Best replacement bridge for ‘70 d28?
 

Hey all, was gifted a 1970 d28 this month and the bridge has a wee crack through the peg holes. Still plays like a charm, but if I were to eventually replace that, what’s the best bridge to use and who’s got ‘em? I hear I need to go with maple but not pre-war, and there seems to be a strong, pro ebony camp out there as well. Any advice is greatly appreciated!

D-28s use ebony bridges, keep it somewhat original.

Luthiers Mercantile sells replacement bridges, some are slightly oversize to cover the old glue lines.

Make sure you get the correct string spacing .

e.g. https://www.lmii.com/pre-made-acoust...pin-holes.html

Roger that. Thanks for the link ; ) Would you say a bridge replacement is in the cards for me to do myself as a woodworker? After careful study of the steps?

Absolutely not.

Bite the bullet and have the work done by an experienced, highly recommended repair person.

Also have the rosewood bridge plate replaced with a maple bridge plate, and the end result will be a better sounding & better intonated instrument.

In all likelihood the existing saddle slot is in the wrong location, so a properly made ebony replacement bridge will have the slot location done correctly.

There’s so much small stuff that can go wrong in second that it’s not worth trying to do it yourself.

Regards,
Howard Emerson

Based on your description, it is very likely that your bridge can be invisibly repaired without being removed, and highly unlikely that it should be replaced. It does not sound urgent, but sooner is better than later for the repair. By a good repair person who has done it before.

Re-reading your OP, maybe your's is repairable? Maybe a pro should look at it?

It depends on your skill set and tools available. If you are talented, methodical and can carefully research the process you could do it. You are going to need the pin taper reamer and some deep reach C clamps. Also a way to heat the old bridge, I use my wife's laundry iron and I wrap cardboard in tin foil to insulate the finish.

You do Not need a luthier for everything, in spite of what some here say. I did my first one sucessfully, and 2 more since, mind you they were instruments I built. One was a re-install and 2 were refinish jobs.

It is a finicky job though and if you have to spend $100 on tools ($200 at Stew Mac) you might be better having a pro do it, especially if it is a one time job.

Good Luck

I think a pro should definitely inspect and comment. Don't do any well-meaning 'repairs' till then.

Repair the Bridge?
 

My '67 D-28S had a very fine crack aross the pin holes when I got it. Rather than change the bridge, I used water-thin super glue in the crack two times. After each application and before the glue set up, I used some fine wet or dry sandpaper across the crack area to build up some ebony dust.

That was five years ago and it's still holding and the crack is invisible.

If you want to change the bridge, get a good luthier/repairman. Bridges are available from LMI, Stewmac and C.F. Martin.