Getting your bridge plate replaced?

[FoxHound4690]

Quick one on bridge plates....

How often should they get replaced during the life span of a guitar? Every few years, every 10 years etc.??

[Wade Hampton]

Ideally, never. It’s not something that every guitar eventually needs.

A couple of the guitars I’ve gigged out with the most heavily have needed repairs to the edge of the bridgeplate where the strings’ ball ends have chewed up the wood, but that’s a fairly simple repair. Yanking out the original bridgeplate would be overkill in most circumstances.

The only necessary bridgeplate replacements would be if the bridgeplate severely warped or split. But chewed up edges don’t require replacing the bridgeplate itself.

I know that some bluegrassers who want to hot rod their guitars will have the bridgeplates replaced on 1970’s Martins because the originals are considered by some to be too large. But to me it’s a lot more sensible to find another guitar rather than spending a lot of money trying to turn a guitar into something that it isn’t.

Hope that makes sense.


Wade Hampton Miller

[FoxHound4690]

Originally Posted by Wade Hampton

Ideally, never. It’s not something that every guitar eventually needs.

A couple of the guitars I’ve gigged out with the most heavily have needed repairs to the edge of the bridgeplate where the strings’ ball ends have chewed up the wood, but that’s a fairly simple repair. Yanking out the original bridgeplate would be overkill in most circumstances.

The only necessary bridgeplate replacements would be if the bridgeplate severely warped or split. But chewed up edges don’t require replacing the bridgeplate itself.

I know that some bluegrassers who want to hot rod their guitars will have the bridgeplates replaced on 1970’s Martins because the originals are considered by some to be too large. But to me it’s a lot more sensible to find another guitar rather than spending a lot of money trying to turn a guitar into something that it isn’t.

Hope that makes sense.


Wade Hampton Miller

Yeah thanks Wade always appreciate your opinion man. I'm only curious because I put a fresh set of Elixir 12's on my Maton 808 yesterday and i noticed the holes in the bridge on the front of the guitar are starting to show some signs of wear where the bottom of the strings are starting to dig into it a little bit. and it just got me wondering what could possibly be going on with the other side the bridge that I can't see. I've heard of people getting their bridge plates replaced but i've also heard how much of a pain in the backside replacing a bridge plate can be lol so I was just hoping ideally i'd never have to go through the process for a guitar that I play so much.

[mirwa]

Maton 808s have a big bridge plate which is glued to the x brace as well.

Here is a picture of one from a replacement top I had to make a while back, i would recommend a brass plate mate or similiar before replacing one

Steve