acoustic bridge replacement help!

[super rad stuff]

ok, so i got this tak from beandip a while ago:

as you can tell by that last pic, the bridge is pretty much in disrepair. at first i sanded off the bridge's the paint and put some epoxy in there, but it still split back open. now, i just want to replace it and not have to deal with it anymore. so pretty much i just need a walkthrough of how to remove a bridge, and what kind of glue i need to put a new one on. a nice bonus would be a link to where i could get an acoustic bridge for cheaper than the one at stewmac

help's appreciated

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: acoustic bridge replacement help!

In your situation, I would be asking myself WHY has the bridge cracked like that?

Any chance of a side-on photograph of the top of the guitar, please? It would be interesting to see whether it is flat, domed or otherwise distorted?

 

[David Collins]

Re: acoustic bridge replacement help!

It cracked because tour bridge plate is toast, which is ultimately caused by those wonderful, slotted plastic pins we use. Replacing that bridge is a bit different from others, as it has an adjustable saddle mechanism (pop out those perloid dots at the ends of the saddle and you'll find two screws).

No quick and easy fix that will be reliable there. If it came in to my shop I would be quoting you for about $320 in work to make a new custom bridge, repair the bridge plate, and perhaps more, depending on the condition of the top beneath the bridge. Of course it would only be an abstract quote, as I wouldn't actually do the work, as the guitar isn't worth having it professionally done.

I'd say it's a wall-hanger, or something to put up on ebay under the "parts guitar" or "project guitar" description. You've already tried the quick fix, and as could be predicted, it didn't hold (largely because you probably didn't address the source of the problem, which was the bridge plate). Re-repairing it the same quick way probably isn't going to yield much better results. At this point you're looking at having to custom make a replacement bridge, as acoustic guitars are not like electrics, where you can just buy modular components to replace and expect them to fit together well.

You could of course just get some average generic acoustic bridge, do some plugging of all the holes under the saddle, and probably the pin holes as well, cap the bridge plate, make a new saddle (the old pickup system wouldn't be compatible with this), etc... Lot's of work to put in to a guitar like that, lot's to learn about how to properly remove a bridge (especially one that's had an epoxy quick-fix), how to prepare the top and fit the new bridge, etc, etc....

I say sell it, smash it for stage effects, or toss it on the sacrificial bon fire. If you really want to repair it for the sake of learning how to do repairs, that's fine. It's not worth the cost or effort to repair it for the sake of preserving the instrument though.

 

[super rad stuff]

Re: acoustic bridge replacement help!

^thanks, i didn't know that. well, knowing this i just stripped out the electronics sans preamp, so the bridge is ready to be taken out. i think:scratchch

what do i need to do to take it off?

edit: the bridge as it is(sorry for the lame cell-phone quality pic)

 

[super rad stuff]

Re: acoustic bridge replacement help!

btw i definitely intend to replace the bridge, i'm just not sure if i'll be able to fit the old electronics in there.

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: acoustic bridge replacement help!

Usual process for removal involves applying heat to soften the glue that fastens the bridge into position.

I am inclined to agree with DC. The repair is not economically viable. The smart choice is to carefully remove the electronics and whatever remains of the undersaddle pickup. Stash these away for a future project.

 

[super rad stuff]

Re: acoustic bridge replacement help!

^i did take the electronics out

honestly, i just traded my dot for this so i could sell this thing, but the durned bridge has been a problem the whole time. even if i can't get the electronics back in, it'll still be worth more with a fixed bridge and no electronics than with electronics and a bum bridge.

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: acoustic bridge replacement help!

In that case, get some masking tape, a sharp pencil and a ruler. You will need to mark up the alignment of the original bridge saddle so that the replacement will match up exactly.

The hardest part of reinstalling the electronics will be getting the undersaddle pickup to sit just so. This is a skilled task. It is the reason why DC quoted a hypothetical repair charge of over three hundred dollars.

Erm, maybe you oughta ask Beandip for a price quotation?

 

[David Collins]

Re: acoustic bridge replacement help!

The problem is that if the repair were professionally done, the repairs would cost more than the complete final value of the instrument. If you do the repairs yourself, this is not a simple job that anyone should expect to get great results with on their first attempt.

If you want to go through with it, a simple how-to is not easily fit in to a forum post. I'm sure there are plenty of bridge reglue tutorials on places like Frets.com or other forums (I've probably posted a few here and there). I don't know what tools you currently have access to, but you would likely need to invest in some tools and materials. It's going to take a decent investment in time, all with the consideration that you can't be entirely sure of the final results if you've never done it before. It's certainly not a quick or simple task to do properly. This is why I think it would be a fine candidate for learning on if you want to do so for that reason, but a rather iffy project in terms of the final product being worth the investment.

If with this all considered you feel you still want to go through with this, I would look at some other tutorials around the web. Ones that I've posted on other forums likely wouldn't be of much help, as they would probably require more investment in tooling alone than it would cost to have it professionally replaced. I'm sure there are some other somewhat acceptable quick fix approaches out there if you search though.

 

[super rad stuff]

Re: acoustic bridge replacement help!

if that's the case, then i'll just put a replacement bridge on there without the electronics, but still sell it together. if i need some specialty tools, then a complete fix/replacement is out of the question as i don't have any money to invest in that sort of thing.

that issue set aside, how would i go about just simply replacing a bridge, strictly the acoustic parts? could i just heat 'n' peel the old one and put a new one on, making sure it lines up right?

 

[David Collins]

Re: acoustic bridge replacement help!

Here is a post that shows why your bridge broke.

And here's one which though not focused on bridge replacement, at least touches on some of the aspects.

Here is Frank Ford's tutorial on basic bridge reglue methods.

Here are a few more tutorials.

Search around google or youtube, and you're sure to find dozens of other tutorials, some good, along with some inevitably really bad advice as well. None of them will be exactly what you're dealing with though, and you need to know enough not only about what to do, but why you are doing it in order to adapt your methods to the job at hand. Lot's of little details, lot's of mistakes that can be made, lot's of details that may surprise you as you take it apart, lot's of individual fires to be put out and decisions to be made. You may be able to finish it out just fine, but don't be surprised if it snowballs in to a much bigger project than expected either.

 

[Aceman]

Re: acoustic bridge replacement help!

So...was this thing broken when you got it, or did you go all Pete Townsend on it and put 13's on there?

 

[super rad stuff]

Re: acoustic bridge replacement help!

Here is a post that shows why your bridge broke.

And here's one which though not focused on bridge replacement, at least touches on some of the aspects.

Here is Frank Ford's tutorial on basic bridge reglue methods.

Here are a few more tutorials.

Search around google or youtube, and you're sure to find dozens of other tutorials, some good, along with some inevitably really bad advice as well. None of them will be exactly what you're dealing with though, and you need to know enough not only about what to do, but why you are doing it in order to adapt your methods to the job at hand. Lot's of little details, lot's of mistakes that can be made, lot's of details that may surprise you as you take it apart, lot's of individual fires to be put out and decisions to be made. You may be able to finish it out just fine, but don't be surprised if it snowballs in to a much bigger project than expected either.

thanks man, i'll try to do this as carefully as possible and try to find out as much as i can

 

[super rad stuff]

Re: acoustic bridge replacement help!

So...was this thing broken when you got it, or did you go all Pete Townsend on it and put 13's on there?

came broken, didn't go all pete townsend, but i did put 12s since that seems to be standard for an acoustic.

 

[David Collins]

Re: acoustic bridge replacement help!

If you're going to go through with it, I bet you'll be able to pull it off. Just be careful, and whatever method you use to heat the bridge remember you have a black top, which means you'll have to be extra cautious about shielding it from heat. Most epoxies will still release quite well with heat, though it can require a bit higher temperature than the PVA glue it was originally adhered with.

There's no telling what condition the top will be beneath there, but given the way it looks I would say it's probably okay, in that though it may have some deformation, it probably isn't split along holes. There will be a lot of finish in that bridge footprint that needs to be cleared though, in order to get decent wood to wood contact.

And of course you'll have to do something about the bridge plate, as without that it will just pull up again. A simple patch over the holes should work fine. Given that you'll be replacing the bridge, and there's no guarantee that the holes will line up exactly, it may be easiest just to plug the pin holes in the top and plate all together when the bridge is off, then line up the new ones to the neck when laying out the new bridge, and drill and ream the holes once the new bridge is on. A small plate cap would still be beneficial, and of course new bridge pins.

Go slow, be careful, and good luck!