bridge lifting...is it still safe?

ironman187 · #1 03-28-2011, 09:14 PM

Hey all, my inlaws gave my two year old a "First Act" child's acoustic (shudders). The bridge, of course, is lifting off on the backside. It is a bolt on bridge, and the bolts appear to be tight, so the top is just moving I suspect. My question is, is it safe to string up to tune so she can play with it when I am playing my guitar? Or should I do something with the bridge before bothering with it. FYI I do not intend to use this as anything more than A toy...The guitar player in me cannot stand the sound of an out of tune guitar, and she wants to be able to make noise with it so she can play like daddy, so I must make it tunable and safe. Thanks in advance.

Corky Long · #2 03-29-2011, 07:21 AM

So, it's a bolt on bridge but it's still lifting? If that's the case then the fit can't be too good, or the bolts would be doing their job. (in addition to damping the sound something fierce)

Don't know if it's safe or not - my guess is that the odds of the bridge flying off and causing an injury are pretty slim, but why not refit and glue it anyway? Sounds like it could be a pretty quick fix. Take the strings off - unbolt the bridge, steam it off if necessary, then carefully scrape any glue residue and finish off the top and bridge, sand to a nice snug fit, and reglue.

ironman187 · #3 03-29-2011, 04:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Corky Long

So, it's a bolt on bridge but it's still lifting? If that's the case then the fit can't be too good, or the bolts would be doing their job. (in addition to damping the sound something fierce)

Don't know if it's safe or not - my guess is that the odds of the bridge flying off and causing an injury are pretty slim, but why not refit and glue it anyway? Sounds like it could be a pretty quick fix. Take the strings off - unbolt the bridge, steam it off if necessary, then carefully scrape any glue residue and finish off the top and bridge, sand to a nice snug fit, and reglue.

It's a child sized guitar, and as such, the sound hole is really small. Anyway, every one of these guitars that I have seen exhibit this problem after a few years. It's not really worth doing any major work on, but it does make a great toy.