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Hi Kalo,
I suspect a new saddle will get you to where you need to be, but it’s a really good idea to have the guitar physically checked out. Just in case it’s something more wrong than just humidity, like a loose brace or bridge lift (from coming unglued at the back). And even if it is something like that it’s no big deal and can be fixed. So, I wouldn’t stress too much about it and your idea to bring it in to be looked over is the right step to take.

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can you post some pictures?

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Did the tech say what the fix would be? Like a broken fan brace? Maybe it’s something you could take a stab at yourself if the alternative is to send it to the fireplace.

I think it’s worth getting it fixed for 200. Besides, I played a newer gk studio and it seemed like the bridge was even higher than the old ones

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He is going to call me with what he finds and how much it will cost. The sucky part to all of this, is he was trying to tell me that he was going to level the frets out. WTF, I asked why? I told him the guitar didn't need fret leveling...

He did say that a brace could of come loose...Also, the input jack has become loose for no apparent reason?

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Hi Kalo, I don’t know if your location allows this, but I think if you’re able to get a couple more estimates that’s a good way to proceed. Ask each person to itemize or explain what they intend to do, then you can have an idea of why there might be differences in the costs. Maybe they’ll all be very similar, which is a good thing, because it means the problem is well understood and the repair will likely be successful.

After that, a lot of the decision will come down to how much you like the guitar and what you’re willing to spend on it, at the moment. If you really enjoyed it before it started to have the problem and if it can be brought back to that state then maybe this maintenance cost is OK, even if it means the guitar now has more $$ sunk into it than you expected or than you think it’s worth. Kind of like almost every car I’ve ever owned (except one).

P.S. if the wood is dry it’s not a surprise the jack is loose. They can and do work loose anyways. This is very likely not going to be a problem to fix, it could be as simple as tightening the nut. If it’s loose because of cracked wood or something like that then that’s another matter, but you should be able to see something like that by gently wiggling it.

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I’m definitely not much of an expert, but the fret level does sound odd unless the person thinks the frets might need a hair more clearance after the bridge is re supported ? A fret level job around here cost 200 alone.

Be cool if you could get a pick through the sound hole, but let us know what the tech comes back with.


String spacing… I have really small hands like a small Asian girl. Still don’t like narrow spacing. Ricardo has said it before many times, feel is all about the action! I have wn old friend who plays a Martin steel string. I handed him my flamemco guitar with narrow string spacing and narrow neck. he complained the neck still felt wide and he wasn’t used to classical guitars. So I handed him my Sanchis with 53mm neck and wider string spacing and he said, “oh this feels better”! Lol. The action is lower

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1. Action goes down on guitars as bone wears. Assuming no humidity problem. Check bone wear.
2. Action usually raises when guitars dry out as the neck pulls forward.
3. If open strings buzz it is usually the nut wearing out, you can fix that with a shim under the nut very easily like business card stock.
4. Jacks come loose from vibration. You don’t want em too tight so you can change when they go bad. Always tighten it with a gentle twist (once you get it back to normal) everytime you are about to play.
5. Bridge sinking is a bizarre concept to me…I assume it means the dome produced by solera is expelling water and flattening out? Hard to imagine without tons of cracking at the same time, however I would say the guitar needs to stabilize first, let it dry slowly , then raise the bridge to the correct height. If there had been so much humidity going on before that the bridge actually raises, that was no good imo.
6. Fret leveling is a good thing to fix buzz if the action is correct. The humidity (of the ebony fingerboard) could actually have pushed the frets out of place a little. Check for hairline cracks along fingerboard for evidence the fingerboard shrunk.

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5. Bridge sinking is a bizarre concept to me…I assume it means the dome produced by solera is expelling water and flattening out? Hard to imagine without tons of cracking at the same time, however I would say the guitar needs to stabilize first,

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True. If the guitar gets dry than the dome can drop and lower string height, then humidity raises the dome again. Anyway Kalo, get yourself a digital humidity gauge!