Martin 000-xce bridge lift

[Acousitcjoe]

I also have a martin 000 series. It’s that hpl body and the bridge has slight lift…is this an easy fix or worth repairing? I spoke to a guitar tech and told me u have to use a certain “Martin” brand glue for the hpl body’s for it to stick completely. Or I was going to just try a bridge re-glue

[Railroad Bum]

Typically you would use something like Titebond (wood glue) for a bridge re-glue. With that HPL material, it's basically similar to formica used in countertops. Martin recommends this glue: 3M Scotchweld PR600. I would personally just look for another guitar, one with a solid wood top at least. You could try to fix it yourself with that type of glue and a bridge clamp. I didn't realize Martin even used that HPL for tops on some models. Wow!

[JonWint]

I used thin CA. Roughen the HPL with sandpaper to add some "tooth" to the HPL. Clean surfaces (Richlite bridge and HPL) with acetone, clamp, and wick thin CA until full.

[John Arnold]

It us not similar to Formica, it IS Formica. Calling it HPL is, at the very least, deceptive. That encourages a notion that it is something resembling laminated wood. It is not wood. It consists of wood fibers impregnated with phenolic resin and cured under pressure. Any resemblance to wood comes from a printed photograph.
Formica was never intended to be used in a structural context. It is brittle and nonporous. It is hard to glue with wood glues, because they work by absorption.
The attraction in using this material comes from the fact that there is no finish work (Formica comes pre-finished), which reduces the labor more than 50%.