Guitar Repair Bridge Removal and Belly bulge Repair part 2
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- Опубліковано 25 чер 2013
- I reduce the belly bulge using the Thompson belly reducer and glue the bridge back on. Next in the final video (part3) I will complete the repair by installing the JLD bridge doctor.
Hi, guys. It's too bad that there isn't a more active discussion because I find this stuff fascinating. A bit of history. I can't play a guitar. I played for 15 years and learned precisely one song so I didn't bother replacing my guitar when it was stolen. I am, however, an experienced wood worker and builder of balsa model planes. I have done some minor repairs of friends' guitars and have even built a few from kits and sold them to very happy owners. I know a few things about Titebond and it's great glue but I have a tip for you to improve its effectiveness.
Pro Tip: Before applying Titebond dampen the wood just a bit. I generally give the gluing surface a quick wipe with a barely damp paper towel. Then I wait until it looks dry before applying the glue. That little extra bit of moisture has, in my experience, improved the bond considerably. I have, over the years, had two or three dry Titebond joints fail but never when I have dampened the wood. The extra bit of moisture allows the glue to penetrate deeper into the wood.
Cheers!
That's a common & effective way to enhance penetration of water based glues into the substrate but makes it more difficult to demount if needed. Everything's a two edged sword.
When doing this job, I found it difficult to hold the bridge plate (lower ally plate) and clamp it at the same time.
TIP: Drill two holes in the plate, parralel with the the 2 outside holes of the bridge. Thread a guitar string through each of those 2 holes and thread them through the holes in the guitar body, from underneath. Heat the plate, pull the two strings through the guitar and the plate will come up against the bridge plate. Hold tight or anchor these strings while you affix and clamp both plates. It doesn't fall off the clamp and both hands are outside the guitar. No burned fingers or swearing when the plate falls off the clamp.
Well done video. I wish I had your patience AND your tools! Thanks
Thanks my friend, I have been playing the guitar for over 30 years now, But have never come across this! Will be waiting for your next video. Much respect.=)
Thank you Scott for this great video ,I've got a John Mayer signature Martin with same belly buldge . ordered my thompson kit i have teflon locating dowels a new saddle blank comming. .......great video !!!!!!
The new version of those aluminium plates have rare earth magnets inserted so that they hold together when first located opposite each other--top and bottom. . makes them a bit easier to use.
Where would I buy this aluminum plates?
I like the way you work. Very thought out and everything addressed. Love your videos. I like to work on my guitars it can be very rewarding.
Thanks for this Scott. well done.
Looks like you've done a real nice job.
Good tip, I made the underneath aluminium plate with a centred recessed circle to fit the clamp so it can be easily balanced and held in place while tightening it up.
That's a great idea !
Scott lajoie scott the bridge work and the bulge mitigation. What is the cost? I have a garcia 3 1969. Which is a wall hanger. Your remedy looks cost effective. I know you haven't accessed my guitar but what was the fair value for the UA-cam repair i just viewed?
not sure what the logic is in this, the bridge and or plate is not what failed? its the top wood and braces surrounding them, so they need to be heated and put back into place, a heat lamp inside and a heating pad in the top, isolating the area affected with balloons rags on the inside and thin foil insulation on the top, only heat whats needed, apply pressure with the lid of a guitar case and a bridge doctor, a little at a time, over days, move to a slight negative bilge so when string tension is applied its flat..
heating the bridge and bridge plate does nothing, a gimmick to get into your pocket, is the bridge warped? or is the bridge plate warped? then why? it's the top thats warped behind the bridge due to string tension and under engineered bracing.. so heat the top and bracing, push it back down.. it will stay for a while, keep the guitar in a room temperature area, the failure is usually due to hot conditions, 80+, wood warms up string tension pulls on it
Sir, good whistler,,,
😀🙌🙌
Great WORK,,🙌🙌🙌
Did you video the part where you removed the finish to match to bridge size?
I would have liked to see how you did that.
can you give us an update if the bulge reduction still hold till now? thank you!
Quick question - why do you prefer Titebond over hide glue? Isn't hide glue more forgiving?
Thanks for a great video! I have a question... Will thw bridge be removable at a later date if you use Tightbond glue? Will ot just come off with heat?
I thought in the 1st video you said you used 2 quarters and a dime? A nickel is thicker isn't it? great videos enjoy them a lot.
That treatment sees a bit drastic; when I've done this, I supported the internal braces with 'stools and wedges from the back and cramped down the top over a long period. I first humidified the 'box' with steam and damp sponges placed inside. I'm unimpressed with the Bridge Doctor, having had one fitted to a 2 string by an 'enthusiast' some years ago. technical note: the bridge 'clamp' is a clamp; all the others shown are 'cramps'.
I'd also avoid hot water for cleaning excess Titebond, as you'll start to cure it more quickly; cold is best. [In the pin holes, though, that would work for you]
All in all a good video.
Do the bridge need to be removed in order to get rid of a belly bulge
StewMac now sells the Thompson Belly Reducer with embedded magnets so they'll hold in place by themselves until you can get the clamps in at a more leisurely pace. Has anyone tried gluing/epoxying separate magnets onto the older version of the TBR?
If you just have a slight bulge to fix, is it possible that just putting a small weight (say 10 pounds) on the center of the hump and leaving it there for a couple of months might bring it down to normal?
Thank you for the very informative video. What brand extends reach clamp did you use?
I always thought belly bulge was a death sentence for a guitar. After seeing this I"m contacting my local luthier and see if he can help my Fender acoustic. Thanks,
how long did you leave the hot steel clamped down?
also cant someone just use regular steel pieces to use rather than buy a set,i was also thinking making the steel pieces longer,
Hi Scott, can this be done while a bridge is still on the body? I have an Ibanez AEG10 nylon string that has a bowed top. it is highly coated poly guitar.
A too have a belly bulge..is it a serious problem for my guitar??
I have a 1991 Gibson J-45 that has spent it's entire life in storage until now that is. It has a belly of about 0.060 inch if I lay a straight edge across the top just behind the bridge. From what I read people are saying this is engineered into the design. In your opinion is this true?
Where can I buy magnet sheet?
I have a 1997 Collings D1A that sounds amazing but it has a little bully bulge under the bridge, is this normal?
I have inspected such bellied top guitars many times in my live, as a matter of fact most of the case it's not only the plywood underneath the bridge which is wrapped, it's also the wooden cross bar and all structure beneath the plywood are all wrapped. I've ever tried to replace a bar to see if I could flatten it but considering the guitar is too old, the wood has been very stiff with no elasticity at all, it means we can not force it without boil it in water first as otherwise it would be broken. in such case it is impossible to re-flat the belly by force pressing it without releasing the structures and make them flat before re-glue it back underneath the top plywood. It's just not that simple..
Plywood? Your talking about some inexpensive instruments.
could you not use steel and use a magnet to hold the bottom one from the top until it is clamped?
Nikolas Darby when you heat up a magnet, it loses its magnetism.
Yes it does at about 1500 F. So he had s really good idea.
from top of 12th fret to bottom of low E-string should be 5/64ths of an inch or about 2mm and a little lower on high E-string. Some like a little lower but this is a good starting point.
Drill couple holes in that plate. Then use push pins to line bridge up. Clamp take pins out.
I would like to find out how to do a belly bulge repair without using a bridge doctor? If there is no loose braces then the braces also bulged correct? is there a method to fix this with out a bridge doctor?
I didn't use the bridge doctor to fix the bulge but to keep it from happening again.
Hi mate, I bought a Fender Acoustic 2nd hand (£30, Bargain), But the strings are a little higher then they should be, Almost half an inch, What is the space between the string & The neck? I think some said it was a Dime, But I am in Wales, & We have the £, Or Penny. Can you tell me what should be the correct space? Cheers.
I'm glad you like my videos. Your comment is much appreciated!
Many thanks, Is every thing ok, Or do I need to take the bridge out & take a little bit of it( Or take it to the guitar shop) Cheers.=)
Anyone watching in 2020, is it because the metal doesn’t flex that brings the bulge down? Assume new bridge and plate will help keep the bulge from quickly coming back ? .. Nice video ...
The glue you used means that bridge is never coming off again, no matter what. Hide glue allows you to remove the bridge again in the future if repairs are ever needed again, no matter how old the hide glue is. I just removed a bridge from a 1951 Gibson to fix the worn out bridge plate and it came right off with heat and a bridge knife. Titebond is what I'm using to glue the inserts into the bridge plate but I'm going to be using hide glue for the bridge itself.
Your video was very helpful. I need to get that belly bulge kit.
herbiesnerd Titebond will release with heat using the same method. I've removed fretboard glued with Titebond using just an iron. If using steam for an example doing a neck reset, Titebond will release before hide glue.
Sana all marunong mag ayos ng gitara
At 07:24 it also looks like flattening the bulge has also closed up that crack quite a bit.
A little is normal. Keep an eye on it. If it gets worse it will affect the playability, Check out part 3, The JLD bridge doctor will prevent further belly bulge.
Why not pull a vacuum on it?
Part 3 will be up soon.I am having some computer issues right now.
I have a Taylor 214 ce . Is it supposed to have an arch?
Taylor's have a slight radius on the top. It's only a problem when it affects the playability of the guitar. When you can no longer set the action low enough.
@@sli43 thanks for the reply. I’ve asked that on a couple different Taylor UA-cam channels and never got a reply.
Why use fast cooling aluminum instead of slow cooling iron? You could pre drill the outside peg holes so it slips over two chopstick piece inserts. What about maintaining the heat with a lamp? Also, overtightening the clamps will crush the spruce, it's worth mentioning
+guy saunders That is what I was thinking, too. Aluminum doesn't hold heat long and you are right about the inserts. There is always a better and sometimes easier way to do things.
I realize this is an old comment but I think I know the answer to your question. The aluminum will dump its heat into the wood quicker so that it is already as hot as it will get when you apply the clamps.
@Rusty Undercarriage Aluminum expands and contracts much easier than Iron. Iron is a much denser material.
Why did you use the screws to line it up
Why didn't you use a couple of end pins?
Pins interfere with the clamp
@@sli43
It's just to line up the holes and then after you put the clamps on the ends remove the then put the rest of the clamps on.
But interesting
@@sli43
Just a pin on the two E strings.. then clip the ends remove the pins
You should check the humidity of your guitar, 47%-%50 is ideal.
It was two quarters and a dime in the first video not nickels. So it's inaccurate.
😎🎶
Tough question. Shaving the bridge is not a good idea. Check to see if you have a bulge in the top behind the bridge. If it's not too severe you can fix it yourself using the JLD bridge doctor. ...check out my next video. It's a simple and inexpensive fix. If it's too bad you may need a neck reset. That you would need a good guitar tech to fix.
Why does resetting the neck fix a bulge at the bridge? Rather far apart, aren't they?
@@markfreemantle7608 It doesn't fix the bulge. It changes the angle of the neck to the bridge to compensate for the change in angle due to the bulge in the belly. Kinda like when a beer belly gets too big they have to stick their neck out farther to see their feet. LOL. Seriously, it makes it possible to lower the action because a big belly makes a bigger distance between strings at the higher frets. One can only shave so much off a bridge or saddle. Some people feel the bulge helps the sound but when it gets too bad somethings gotta be done.
Hold on.... if you got rid of the belly bulge, then why do you need the Bridge Dr.?????
The Bridge Dr is good insurance against a recurrence of this problem. Without it, this will surely comeback over time
Demo of taking the top off of an acoustic guitar
Full sentence
To much tightening you will crush that top. That won't fix the belly bow. It will return. Only way to fix is a neck set.
You had 2 Quarters and a dime to begin with. The nickels will give the appearance that more bulge was removed then actually was.
I've noticed on StewMac that these cauls are convex and concave to mate with each other.. I'm not really sure I understand the purpose of that. I guess it depends on which way the top is warped. I suppose a bridge that was dipped down in the front pulled up in the back would benefit from the curved shape of the plate.. The reason I ask is, I may try making my own cauls from hardwood.. maybe 1/2" rosewood. The guitar I'm working on isn't worth buying the $99 cauls. lol
Sorry for the late reply. you are correct on the purpose of the convex and conecave cauls. because of string tension the bridge is almost always dipped down in the front. I'm not sure if wood cauls will work. the metal cauls are very strong and do not bend also and the most importing thing is how well they hold the heat. I would suggest buying the cauls and selling them when you are done. You can always get almost all your $$ back on any stewmac tools.
Belly bulge is caused by the string tension on the bridge pulling toward the headstock. Over time this would tilt the bridge and belly up behind the bridge. Those shaped could are but one part of the solution. I've never seen anything resembling what u are describing as sort of a reverse bulge.
I think it would be a fug-load easier to invert the guitar so the inside piece could rest in place while you have easy access to the outside one.
just sayin'
A big no no .using damp rag let it dry.thins out glue under edges of bridge.no offence
boooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
Aluminium !!!? Magnet !!!? You can’t be serious 😉
Uh he said steel instead of aluminum.
Ridiculous instructions from the inventor. Heat it up then put it inside and finally clamp it. Why not clamp it first then heat with an electric blanket or heat lamp?