Nice to see good work on UA-cam. There is LOTS of bad work displayed here and TONS of half-measures. You show an incredible amount of precision specialized tooling here to replace a bridge. A lathe for making the spruce plugs for the adjustor studs. a Bridge slot cutting rig for cutting the slot jigs for every glue joint. precision routing the edge of the bridge for dropping into the slot in the finish. Lots of good craftsmen doing good work with simple tools.
Awesome and informative video! Impressive rabbit router bit to compensate for the thickness of the finish. I need to to this on a B25 that I just bought and am thankful that you put up this video
David was working at Elderly when he set up my D 28. He did the best setup and the playability was fantastic. Years later I went bak and he was gone. Glad to find him I hope he is still in this location.
I love the quality of work you do and the attention to detail/workmanship. I spent some of my early guitar years doing guitar setups and some more basic repairs working for a local guitar store; during which time I met quite a few guitar builders and luthiers. It always seemed there were too many skilled craftsman working on guitars that were really not players. One of them even had the "claim to fame" having sold guitars to the band Yes. It always seemed there was something missing in their work. I think it is from their skills developing/maturing more from the basic technical aspect of the art instead of the love for the instrument. From the first few minutes of the first video I watched on this channel I could tell your work is different. From the end of this video I see you are also a player of the instrument - proving me right. For sure if I ever end up back in Ann Arbor I am going to have to stop by the shop there. I'll also leave saying It is a shame there aren't regular video uploads to this channel. But, I do appreciate the ones that have been uploaded. I know putting together and editing these can be time consuming.
Excellent very accurate information. Delivered in a timely well edited fashion. Such a relief after searching through endless babble. So...Thank you thank you , and thank you!
I've got a '64 J50 with a wonderful tone but no volume whatsoever. Probably needs this done to it. I'm used to playing Martins and this Gibson doesn't stand up in a jam because you can't hear it.
I have an Epiphone Texan Inspired by 1964, and I bought a ceramic bridge through E-Bay. It came with the metal plate that goes below the fuse, and the screws. Do you find it interesting to exchange the original plastic bridge for the ceramic one?
Beautiful work. I have a 63 LG-0 with the plastic bridge. There is some slight bellying, which my late father's repair guy addressed by installing a radiused slot-less saddle. The intonation is perfect and the guitar plays really well. The bridge is picking up a bit in the back however, so I am putting low tension strings on it. There is also some string gouging on the fretboard in the lower positions. This instrument has sentimental value, so I would like to consider a fairly complete restoration. How do I find someone with your skills to do this (assuming you are not in the Tampa, FL area)?
how much would one of these bridge conversions run with a good luthier? i know you can only throw out a ballpark figure but you think less than $500 or more like less than $1000
You're in the right ballpark. Of course the bridge itself is just one part of the equation, and in most cases there is other work (bridge plate, fretwork, neck angle) which has to be addressed in order to fully realize the benefits of any one aspect such as the bridge. That's where generalized estimates become impossible, but I would say that on average when accounting for other peripheral work these guitars often need, your guess is a pretty reasonable range to expect.
Why did you put in wood dowels if you need to screw them out for the strings? Why not put the thin maple back plate in first - would be easier to cover the holes, right?
Good questions. The string holes on the original plastic bridges were are located precariously close to the back edge, so these holes are plugged because the new holes will be relocated about 1/16” further in than the originals. This is just enough to offer a slight but worthwhile improvement in stability by moving this “perforated” section of bridge in from the edge, in case the owner or a future one allows the guitar to dry out, where the bridge can shrink around the pins and cause cracks. It doesn’t eliminate risks from neglect or abuse, but lessens them, while remaining a small enough change to still preserve original style and appearance. The plate is added last because filling a blind hole tightly without gaps can be surprisingly more complicated than filling an open hole. While I may not have mentioned it in the video, the plugs are actually turned with a slight taper, and the holes reamed likewise. This provides a reliable and economic method to press them in to create a solid fit to the x-y axis (the diameter). The z axis (length) can then be more easily and precisely trimmed flush in place. In bridge replacements where we retain original string hole locations, I do not plug them as I did here. For the order of operations, one certainly could install the cap first, but I find the order I used here to be both more efficient and leave less room for error.
Nice to see good work on UA-cam. There is LOTS of bad work displayed here and TONS of half-measures. You show an incredible amount of precision specialized tooling here to replace a bridge.
A lathe for making the spruce plugs for the adjustor studs.
a Bridge slot cutting rig for cutting the slot
jigs for every glue joint.
precision routing the edge of the bridge for dropping into the slot in the finish.
Lots of good craftsmen doing good work with simple tools.
Excellent video... that saddle slotting jig looks pretty amazing
Beautiful work and excellent video. You are quite a craftsman, thanks for sharing!
Awesome and informative video! Impressive rabbit router bit to compensate for the thickness of the finish. I need to to this on a B25 that I just bought and am thankful that you put up this video
David was working at Elderly when he set up my D 28. He did the best setup and the playability was fantastic. Years later I went bak and he was gone. Glad to find him I hope he is still in this location.
I love the quality of work you do and the attention to detail/workmanship. I spent some of my early guitar years doing guitar setups and some more basic repairs working for a local guitar store; during which time I met quite a few guitar builders and luthiers. It always seemed there were too many skilled craftsman working on guitars that were really not players. One of them even had the "claim to fame" having sold guitars to the band Yes. It always seemed there was something missing in their work. I think it is from their skills developing/maturing more from the basic technical aspect of the art instead of the love for the instrument. From the first few minutes of the first video I watched on this channel I could tell your work is different. From the end of this video I see you are also a player of the instrument - proving me right. For sure if I ever end up back in Ann Arbor I am going to have to stop by the shop there. I'll also leave saying It is a shame there aren't regular video uploads to this channel. But, I do appreciate the ones that have been uploaded. I know putting together and editing these can be time consuming.
Nice pickin' there at the end, Buckeroo!!
I did this to my '63 j50 .It makes a big difference in sound!
Excellent very accurate information. Delivered in a timely well edited fashion. Such a relief after searching through endless babble. So...Thank you thank you , and thank you!
Great work, doctor.
Outstanding - man, you are good!!
Nicely done!!
Amazing video!
I've got a '64 J50 with a wonderful tone but no volume whatsoever. Probably needs this done to it. I'm used to playing Martins and this Gibson doesn't stand up in a jam because you can't hear it.
WIZARDLY good sir.
BEAUTIFUL!!!...Whats that cost..About 100 bucks?
How do I get ahold of you? I have a B25 handed down from my father. Its the first guitar I ever held. Serial number 170588. It needs restoring.
I need this and I'm not far from Ann Arbor!! Lol don't retire on me or anything sir!!!
I have a 1964 b25-n needs this how do I get a hold of you to get this done.
I have this same guitar + - year, braces rattling around, but minus the $$$ to restore. Someday.
I have an Epiphone Texan Inspired by 1964, and I bought a ceramic bridge through E-Bay. It came with the metal plate that goes below the fuse, and the screws. Do you find it interesting to exchange the original plastic bridge for the ceramic one?
Beautiful work. I have a 63 LG-0 with the plastic bridge. There is some slight bellying, which my late father's repair guy addressed by installing a radiused slot-less saddle. The intonation is perfect and the guitar plays really well. The bridge is picking up a bit in the back however, so I am putting low tension strings on it.
There is also some string gouging on the fretboard in the lower positions.
This instrument has sentimental value, so I would like to consider a fairly complete restoration. How do I find someone with your skills to do this (assuming you are not in the Tampa, FL area)?
Keith Belton
how much would one of these bridge conversions run with a good luthier? i know you can only throw out a ballpark figure but you think less than $500 or more like less than $1000
You're in the right ballpark. Of course the bridge itself is just one part of the equation, and in most cases there is other work (bridge plate, fretwork, neck angle) which has to be addressed in order to fully realize the benefits of any one aspect such as the bridge. That's where generalized estimates become impossible, but I would say that on average when accounting for other peripheral work these guitars often need, your guess is a pretty reasonable range to expect.
gotcha thanks so much!
How much should this run totally looking to do the same with a j-50 adj
Why did you put in wood dowels if you need to screw them out for the strings? Why not put the thin maple back plate in first - would be easier to cover the holes, right?
Good questions.
The string holes on the original plastic bridges were are located precariously close to the back edge, so these holes are plugged because the new holes will be relocated about 1/16” further in than the originals. This is just enough to offer a slight but worthwhile improvement in stability by moving this “perforated” section of bridge in from the edge, in case the owner or a future one allows the guitar to dry out, where the bridge can shrink around the pins and cause cracks. It doesn’t eliminate risks from neglect or abuse, but lessens them, while remaining a small enough change to still preserve original style and appearance.
The plate is added last because filling a blind hole tightly without gaps can be surprisingly more complicated than filling an open hole. While I may not have mentioned it in the video, the plugs are actually turned with a slight taper, and the holes reamed likewise. This provides a reliable and economic method to press them in to create a solid fit to the x-y axis (the diameter). The z axis (length) can then be more easily and precisely trimmed flush in place.
In bridge replacements where we retain original string hole locations, I do not plug them as I did here. For the order of operations, one certainly could install the cap first, but I find the order I used here to be both more efficient and leave less room for error.
If you’re looking to make a similar video I need this done to my 66’ LG-O.
These things come with a spruce bridgeplate. Gotta replace that.