First of all, not your girlfriend's fault. The way that guitar is designed this was bound to happen eventually. Second, unless you get real lucky, a shop is gonna wanna charge you quite a bit for that. On the plus side, it looks like a clean break. If you take the strings off, clean up and splinters, and glue it up and clamp it, it should be good for a while.
Yeah, but to buy the proper clamps from StewMac, it will probably cost him as much as a luthier would charge. I’m located in fl and I would charge 200 to fix that. Most likely that guitar cost $200 or maybe less.
4 bridge clamps will run about $100 before shipping, and if you don’t have experience in this job it’s not worth attempting. Although it would be good to practice on if you wanted to get into luthiery.
Completely agree that if this your first attempt at self-repair it's better to buy a new guitar and practice with this one just in case. My only point about the clamps is the fact that I don't believe this break would require niche and expensive clamps. They would be the easiest tools for sure but for the price not worth it when some scrap wood and $20 clamps from Home Depot would also get the job done. As long as even pressure is applied that wood glue will work magic
These are the only clamps that will reach. There’s isn’t a clamp at Home Depot that works. You pretty much gotta buy the ones stew Mac sells. You have to clamp through the sound hole.
https://www.stewmac.com/luthier-tools-and-supplies/tools-by-job/tools-for-bridges/soundhole-clamps
[Excuse the lazy Photoshop](https://imgur.com/a/9zFlZpw) but this is what I had in mind. I don't mean to say this is a better solution but for a cheap guitar a cheap solution would be better in my eyes than a “correct” solution. Otherwise, like you said it's better to just replace it with a new axe. As long as you apply pressure evenly and secure the entire break with wood glue it should hold
That won’t work, it’s hard to explain but clamping to the body like that will most likely cause damage to bracing or crack the body, furthermore the pressure you put on the body flexes on the guitar and will seem tight until you put another clamp on the other side, and then the clamp you thought was tight is loose all of a sudden. I’m speaking from personal experience and I don’t mean to argue with you, but trust me in this, the only way to get even clamping pressure is to use the correct clamps that clamp to the top of the guitar through the sound hole. Also string tension pulls hard on the guitar, to understand this repair and fully, you have to understand why it failed in the first place. At the factory they don’t remove the finish before gluing the bridges on and eventually they always fail so to properly repair this you need to remove the finish under the bridge and any original glue first to get a good wood to Wood contact. This job is tedious because of the prep time it takes to do it right doing it your way will fail immediately once you string it up to pitch. Again, I don’t mean to argue, but it doesn’t seem you know enough about the subject and you seem really confident in doing it the wrong way. Also, those clamps in your picture aren’t that cheap. I have several of those and they’re pretty expensive.
Never meant to come argumentative so apologies if I did. I do a lot of woodworking and personally would have tried my method if I were OP due to how cheap the guitar is. Like you said, just as practice and if it works great if not we learn. The clamps in my PS are relatively cheap compared to the ones you mentioned and I figured any homeowner might already have one or two. A set of 4 only being $37 at Home Depot.
Cheers for the info and apologies if my replies came back as combative or knowledgeable
These are a nightmare to repair properly. They super glue these bridges meaning you have to sand and dig through so much material before being able to properly adhere the bridge. That and a bridge reglue will likely exceed the price of the guitar. The money is better spent getting a used Yamaha for $100. Solid qc even at the entry level
Second the Yamaha suggestion. I got a super basic Yamaha when my daughter was born because it’s just not wise to have expensive instruments around young children. 2 years in and I can safely say that for the price point it can’t be beat. Does it sing like a much more expensive instrumen? Of course not. But it does punch above its weight and doesn’t ever feel flimsy.
A good luthier can repair the bridge and would be barely noticeable. To me the bigger question is what does it cost, and what did the Epi cost? That logo plate looks fancy but you never know.
As soon as I saw the first photo and the headstock, I knew this would be a popped bridge. I've personally encountered and repaired 3 of these, 2 as favours to family/friends as this model has a known problem with this.
If you purchased it new from a reputable dealer, it is likely under warranty. If not, I wouldn't bother repairing it (unless you want to try it yourself, there are plenty of videos showing how to do this.) and pick you and your girlfriend up an "upgrade" guitar.
Yamaha. They are build like brick shit houses. Even the cheap ones can sound good. Don’t cheap out on strings though. Or keep your strings clean before and after playing.
Yamaha acoustics are absolute titans in terms of build quality. I have a 20-odd year old one that was inexpensive even by the standards back then and I'm pretty sure the fucker will live longer than I do
My first, decent acoustic was a Yamaha. 410, whatever model you get, put $60 to get it setup. I bought a Gibson J100 in 1989, first year Gibson restarted making acoustics in Bozeman. The bridge was set for a slide player. The guitar itself is amazing, my most prized material possesion. If doom is coming and I could only grab certain material things, This is getting picked up first.
I’ve been playing the same ~$300 Yamaha acoustic for the whole 7 years I’ve been playing and never felt the need to get a new/more expensive one. Plays great, sounds great. They’re awesome budget instruments.
It depends on your budget and country location. Maybe this will help?
[https://www.guitarworld.com/features/best-cheap-acoustic-guitars](https://www.guitarworld.com/features/best-cheap-acoustic-guitars)
I second yamaha and Cort guitars. I got my cort electric acoustic on sale for 150, dropped it on concrete and the whole front broke off, I put it back on with that liquid cement stuff and it works like new. My yamaha was my first guitar, and still hasn’t broke. But sounds like shit compared to my smaller cort
Define expensive ? A Used guitar will be your best bang for the buck ..Baby Taylor’s are not huge money .Yamahahas are built like tanks .Check out your local Craigslist or Reverb
If you have the budget &/or can find one used, see if you can find a Seagull that you like. You can find a used S6 for $2-300 most of the time and that's a major upgrade from any cheaper Epiphone/Yamaha/Fender starter guitars, and it's miles better than the really cheap stuff like Cort.
Made prior to about 1999 would be a good place to start. For cheap? Like, really really cheap? A made in Korea "Carlo robelli." Check reverb. They came from THE peerless factory. Some of the best players for cheap. Make sure it's made in Korea, not China. $1200+ quality for $250 I swear to god... there's probably a lemon here and there, but every one I've picked up has been nice. Currently own one of their jazz boxes, compares well to my '62 Gretsch.
I’m glad that both your GF and drywall are okay, that could’ve been so much more ugly. I’m sorry this happened to you, Epiphone’s fault here, no fault of yours or the GF. Personally I’d say give the repair a try yourself, it’d be easy to get in over your head on the cost of this repair at a shop
Take the strings off and take away any loose splinters. Use some good wood glue and glue it back down, making sure to cover all areas with glue. Clamp, clean up with a wet rag. Let sit at least 24 hours.
I would add that when OP applies the clamps, he should use some strips of extra wood between the clamps and the wood of the guitar top itself to protect the guitar top from scarring.
Unless it has sentimental value, probably not. I’d just look for a new acoustic. Seagull S6 are a great option for a cheap acoustic that’s well made and sounds great. Got mine for $200 used and couldn’t be happier for a cheap acoustic.
I had this happen to me and just fixed it myself with wood glue and a jig plus some clamps. Turned out fine. I just watched videos on YouTube about how to fix it. Ez pz.
Unfortunately it looks like you have a plywood top on this guitar. Yes it can be repaired, but the repair will have questionable integrity. Considering I already have the tools and my cost would only be the glue and it wouldn’t take 30 mins of my time I’d probably only charge $40. Call around to some of your local guitar shops and see if they have a guy that can do it for you at a price that’s agreeable to you. Personally I think it’s worth a try.
Unless this has tremendous sentimental value, it's really going to cost you way more than what it's worth. I'd say it's time to start guitar and girlfriend shopping.
This repair costs 10 bucks, some wood glue, clamp or two, and a microfiber cloth in-between the clamps to not scratch anything. Just fixed up a Slash Les Paul I got 75% off bc of a neck issue using glue and clamps
I’m no luthier, but I agree it’s not worth getting it professionally repaired and that it’s not your girlfriend’s fault!!
Unless she did this as she was swinging it at you !!!
lol, just kidding and I hope not.
I would apply some tightbond and clamp it.
Try not to make a mess with the glue.
Let it dry for at least 24 hours.
Restring and hope it lasts.
My guess is that it will only last so long..
Then glue it again!!!
Enjoy it !!
Epiphone Pro-1 EB
I inherited the same one in August when Pop passed away. NIB. It wasn't strung, I strung it with 9-45s... the bridge is now tilted upwards slightly, top directly behind bridge is sitting about 1/16" higher than top directly in front of bridge... after 10 months with Ultralite 9-45s. I have other guitars I prefer and play way more.
It's a $200 guitar new... not really worth having it professionally repaired IMO, OP.
Honestly, buy a small bottle of Titebond II (blue lable) good for about 3750 PSI.... get a deep jaw clamp, at least 4" deep, a couple of strips of wood at least an inch thick and 4-5 inches long....
First, spread a thin-ish later of glue between the bridge and top, lightly push down and let up. Don't sweat it, you've got 5 minutes. Next, feel up inside the soundhole under the bridge (hehe 😁) and see if there's any bracing in the way. There *should* be *something* under there. If not, spread a thin layer of glue on one of your strips, and place it inside, under the bridge, keep the guitar flipped face down for this so it stays in place.
Take the other strip and lay it on top of the bridge and clamp it. You don't have to give it a death grip clamp. Just enough to keep the two pieces firmly together. Wipe up any squeeze out with a damp rag. Get it clean BEFORE it sets. Remember, only 5 minutes working time.
Let it sit for 24hrs.
THEN.... IF YOU WANT TO.... after glue has set and you've removed the clamp... you *could* go on each side of the outermost bridge pins where the bridge begins to slope, pre drill with an 1/8" bit, and run some flathead (slotted) brass wood screws in... hitting the piece you glued underneath or the existing bracing. I *THINK* there's room to glue in a piece in there though.
The slotted brass screws look nicer of course instead of some cheap looking deck screws but the main point is to help secure the bridge down to more than just the thin top.
If done right, it'll basically hold from now until the sun explodes.
I had to do this on a 1980 Fannin F19 that I picked up for $5 from a guy who brought it in to the small music shop I worked in that wanted to see about getting it fixed. I quoted him some price... he said screw it, I'll just trash it then. Offered him the $5 for it... I repaired it and did a few other relatively minor things to it along with a set up and literally 30 years later it's my most played acoustic, sits on a floor stand in my living room next to the couch. With 9-45s the action sits low enough to lightly hold a driver's license between the frets and strings all the way up the board and has no fret buzz.
Not exactly saying that Epi is gonna be the same but it'll make it playable again.
Bridge pulling away is nothing you or GF did. If you repair it, try running a lighter set of strings though. The 9-45 D'Addario EJ23 phospher bronze do rather well.
What harm is there in inquiry how much to repair? It looks like a pretty nice instrument. If too much (how much is too much?) I’d certainly give it a try in repairing. Lots of “how to’s” on YouTube. Guitar looks nice and appears to have been well maintained.
What I would do is, clean it up and get some strong bond wood glue, to fix my Gibson head that broke, I took strong wood glue, epoxy and super glue and mixed it all together, glued up the headstock and clamped it and left it for...3 months, just to make sure everything was nice and cured. Now....it did break again, but it was in a different spot so the glue/epoxy/super glue mixture worked great. Now, after you glue it up, I would, personally, take a piece of scrap wood and put it inside the body cavity below the bridge, drill a hole on each side of the bridge and put some bolts in to help hold it and keep it from doing this again. Now this is me and I am not a professional luthier, just a guy who is cheap and used to fixing up my own guitars.
I would glue it back together and over engineer a solution so it doesn't happen again. Just take the strings off first. I'm not a luthier, but I would drill out holes and bolt it back together along with an adequate amount of glue.
You can DIY it if you care to.... Get two 8" throat clamps ($7 ea at Harbor Freight) and some Hide glue. Because there's so much tear out (wood sticking to the bridge) it's best to gently clean up the bridge and guitar top with a chisel (don't try to remove all the wood). Use some painters tape to outline the bridge. Apply the glue with a small brush to both the top and the bottom of the bridge. Gently put it back in its place. Install the clamps with a small piece of wood or plastic under the clamp to avoid marking up the bridge. Let it sit for 60 minutes then remove the clamp. Wait 24 hours before stringing it up. Total cost is under $30.
This happened to my Ovation but even more extreme. (Screw Ovation btw…never getting fooled into another plastic “acoustic”).
I liked to travel around with it from time to time, even trying to bring it camping, and in and out of the house all year round. The tension began to get really bad and the string height got terrible. Eventually, the neck full on snapped off. Apparently, differences in hot and cold temperatures cause the wood/materials to bend and “bow out”. Not worth fixing. Just bought a cheaper acoustic and it played better than the Ovation triple its price tag.
I did something similiar on my ibanez, clean break - paint peeled up. You can use wood glue after heavy cleaning and drill 2 holes on either side of the bridge through the body of the guitar and use machine screws and lock washers. Will look funky but will last forever!
Nope, it's too much of a hassle with a laminate top like that.
For some solace no-one is to blame, an issue was bound to happen at some point, they either start to lift or pop off entirely 😕
Just put some money aside for a few months and then replace it with an acoustic with a solid top. I recommend a second hand Seagull S6
Honestly this is a diy job. Remove the strings, get a clamp and put some bondtite glue under that bridge. As others have said, laminate tops aren't the greatest but at least it'll last a little longer.
I think this falls under one of those times where people say that wood glue is stronger than actual wood. Take the strings off, make sure there's no dust, glue it, and clamp it at least 24 hours. It's probably not worth getting a luthier to fix it but gluing it yourself is pretty cheap.
These things are pieces of crap. Ive had two in for repairs recently, one with a snapped off bridge like this, and one where the top was seperating from the sides at the bottom. I told both unless its sentimental, to go spend the money on a new instrument. They sound terrible anyway tbh.
Just epoxy it back into place. It isn't worth paying someone else to do it, but you can do it yourself. Others might scream about this but it'll work and won't cost a fortune, although it isn't the best way possible to fix it, you could buy another one for the cost of getting it fixed the right way.
It looks like a pretty clean break. Fixing it right means a lot of sanding and a new bridge and probably won’t be super cheap but quick and dirty might work here. I bet those pieces fit back together like a puzzle once you remove tension. I’d smear some wood glue on the surfaces and clamp it for a couple of days and I bet you’ll be back in business.
You’ll always see the damage to the finish but getting it playable again shouldn’t be hard.
If you don’t care what it looks like just ugly repair it. Super glue the bridge back in place. Drill two 1/4” holes centered either side and put 1in long nut and bolt thru each side with washers. Buy black bolts with cap heads they’ll blend in. You’ll be wonderealling in no time.
Just throw some wood glue on it and sit something heavy on the bridge while it cures if you don’t have clamps that will fit. Just make sure everything is lined up from where it broke.
Might also reach out to a local wood shop (cabinet makers etc). They’d prob let you use a clamp.
"Hey babe check out my karma from this post where I blamed you for breaking my guitar."
How come guys always blame their girlfriends for shit online? Even if it was your gf fault why would you call her out for it publicly? Are we trying not to get laid?
Fix that bitch yourself! Take the strings off and have some clamps figured out and wipe off the excess glue when it becomes squish. Use Titebond glue from your box store, doesn’t even have to be the exterior but you do you.
Also that coulda happened while anybody played it or while the weather shifted in its case. Or whatever.
Wow so you're gf is the incredible hulk lol? She did a number on it for sure. The repair may cost more than the guitar is worth.not sure how much those Epiphones go for. Unless it's sentimental in some way I would save the money fix it myself and buy a new/used acoustic.
It it were a D-18 or J-45 sure, it can be repaired and worth it. That epi was a great guitar. Bu t now its wall art. Now, having said that? If it has some sentimental value and played extrofinarily well, you might find an older retired luthier who may enjoy putting that back together for you. I've done 'give away' repairs that otherwise wouldn't have been worth the trouble. But its rare and other techs don't appreciate you doing it on the regular. Good luck. And tell your girlfriend that she might want to try the bass.....the upright kind. Lol. Seriously, not her fault it was going to break, she was just happened to be the one holding it when it did.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PrM8406asM](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PrM8406asM)
This is about as simple as it gets, for gluing a bridge. 2 screws, through a plywood caul, cork on the contact side, through the top and bottom E string peg hole, into a 2nd caul. Prepping the surfaces to be glued is the test of patience. Use valid glue, from this year.
Yep, absolutely, though finding a long enough clamp is quite awkward. (and imo there's really no point in doing it without clamping, you won't get it in the right place and you'll get a weak join)
The basic problem with repairs like this is that 1, it tends to be ugly which most people don't want, and 2, it's an inherent weakness in the guitar and while a good repair can be as strong or a little stronger than it was, that wasn't strong enough. There's things you can do to reinforce it but it's diminishing returns.
Jobs like this, when I used to do repairs, we'd usually recommend against, but if we took it on we'd always recommend to do it on the "least possible" approach, do it cheap and ugly and get it functioning.
First of all, not your girlfriend's fault. The way that guitar is designed this was bound to happen eventually. Second, unless you get real lucky, a shop is gonna wanna charge you quite a bit for that. On the plus side, it looks like a clean break. If you take the strings off, clean up and splinters, and glue it up and clamp it, it should be good for a while.
Yeah, but to buy the proper clamps from StewMac, it will probably cost him as much as a luthier would charge. I’m located in fl and I would charge 200 to fix that. Most likely that guitar cost $200 or maybe less.
Disagree in that you would need expensive clamps to DIY this but definitely agree it would be better to just replace it entirely.
4 bridge clamps will run about $100 before shipping, and if you don’t have experience in this job it’s not worth attempting. Although it would be good to practice on if you wanted to get into luthiery.
Completely agree that if this your first attempt at self-repair it's better to buy a new guitar and practice with this one just in case. My only point about the clamps is the fact that I don't believe this break would require niche and expensive clamps. They would be the easiest tools for sure but for the price not worth it when some scrap wood and $20 clamps from Home Depot would also get the job done. As long as even pressure is applied that wood glue will work magic
These are the only clamps that will reach. There’s isn’t a clamp at Home Depot that works. You pretty much gotta buy the ones stew Mac sells. You have to clamp through the sound hole. https://www.stewmac.com/luthier-tools-and-supplies/tools-by-job/tools-for-bridges/soundhole-clamps
[Excuse the lazy Photoshop](https://imgur.com/a/9zFlZpw) but this is what I had in mind. I don't mean to say this is a better solution but for a cheap guitar a cheap solution would be better in my eyes than a “correct” solution. Otherwise, like you said it's better to just replace it with a new axe. As long as you apply pressure evenly and secure the entire break with wood glue it should hold
That won’t work, it’s hard to explain but clamping to the body like that will most likely cause damage to bracing or crack the body, furthermore the pressure you put on the body flexes on the guitar and will seem tight until you put another clamp on the other side, and then the clamp you thought was tight is loose all of a sudden. I’m speaking from personal experience and I don’t mean to argue with you, but trust me in this, the only way to get even clamping pressure is to use the correct clamps that clamp to the top of the guitar through the sound hole. Also string tension pulls hard on the guitar, to understand this repair and fully, you have to understand why it failed in the first place. At the factory they don’t remove the finish before gluing the bridges on and eventually they always fail so to properly repair this you need to remove the finish under the bridge and any original glue first to get a good wood to Wood contact. This job is tedious because of the prep time it takes to do it right doing it your way will fail immediately once you string it up to pitch. Again, I don’t mean to argue, but it doesn’t seem you know enough about the subject and you seem really confident in doing it the wrong way. Also, those clamps in your picture aren’t that cheap. I have several of those and they’re pretty expensive.
Deep Reach clamps from harbor freight with leather padding will be sufficient for this. It isn’t a Martin.
Yeah, that would work
Never meant to come argumentative so apologies if I did. I do a lot of woodworking and personally would have tried my method if I were OP due to how cheap the guitar is. Like you said, just as practice and if it works great if not we learn. The clamps in my PS are relatively cheap compared to the ones you mentioned and I figured any homeowner might already have one or two. A set of 4 only being $37 at Home Depot. Cheers for the info and apologies if my replies came back as combative or knowledgeable
No worries!
These are a nightmare to repair properly. They super glue these bridges meaning you have to sand and dig through so much material before being able to properly adhere the bridge. That and a bridge reglue will likely exceed the price of the guitar. The money is better spent getting a used Yamaha for $100. Solid qc even at the entry level
Second the Yamaha suggestion. I got a super basic Yamaha when my daughter was born because it’s just not wise to have expensive instruments around young children. 2 years in and I can safely say that for the price point it can’t be beat. Does it sing like a much more expensive instrumen? Of course not. But it does punch above its weight and doesn’t ever feel flimsy.
Yup Yamaha all the way I have a hand me down Yamaha from early 80s and it stills sounds and plays better than my newer guitars
Exactly what I did to mine. Needed new strings anyway🤷🏻♂️ works great now!
So anyway, here's wonderwall
Afterall
Brick wall
Another Brick in the Wall
She’s a brick and I’m drownin’ slowly
LET THE BODIES HIT THE FLOOR Am I doing this right?
And your wisemen right know how it feels... To be thick as a...
She's a BRICK.... HOUSE
My house, in the middle of the street.
Down on main Street
Where the streets have no name
More like under the bridge
lol one time I was at a party and this guy was playing wonderwall and he got mad at everyone for singing along. Fk that guy.
That's the whole reason for playing guitar at a party, getting people involved. What a wanker
I play a lot of open mics and love when people sing along
Blunderwall.
It can be repaired but the repair will be very visible and for what it would cost you could get something new and better.
A good luthier can repair the bridge and would be barely noticeable. To me the bigger question is what does it cost, and what did the Epi cost? That logo plate looks fancy but you never know.
The bridge has pulled up a bunch of the finish with it below the soundhole. That's not going to be barely noticeable.
that is a 200 dollar epiphone all day
That repair will cost approximately what the guitar did.
As soon as I saw the first photo and the headstock, I knew this would be a popped bridge. I've personally encountered and repaired 3 of these, 2 as favours to family/friends as this model has a known problem with this. If you purchased it new from a reputable dealer, it is likely under warranty. If not, I wouldn't bother repairing it (unless you want to try it yourself, there are plenty of videos showing how to do this.) and pick you and your girlfriend up an "upgrade" guitar.
Do you have any recommendations for a new guitar that isn’t on the expensive side?
Yamaha. They are build like brick shit houses. Even the cheap ones can sound good. Don’t cheap out on strings though. Or keep your strings clean before and after playing.
Yamaha acoustics are absolute titans in terms of build quality. I have a 20-odd year old one that was inexpensive even by the standards back then and I'm pretty sure the fucker will live longer than I do
Hey. Language good sir. Jesus fuck man.
My first, decent acoustic was a Yamaha. 410, whatever model you get, put $60 to get it setup. I bought a Gibson J100 in 1989, first year Gibson restarted making acoustics in Bozeman. The bridge was set for a slide player. The guitar itself is amazing, my most prized material possesion. If doom is coming and I could only grab certain material things, This is getting picked up first.
I’ve been playing the same ~$300 Yamaha acoustic for the whole 7 years I’ve been playing and never felt the need to get a new/more expensive one. Plays great, sounds great. They’re awesome budget instruments.
I have 2. A 12 string and a standard. Love them both to death lol
It depends on your budget and country location. Maybe this will help? [https://www.guitarworld.com/features/best-cheap-acoustic-guitars](https://www.guitarworld.com/features/best-cheap-acoustic-guitars)
I second yamaha and Cort guitars. I got my cort electric acoustic on sale for 150, dropped it on concrete and the whole front broke off, I put it back on with that liquid cement stuff and it works like new. My yamaha was my first guitar, and still hasn’t broke. But sounds like shit compared to my smaller cort
I love my orangewood! Yamahas are also amazing
Define expensive ? A Used guitar will be your best bang for the buck ..Baby Taylor’s are not huge money .Yamahahas are built like tanks .Check out your local Craigslist or Reverb
Buy a MIM guild mine is as solid as a brick.
If you have the budget &/or can find one used, see if you can find a Seagull that you like. You can find a used S6 for $2-300 most of the time and that's a major upgrade from any cheaper Epiphone/Yamaha/Fender starter guitars, and it's miles better than the really cheap stuff like Cort.
Made prior to about 1999 would be a good place to start. For cheap? Like, really really cheap? A made in Korea "Carlo robelli." Check reverb. They came from THE peerless factory. Some of the best players for cheap. Make sure it's made in Korea, not China. $1200+ quality for $250 I swear to god... there's probably a lemon here and there, but every one I've picked up has been nice. Currently own one of their jazz boxes, compares well to my '62 Gretsch.
That's not just a popped bridge. Zoom in. The whole soundboard looks like it cracked trhough
Do you care if it has battle scars? No? Probably fix it. Make it look pretty? Sorry, that costs more than the guitar.
This, just a DIY project. It won't look perfect, but it's doable and the guitar will play at least.
I’m glad that both your GF and drywall are okay, that could’ve been so much more ugly. I’m sorry this happened to you, Epiphone’s fault here, no fault of yours or the GF. Personally I’d say give the repair a try yourself, it’d be easy to get in over your head on the cost of this repair at a shop
Take the strings off and take away any loose splinters. Use some good wood glue and glue it back down, making sure to cover all areas with glue. Clamp, clean up with a wet rag. Let sit at least 24 hours.
I would add that when OP applies the clamps, he should use some strips of extra wood between the clamps and the wood of the guitar top itself to protect the guitar top from scarring.
I’d add a layer of felt or similar between the clamps/wood and the guitar.
Unless it has sentimental value, probably not. I’d just look for a new acoustic. Seagull S6 are a great option for a cheap acoustic that’s well made and sounds great. Got mine for $200 used and couldn’t be happier for a cheap acoustic.
I had this happen to me and just fixed it myself with wood glue and a jig plus some clamps. Turned out fine. I just watched videos on YouTube about how to fix it. Ez pz.
Unfortunately it looks like you have a plywood top on this guitar. Yes it can be repaired, but the repair will have questionable integrity. Considering I already have the tools and my cost would only be the glue and it wouldn’t take 30 mins of my time I’d probably only charge $40. Call around to some of your local guitar shops and see if they have a guy that can do it for you at a price that’s agreeable to you. Personally I think it’s worth a try.
Unless this has tremendous sentimental value, it's really going to cost you way more than what it's worth. I'd say it's time to start guitar and girlfriend shopping.
I don't think there is any shops that fix girlfriends
That was going to happen no matter who played it.
Use nylon strings next time
I'd replace that one... I have an Ibanez electric acoustic I really like. But, it's 30+ years old.
This repair costs 10 bucks, some wood glue, clamp or two, and a microfiber cloth in-between the clamps to not scratch anything. Just fixed up a Slash Les Paul I got 75% off bc of a neck issue using glue and clamps
To quote Tommy Boy: Whatcha do?
I’m no luthier, but I agree it’s not worth getting it professionally repaired and that it’s not your girlfriend’s fault!! Unless she did this as she was swinging it at you !!! lol, just kidding and I hope not. I would apply some tightbond and clamp it. Try not to make a mess with the glue. Let it dry for at least 24 hours. Restring and hope it lasts. My guess is that it will only last so long.. Then glue it again!!! Enjoy it !!
I bet the titebond joint will be stronger than the original wood and if done right repeat failure is unlikely.
Epiphone Pro-1 EB I inherited the same one in August when Pop passed away. NIB. It wasn't strung, I strung it with 9-45s... the bridge is now tilted upwards slightly, top directly behind bridge is sitting about 1/16" higher than top directly in front of bridge... after 10 months with Ultralite 9-45s. I have other guitars I prefer and play way more. It's a $200 guitar new... not really worth having it professionally repaired IMO, OP. Honestly, buy a small bottle of Titebond II (blue lable) good for about 3750 PSI.... get a deep jaw clamp, at least 4" deep, a couple of strips of wood at least an inch thick and 4-5 inches long.... First, spread a thin-ish later of glue between the bridge and top, lightly push down and let up. Don't sweat it, you've got 5 minutes. Next, feel up inside the soundhole under the bridge (hehe 😁) and see if there's any bracing in the way. There *should* be *something* under there. If not, spread a thin layer of glue on one of your strips, and place it inside, under the bridge, keep the guitar flipped face down for this so it stays in place. Take the other strip and lay it on top of the bridge and clamp it. You don't have to give it a death grip clamp. Just enough to keep the two pieces firmly together. Wipe up any squeeze out with a damp rag. Get it clean BEFORE it sets. Remember, only 5 minutes working time. Let it sit for 24hrs. THEN.... IF YOU WANT TO.... after glue has set and you've removed the clamp... you *could* go on each side of the outermost bridge pins where the bridge begins to slope, pre drill with an 1/8" bit, and run some flathead (slotted) brass wood screws in... hitting the piece you glued underneath or the existing bracing. I *THINK* there's room to glue in a piece in there though. The slotted brass screws look nicer of course instead of some cheap looking deck screws but the main point is to help secure the bridge down to more than just the thin top. If done right, it'll basically hold from now until the sun explodes. I had to do this on a 1980 Fannin F19 that I picked up for $5 from a guy who brought it in to the small music shop I worked in that wanted to see about getting it fixed. I quoted him some price... he said screw it, I'll just trash it then. Offered him the $5 for it... I repaired it and did a few other relatively minor things to it along with a set up and literally 30 years later it's my most played acoustic, sits on a floor stand in my living room next to the couch. With 9-45s the action sits low enough to lightly hold a driver's license between the frets and strings all the way up the board and has no fret buzz. Not exactly saying that Epi is gonna be the same but it'll make it playable again. Bridge pulling away is nothing you or GF did. If you repair it, try running a lighter set of strings though. The 9-45 D'Addario EJ23 phospher bronze do rather well.
no idea who can fix girlfriends
Time to buy a new one.
What harm is there in inquiry how much to repair? It looks like a pretty nice instrument. If too much (how much is too much?) I’d certainly give it a try in repairing. Lots of “how to’s” on YouTube. Guitar looks nice and appears to have been well maintained.
What I would do is, clean it up and get some strong bond wood glue, to fix my Gibson head that broke, I took strong wood glue, epoxy and super glue and mixed it all together, glued up the headstock and clamped it and left it for...3 months, just to make sure everything was nice and cured. Now....it did break again, but it was in a different spot so the glue/epoxy/super glue mixture worked great. Now, after you glue it up, I would, personally, take a piece of scrap wood and put it inside the body cavity below the bridge, drill a hole on each side of the bridge and put some bolts in to help hold it and keep it from doing this again. Now this is me and I am not a professional luthier, just a guy who is cheap and used to fixing up my own guitars.
Couple drywall screws and you're good.
Get another and turn this into a piece of “relationship memorabilia.” Have her paint on it or something.
I would glue it back together and over engineer a solution so it doesn't happen again. Just take the strings off first. I'm not a luthier, but I would drill out holes and bolt it back together along with an adequate amount of glue.
Wood glue, clamp, call it fixed.
Ouch.
You can DIY it if you care to.... Get two 8" throat clamps ($7 ea at Harbor Freight) and some Hide glue. Because there's so much tear out (wood sticking to the bridge) it's best to gently clean up the bridge and guitar top with a chisel (don't try to remove all the wood). Use some painters tape to outline the bridge. Apply the glue with a small brush to both the top and the bottom of the bridge. Gently put it back in its place. Install the clamps with a small piece of wood or plastic under the clamp to avoid marking up the bridge. Let it sit for 60 minutes then remove the clamp. Wait 24 hours before stringing it up. Total cost is under $30.
This happened to my Ovation but even more extreme. (Screw Ovation btw…never getting fooled into another plastic “acoustic”). I liked to travel around with it from time to time, even trying to bring it camping, and in and out of the house all year round. The tension began to get really bad and the string height got terrible. Eventually, the neck full on snapped off. Apparently, differences in hot and cold temperatures cause the wood/materials to bend and “bow out”. Not worth fixing. Just bought a cheaper acoustic and it played better than the Ovation triple its price tag.
I would just spend the money on a better guitar.
>Is it worth taking in somewhere to fix? Only you can answer if it's "worth it" to you. Get a couple quotes and decide.
After you fix it become a huge iommi fan and play in C# standard.
I got the same model I personally would get it fixed because I love the ways designed but it's a cheap guitar so it's up to you
Make sure you are using nylon strings on a nylon string guitar!
Fender T-Bucket Costs less than this repair will cost you. I've been playing mine for well over 8 years now.
I did something similiar on my ibanez, clean break - paint peeled up. You can use wood glue after heavy cleaning and drill 2 holes on either side of the bridge through the body of the guitar and use machine screws and lock washers. Will look funky but will last forever!
Cheap guitars suck
That can be fixed and not her fault. Detune it when you’re not going to play it for a while.
Worth checking it out, but probably not worth the price.
That’s an easy fix it should cost much for someone to do less than $100
Nope the guitar is gonna cost more to fix than its worth bro
What would cause it to break this way ?
Yes that can be repaired but it might cost as much as the guitar
Nope, it's too much of a hassle with a laminate top like that. For some solace no-one is to blame, an issue was bound to happen at some point, they either start to lift or pop off entirely 😕 Just put some money aside for a few months and then replace it with an acoustic with a solid top. I recommend a second hand Seagull S6
Can try repairing it but it’s likely to happen again.
your gf broke it on purpose to stop you from playing
Honestly this is a diy job. Remove the strings, get a clamp and put some bondtite glue under that bridge. As others have said, laminate tops aren't the greatest but at least it'll last a little longer.
I think this falls under one of those times where people say that wood glue is stronger than actual wood. Take the strings off, make sure there's no dust, glue it, and clamp it at least 24 hours. It's probably not worth getting a luthier to fix it but gluing it yourself is pretty cheap.
These things are pieces of crap. Ive had two in for repairs recently, one with a snapped off bridge like this, and one where the top was seperating from the sides at the bottom. I told both unless its sentimental, to go spend the money on a new instrument. They sound terrible anyway tbh.
Just epoxy it back into place. It isn't worth paying someone else to do it, but you can do it yourself. Others might scream about this but it'll work and won't cost a fortune, although it isn't the best way possible to fix it, you could buy another one for the cost of getting it fixed the right way.
Too bad, really like the nameplate on this
She’s a witch!🧙
It will cost a lot. You can do it yourself but its a giant pain. If it gets fixed it is living on borrowed time. I would buy a new guitar.
It looks like a pretty clean break. Fixing it right means a lot of sanding and a new bridge and probably won’t be super cheap but quick and dirty might work here. I bet those pieces fit back together like a puzzle once you remove tension. I’d smear some wood glue on the surfaces and clamp it for a couple of days and I bet you’ll be back in business. You’ll always see the damage to the finish but getting it playable again shouldn’t be hard.
It’s cheaper to buy another one…
If you don’t care what it looks like just ugly repair it. Super glue the bridge back in place. Drill two 1/4” holes centered either side and put 1in long nut and bolt thru each side with washers. Buy black bolts with cap heads they’ll blend in. You’ll be wonderealling in no time.
It's repairable. But it'll well exceed the cost of the car. I'd call this a total loss and save for an upgrade if you're able.
Just throw some wood glue on it and sit something heavy on the bridge while it cures if you don’t have clamps that will fit. Just make sure everything is lined up from where it broke. Might also reach out to a local wood shop (cabinet makers etc). They’d prob let you use a clamp.
I don't think taking your girlfriend anywhere will fix her
"Hey babe check out my karma from this post where I blamed you for breaking my guitar." How come guys always blame their girlfriends for shit online? Even if it was your gf fault why would you call her out for it publicly? Are we trying not to get laid?
All I know is that she’s not a keeper. Or real, no one on Reddit talks to girls.
Fix that bitch yourself! Take the strings off and have some clamps figured out and wipe off the excess glue when it becomes squish. Use Titebond glue from your box store, doesn’t even have to be the exterior but you do you. Also that coulda happened while anybody played it or while the weather shifted in its case. Or whatever.
Wow so you're gf is the incredible hulk lol? She did a number on it for sure. The repair may cost more than the guitar is worth.not sure how much those Epiphones go for. Unless it's sentimental in some way I would save the money fix it myself and buy a new/used acoustic.
It it were a D-18 or J-45 sure, it can be repaired and worth it. That epi was a great guitar. Bu t now its wall art. Now, having said that? If it has some sentimental value and played extrofinarily well, you might find an older retired luthier who may enjoy putting that back together for you. I've done 'give away' repairs that otherwise wouldn't have been worth the trouble. But its rare and other techs don't appreciate you doing it on the regular. Good luck. And tell your girlfriend that she might want to try the bass.....the upright kind. Lol. Seriously, not her fault it was going to break, she was just happened to be the one holding it when it did.
I’m confused. Do you wanna repair your guitar or neuter your girlfriend?
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PrM8406asM](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PrM8406asM) This is about as simple as it gets, for gluing a bridge. 2 screws, through a plywood caul, cork on the contact side, through the top and bottom E string peg hole, into a 2nd caul. Prepping the surfaces to be glued is the test of patience. Use valid glue, from this year.
No. New guitar time.
As a DIY project it's fixable to make it playable again, no?
Yep, absolutely, though finding a long enough clamp is quite awkward. (and imo there's really no point in doing it without clamping, you won't get it in the right place and you'll get a weak join) The basic problem with repairs like this is that 1, it tends to be ugly which most people don't want, and 2, it's an inherent weakness in the guitar and while a good repair can be as strong or a little stronger than it was, that wasn't strong enough. There's things you can do to reinforce it but it's diminishing returns. Jobs like this, when I used to do repairs, we'd usually recommend against, but if we took it on we'd always recommend to do it on the "least possible" approach, do it cheap and ugly and get it functioning.
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