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#1
05-03-2021, 01:07 PM
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Bridge crack repair
I could use some advice here on this repair. My skills are pretty good but I am not sure of the best way to proceed. Any advice will be greatly appreciated.
I have a bridge split between the pin holes and off to both ends. The crack is too narrow to get a sliver of paper in to check the depth. Also the bridge plate is damaged from the pins trying to shred it. It's a Sigma Japanese DM-5 in otherwise very good condition and sounds simply beautiful. I plan on supergluing the crack with ebony dust if I can get any dust in the crack and glueing (Titebond or epoxy?) an additional bridge plate in place. Or...??    Can't get my photo links to work> Am I too much a noobie here? Well "Open image in new tab " works.... Last edited by Dano48; 05-03-2021 at 01:37 PM. Reason: edit photo 
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#4
05-03-2021, 03:57 PM
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I'm sure the better qualified repair folk will chime in soon. But, in the interim, I'd get the string tension off of it... the brideplate is basically gone where the ball ends are, and string tension is going to make the problem worse.
You can certainly repair it in the way you described. Adding a second bridge plate will likely change the tone, though, because of the added mass and stiffness.
__________________
"What have I learned but the proper use for several tools" -Gary Snyder Bourgeois DR-A / Bowerman "Working Man's" OM / Martin Custom D-18 (adi & flame) / Martin OM-21 / Northwood M70 MJ / 1970s Sigma DR-7 / Eastman E6D / Flatiron Signature A5 / Silverangel Econo A (Call me Dan)
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#5
05-03-2021, 05:08 PM
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As you can see you have much bigger problems then just cracks between the pin holes. This is a fairly typical reason for why this happens to a bridge. This one is really for a professional luthier or guitar tech. Basically you need to replace the bridge plate and while you are at it have a new bridge installed.
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#6
05-04-2021, 01:34 PM
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I believe I am going to use Titebond hideglue with sawdust to fill the torn out section of bridgeplate ply and install a 2mm rosewood reinforcement partial bridgeplate cut at an angle. Then superglue and ebony dust (if I can produce some) repair to the bridge. Then redrill and taper the pin holes.
I certainly found an abundance of good useful information on suitable repairs and bridgeplate wood here and around the internet. Thank you all for being here!!
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#7
05-04-2021, 01:58 PM
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TB Hide is generally not recommended for guitar work. The best glue to use if you are not going to replace the bridge plate would be a gap filling glue. Something like Superbond Epoxy which is very thick. If you cap the bridge plate with a thin piece of rosewood and use the thick epoxy it will fill in all the gaps. It's not the proper repair and if this is a $3000 guitar then it should be done right.
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#8
05-04-2021, 02:03 PM
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I appreciate the strength of epoxy but am afraid it will be difficult to undo if the need arises. Is that not a factor? It's a $200 dollar guitar that sounds much more expensive.
Edit: This sounds like bridge and bridgeplate replacement will be less work. Last edited by Dano48; 05-04-2021 at 03:42 PM.
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#9
05-04-2021, 06:17 PM
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Quote:
And yeah those old Japanese Sigma's can be really nice guitars. I've got one in my shop now from the 70's I'd guess and it's lovely.
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#11
05-05-2021, 10:43 PM
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Bridge plate removal IMO is one of the hardest jobs to do on a guitar cleanly, hard to get the right amount of heat in without burning the lacquer on the top of the guitar, hard to clean up after removal, its just a yuck job
Steve
__________________
Cole Clark Fat Lady Gretsch Electromatic Martin CEO7 Maton Messiah Taylor 814CE
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#12
05-11-2021, 01:23 PM
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Quote:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/184179048872 It's hard to imagine what caused so much of the wood plies to shatter and come loose, but filling that gap with glue/dust paste is the wrong approach for a bridge plate. I think you can easily get away with chiseling/scraping all of the loose plies, down to the thin plie that is glued to the top, and then stop, sand lightly smooth and then glue on a properly shaped solid 1/8" thick maple plate. Leaving the top ply intact is a short-cut, and would not be recommended for a $3K guitar, but I don't think we're in that league here. Best of luck on your repair project  .
__________________
Leonard 1918 Gibson L-1 1928 Gibson L-4 (Blond w/Ebony Fret-board) 1930's Kalamazoo KG-32 1930's Gretsch F-50 1934 Gibson L-7 1934 Gibson L-50 (KG-11/14 Body Shape) 1935 Gibson L-50 (Flat-back) 1935 Gibson L-30 (Flat-back) 1942 Gibson L-50 (WWII Banner Head) 1948 Gibson L-50 1949 Epiphone Blackstone "a sharp mind cuts cleaner than a sharp tool"
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