Sometimes repair people will shave down the top of the bridge rather than do an expensive neck reset, which might account for this bridge being so thin, but that wouldn't explain why the saddle is so high above the bridge. The saddle is probably not properly fitted to the slot as well.

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"I want to know what kind of pickups Vince Gill uses in his Tele, because if I had those, as good of a player as I am, I'm sure I could make it sound like that.
Only badly."

The only repair that will last there is the replacement of the bridge. Repairing the cracks will only be a temporary fix
and will only last a little while under the tensions that caused them to occur in the first place.

Regards,
Kevin Gallagher/Omega Guitars

Its a Washburn WD41S. When I bought it, used, there were two plastic shims underneath the saddle. When I changed the strings I left them there. So the saddle could easily be lowered. I don't know who put the shims in there or if they were in there when it was made. They seem perfectly cut.

http://www.washburn.com/about/news/pr_rarewoods.aspx

On a side note: Some of the WD41S I know have the Buzz Feiten tuning system, some do not. How can I tell if mine does?

according to their website, the strings are shortened by using a nut with an overhang. You should easily see this by looking from the side of the neck...

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Build log

You're referring to the Buzz Feiten system? I'll have to check that, thanks.

The nut overhang is for after-market mods, while instruments built with the system will simply have it the end of the fingerboard spaced accordingly. You'd have to measure to check. I've measured a good many of them, and most of their production, from the imports to the custom shop does not have any compensation at the nut or any discernible intonation offsets. They do have the BF decal though, which is really what makes the difference in sound anyway.

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Eschew obfuscation, espouse elucidation.