• From: Sydney Australia
  • Registered: 2007-08-31
  • Posts: 36

Topic: i have an old acoustic guitar which has some major problems

i  started playing guitar maybe a month ago.i dont have lessons i just get tabs from the internet(chordie of course)and i learn different chords with my guitar tuner which has a built in chord finder.i have an old valencia acoustic guitar that was given to me from a friend(who recieved it from a friend of thiers) who didnt use it much. the bridge bone(or saddle watever u wanna call it) has been replaced by a cable tie. would this cause a buzzing sound from the strings our would it be just the old strings doing that(or both).I am going to buy a new guitar any way but i would just like to know. also when i tune the strings to the right notes they are kina loose(my school has some acoustic guitars on which the strings are tighter and do not buzz) i really wanna know this as i dont know much about guitars yet and im hoping to build up my knowledge

  • Registered: 2006-03-04
  • Posts: 2,662

Re: i have an old acoustic guitar which has some major problems

Hello Natho,
The easiest, fastest repair would be for you to buy an inexpensive bridge bone, as you call it. Make a project out of it. It'll need some fine adjusting to bring the strings down low enough to play comfortably and eliminate the "buzz".

First, loosen your strings without removing them and install the new bridge bone and decide where the problem area(s) might be. Use course sandpaper to decrease the size. Sand on the side that goes into the saddle!!! Do this gradually because you can't put size back if you sand too much down. Underneath your loosened strings, you can slip the bridge in and out to check the string height. Make sure you tune to a standard tuning to ensure correct tension/resistance efficiency. If this fails, take the guitar to your local music store and pay a little $ to have it properly repaired. Good luck.

SouthPaw41L

Give everything but up.
  • From: Sydney Australia
  • Registered: 2007-08-31
  • Posts: 36

Re: i have an old acoustic guitar which has some major problems

thanx 4 that

4 Reply by Guitarpix (edited by Guitarpix 2007-09-08 01:19:17)

  • From: North Carolina
  • Registered: 2007-02-08
  • Posts: 1,914

Re: i have an old acoustic guitar which has some major problems

just a tip...If your going to sand down the bridge bone, tape your sandpaper flat to a level surface (like a table top) and then hold your saddle against a small block of wood to sand it. The flat sanding surface gives you a straight finish and the square block makes sure it stays at a 90 degree angle. It's also a good idea to mark both sides of the saddle in equal increments so that you can be sure  of even sanding...Peace!

[b][color=#FF0000]If your brain is part of the process, you're missing it. You should play like a drowning man, struggling to reach shore. If you can trap that feeling, then you have something.
[/color][/b]         [b]Peace of mind. That's my piece of mind...[/b]

Guitarpix's Website

  • Registered: 2007-07-06
  • Posts: 11

Re: i have an old acoustic guitar which has some major problems

hey there are a lot of books at the library and you can go to plenty of websites to get information and supplies.
i'm not trying to spam but i think most people have seen what stewart mac has to offer.

http://www.stewmac.com/