Bridge reglue project: choosing a luthier options

[jfilm]

Hi all,

I've taken my guitar to a few local luthiers, and I'm not sure which way to go. The guitar's bridge is coming up and needs to be reglued, and there's a little bellying going on behind the bridge. The edges of the bridge are slightly warped since it's been lifted off of the top for some years, probably in not ideal environmental conditions. So, one luthier said he'd shave a bit off of the bottom of the bridge, and also a bit off of the top, to help with the action.

The other luthier said he would humidify the whole guitar for a few weeks, and that it should settle and he wouldn't need to shave the bridge. He said he could humidify and treat the bridge separately and even get the slight warp to straighten out.

They both said the bellying wasn't too bad, and the neck angle wasn't too bad (doesn't need a reset).

The guitar is a Guild from 1956 or 1957, and I believe the bridge is Brazilian Rosewood. Should I be concerned about shaving it down? Both luthiers seem to be highly respected, so is it a matter of one taking more time to try something before altering the bridge? Should I be worried at all about trying to preserve the original bridge? The guitar is quite rare as it was made in the original NYC factory.

They quoted about the same price for the repairs. I took it to another place that quoted a much higher price, but they didn't mention shaving off of the top of the bridge; just a bit off of the bottom to help it sit back on the top properly, and they also didn't talk at all about humidifying the guitar.

I think that no matter which one I choose, the guitar will be in good hands, but I guess I'm wondering if it's worth preserving an original Brazilian Rosewood bridge from a somewhat rare guitar. Thanks for your advice!

[Outhouse]

If the bridge is not cracked there s no reason to replace it.

Shaving will not hurt value and will help lower the action.


Humidifying the guitar does not always reduce the belly.


Without replacing the bridge plate, or using the thompsons belly reducer, any belly fix will fail fairly quickly.


So mechanically lowering bridge by shaving is a great way to lower action saving a neck reset since the belly was not that bad.

[charles Tauber]

Originally Posted by jfilm

The guitar's bridge is coming up and needs to be reglued, and there's a little bellying going on behind the bridge. The edges of the bridge are slightly warped since it's been lifted off of the top for some years, probably in not ideal environmental conditions. So, one luthier said he'd shave a bit off of the bottom of the bridge, and also a bit off of the top, to help with the action.

They both said the bellying wasn't too bad, and the neck angle wasn't too bad (doesn't need a reset).

There isn't enough information to properly advise you. Pictures are required to see how much the bridge is lifting and deformed and the amount of the bellying.

If only the very edges of the bridge are detached, and it has been that way for a long time without change, there probably isn't a need to re-glue it.

My experience is that unless the deformation of the bridge is extreme, it can usually be clamped flat when it is clamped and re-glued. Again, I'd have to see it to make that determination.

If the guitar doesn't need a neck reset, then I would question why the top of the bridge would need to be shaved. That is usually one possible remedy for a poor neck angle. If the bridge is excessively thick and impeding the tone of the instrument, that might be another possible reason to shave it.

Perhaps semantics, but I wouldn't describe resurfacing the bottom (gluing surface) of a bridge as "shaving" it.

One potential cause for bellying is one or more loose braces. The top braces should be examined to determine that they are not loose.

It may make sense to acclimatize the guitar prior to doing the work, if its environment was unknown prior to doing the repair, or if there are tell-tale signs of improper humidity control. Otherwise, it may not be necessary to acclimatize prior to doing the work. If it is summer - approaching fall - unless you live in a desert climate, the guitar is likely to already be plenty humidified.

[John Arnold]

Instead of shaving the bottom of the bridge, I heat it and straighten it. If you shave it, the wings can become uneven in thickness, due to the twisting of the bridge that often occurs when a bridge partially lifts. It is possible to even up the wings by taking some off the top, but that may make them too thin. Thin wings can cause the belly to increase.
Guilds tend to have thin bridges, and if that is the case, I would not shave it to lower the action. If the saddle is low, string ramps can be cut into the bridge to increase the string break angle. These ramps can be filled with wood if the neck is reset sometime later.

Humidifying the guitar does not always reduce the belly.

I would say never. If anything, humidifying tends to increase the amount of belly.

[mirwa]

Way to many things could be wrong, really need photos.

But, If I get a guitar with a bellying top, standard repair, is we remove bridge, steam and clamp the bridge plate area and surrounds flat and sit it in our humidity controlled cabinet for a few days.

Reshape or remake a new bridge

Resolves most issues

Steve

[jfilm]

http://s1273.photobucket.com/user/ja...y/Guild%20F-20

Hi all,

Thanks for the replies. The bridge is really lifting in the back; it definitely needs to be removed. You'll notice the binding is off too, that's another issue, but might give a guess as to how it was stored. The bellying isn't terrible, as none of the luthiers I visited said it was a problem. One of them also checked for loose braces, and said it was solid. Thanks for all the advice. I'd also like to add that while I know there are several options out there to repair this guitar to get it playing, any thoughts on this project being worth a more careful restoration, or whether some methods may be better than others? From all accounts there were very few Guilds ever made in New York City, so should I take the guitar's rarity into consideration before jumping into a repair? Serial number is in the low 4000's, and the F-20 was probably only made for a couple of years in NY before production moved to Hoboken. This also has maple back and sides instead of mahogany. One of the guitar places I took it to specializes in vintage instruments (and it is a very large and highly regarded store in NYC), and none of the people there had ever seen one of these.

The saddle bothers me more than the loose bridge. I agree though, if it were mine, I'd have the bridge removed and reglued. Should cost $100 or less to do that. Get someone familiar with vintage repairs.

[jfilm]

Oh, yes, the saddle is garbage. It's plastic and is totally uneven. Looks like someone carved it with a buck knife. Only the very middle of it is in contact with the bridge. So they will be making me a new bone saddle when I get this repaired.