How to Fix a Loose Acoustic Guitar Bridge
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- Опубліковано 5 чер 2024
- If your acoustic guitar has a loose bridge and you wondered how to fix it yourself, this video is for you. StewMac tech Gene Imbody demonstrates step-by-step how to fix an acoustic guitar bridge that is lifting off the top of the guitar.
0:00 Common reasons bridges come loose
1:55 Tools needed for the job
5:18 Prep work to remove the bridge
11:01 Bridge removal
13:55 Cleaning the bridge surface
17:55 Dry clamping
20:49 Bridge reglue
24:40 Final clean up
26:44 How'd we do?
Tools and supplies featured in this video include:
Bridge Spatula
www.stewmac.com/item/4466
StewMac 3-In-1 Bridge Caul
www.stewmac.com/item/4765
StewMac Bridge Clamp Caul
www.stewmac.com/item/4629
Swivel Handle Clamp
www.stewmac.com/item/3705
Camless Clamp
www.stewmac.com/item/3708
Soundhole Clamps
www.stewmac.com/item/2010
Titebond Original Wood Glue
www.stewmac.com/item/0620
StewMac Ultimate Scraper
www.stewmac.com/item/0631
Two Cherries Wood Chisels
www.stewmac.com/item/1618
Conductive Copper Tape
www.stewmac.com/item/0028
Bridge Pin Hole Reamer
www.stewmac.com/item/3229
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I don't play guitar, I play a old P Bass. In fact, I don't even care that much about acoustics and especially repairing their bridges... but when StewMac uploads, I watch. This is great. Cheers guys 👍👍
Even if you never touch a guitar, this is a masterclass in knowing what you're doing and doing it the best possible way.
Want to watch a true master replace bridges on a couple classic guitars? Check out Ted Woodford: ua-cam.com/video/dEOSxlhDq7U/v-deo.html
Yay ted
This seems to be the most complicated and tool requiring job I've ever seen for bridge fixing. Maybe I could buy a new guitar for the price of all the tools in this vid.. lol.
Yeah. That's the only thing that stopped me from doing this job. Not having proper tools at my disposal. Would have costed more than the guitar was worth.
I agree. It would be hard to justify the cost of all those tools unless you plan to do this a lot.
Looks like an upload aimed at an industrial-scale audience or luthier-school. Hardly a resort for the likes of some of us looking for a DIY fix. If I had the resources, knowhow and the experience the exercise documented here entails, I wonder if I would be building guitars instead of scouring for videos showing how to replace the bridge. Oh, I'm suddenly hankering for walnuts. Please excuse me while I go look for a sledgehammer.
@brianembly8578 the tools are absolutely not worth more than the guitar. Guitar center charges $160 for this service. The most expensive tool you'd need is a heat gun or heat lamp that you can get for $40 at harbor freight. I spent under 100 or maybe right at 100 maximum for these tools. I needed 2 bridges done which would have been $320 at guitar center. I'm able to fix both for under $100.
@@PemaWangchuk12^^^
I have reattached two separate acoustic guitar bridges. Both were budget models I found at thrift stores. Generally, the issue in these cases was the use of heavier strings than the guitars were probably designed for, and in the first case the bridge was warped and falliong off, and in the second case (a WJ-750, in this case a Texarkana brand) the bridge was not warped, but falling off, and when I removed it and looked at the bottom of it I could tell the bridge was not glued well enough at the factory (there was just a figure S of light glue.
When I fixed it, I plastered it with wood glue and C-clamped it, letting it set for a few days. Works like a dream 20 years later. The first guitar (an old Kingston) was purchased 40 years or so ago, and the bridge was warped and falling off the top of the guitar. A local luthier told me to remove the bridge completely, and then use an iron at low heat, flatten it that way. Then I reglued the bridge using modeler's glue (I wasn't yet aware of wood glue). It's held ever since. So -- if you have a budget model and the factory, for some reason known only to them, used too little glue to hold the bridge onto the guitar, it's not an impossible task to get your guitar back in playing order.
Awesome video- very clear and concise instructions that takes the “fear” out of doing this myself. 👏👏
I may not use every pro tip _every_ time, but you must love how Gene so generously shares every last valuable one he knows. A detailed video reference manual on the task. Duly bookmarked, thank you sir 👏👏
Excellent presentation, tips, and execution. Thank you. Gene ....
Well done - this answers ALL of my questions. And good heavens, he's even doing it on the same guitar I have - a StewMac OM kit-built. Wish me luck on my re-glue.
And you probably did some work on my old D-18 at Woodsong's, many years ago.
Such a great repair vid. Well done man!! Top shelf.
Finally a proper video.
I have the bridge caul but not the inside bridge plate one, also that reamer looks really nice. Great job on this, shows us how to take things up to the next level.
Folding over the end of the tape at 8:20... WHY have I never thought of that? Mind blown!
That's clearly an operation with lot of care!!!
Congrats, Gene !
I'm also a guitar tech and you give me some nice inspiration to achieve great work.
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
I just bought a Hyyyde Gloo tone pedal. game changer
never seen this job done before what a brilliant job and video this is nice one stewMac 👍👍😉
I wish I could just come into the stew mac workshop and do some repairs when I need to. To have all those tools would be great. I usually have to improvise. This is a great tutorial, some people rush removing a bridge and that's the last thing you want to do.
Such detail and excellence in this video, thank you for this. Good as you are at this job, you may have missed your calling as Tom Hanks' voice-over double
If there's one thing I've learned from Stew Mac, it's that overkill is SOP.
Thanks, I have an old Steel strung Acoustic guitar that's sitting doing nowt cos the bridge came off just like in your video. I feel brave enough to fix it....again properly!
Excellent video. Thank you.
It’s so satisfying to watch it.
This is therapeutic for me to watch.
I did this at age 14 to a nylon classical guitar my gramps passed down to me lmao, used school text books as a heat shield, moms night lamp, a painter blader to pop the bridge off lmao 😂😂😂 - it didnt look good that good but here it is 25ish years later and it still plays perfectly lol
Good one Dan! I'm sure others have noticed that the beard gives you a more youthful look.
thank you. I just got a MIJ Saturn for Can$25 with a lifted bridge. I m going to follow your instructions.
Nice work.
Very instructive.
Great video. Thank you
Nice. I learned to use a new heating tool, the infrared lamp. The only bridge I had to reglue on my guitars was a cheapo import. (many years ago). I used a clothing iron, with a lot of masking. The lamp method looks a lot safer and easier to monitor the temperature.
Great job!
Very interesting, it is cool to see different methods of bridge removal. twoodford uses a small controllable heat pad that is another interesting approach.
Heat pads are great! You may see even see them offered on our website at some point. Thanks!
Yes a better approach
Stewmac people.. just awesome
How great. Ty
This was a fantastic video.
About halfway through the video, you mentioned gluing a flat bridge to a radiused surface---the top.
I have seen other luthiers contour the bottom of the bridge to match the top's radius because the saddle slot was already cut flat.
Shaping is necessary on some guitars. If you have to contort a bridge enough to warp the bottom of the saddle slot when you clamp it down, you should definitely be contouring to the top! Luckily we had a near perfect fit as is in this case. Thanks!
Thanks
The rear side of the bridge is lifted. Slide a piece of paper underneath, trace the contour/shape of the bridge. Cut it out and use that as a guide to draw the shape onto the cardboard shield. Thats faster and accurate.
HB Woodsong's in Boulder...
I remember that place! 😃
That was an awesome shop.
Wonderful people and a fantastic shop...Jon Eaton is a legend!
Wow, I’m not a luthier but amazing care and a fine touch. Note the use of the chisel held vertically to scrape the top, pulling away from the bevel side. The lowwww pressure he used when gently scraping the bottom of the bridge. Carefully breaking just the surface of the finish before starting the heating. A lot of very sensitive work going on that’s not obvious.
New vids are always good. Would like to hear from Dan tho !!
Hello, great video. I have an old Kay parlor guitar. The bridge was bolted down on top of the guitar's finish with no glue. It has lifted up and I have removed the bridge. I want to glue it down and re-bolt it. Is there a glue that will bond the wood bridge to the guitar's glossy finish, or should I remove the finish (fairly thick)? thanks for your help.
Thanks man for this video, excellent job! I see where I went wrong the second time I removed the same bridge. Went quite deep under the grain and now I am wondering what would be the best way to repair that. I am thinking of gluing it with CA glue and then level it. I am fixing a problem I made myself when regluing the bridge and accidentally glued the caul (inside the body) to the bottom side of the backplate under the bridge and now want to get it out. Any advice?
That was a great job Sir well explained. How much does it cost to re-glued the wood bridge only? No strings labor. A friend gave me two guitars with the 2 wood bridges separated only to do the re-glue work. Thank you.
🙂👍. Great Job ..
Looking at the amount of clamps required into the soundhole and the possibility of damaging the edge of it each time you're getting them in and out I'd like to see a better option for that. For example: a three-pronged clamp with a single adjustable slider?
Also, when reaming the bridge holes. I tend to use a container inside the guitar to catch the particles that are released in the process.
Great and informative video!
“What you find on a lot of budget guitars is too much finish under the bridge” unfortunately I see that a lot on >$4000 American made acoustics too…
I had a Martin OM CX guitar - made from laminate with a plastic bridge and plywood neck - it was a very nice guitar with a lovely tone both acoustic and plugged in and I used it for gigging as it was pretty much scratchproof. One day in summer , the Aircon failed while I was away and the bridge pulled off. I stuck it back with white glue but even after a week of curing, it just pulled off. I emailed Martin and was told they used Titebond - well that didn't work. I tried various types of epoxy and cyanoacrylate - nothing would last - even with really scrubbed clean and keyed surfaces - nothing worked. I ended up clamping the bridge in place with a couple of nuts and bolts through the bridge pin holes, then drilling through the wings on the bridge and using four heat blackened stainless allen bolts to clamp the bridge down. I replaced the bridge pins with turned brass bolts drilled to take the string from behind. I had to reposition the bottom three pins to allow for break over the saddle. When polished up, it looked very industrial and very cool.
Check for burrs on the edge of your bridge removing tool. Should also be using made for metal sandpaper, bit wood type. Could you use a temperature controllable heat gun or wand instead of the heat lamp? Does it help the glue to soak into both wood surfaces by slightly moistening the surfaces?
I didn't have the right clamps to do this but I did it without the clamps and everything came out fine.
yep! done it a million times!
3:05 tone glue. Ladies and Gentlemen, the birth of TONE GLUE...
"You can't beat hide glue for its tone"..... LOL 🤣
Nice.
Hi, I have rosewood neck and it is a bare neck. what oil or stain should i treat it with?
What brand of reflector wrap did you use and where can it be purchased?
How do you fix a 1963 00-18 Martin guitar that has it's original bone saddle collapsing & pulling towards the nut?
If the bridge becomes separated taking the finish with it do you need to remove the finish or just re glue without removing the finish?
Was identifying runout direction prior to removal mentioned?
Can you use any strong wood glue, PVA PolyVinyl Acetate, Gorilla?
This was waaaaay harder than i thought.
Great video! I have a couple questions. I come from an aviation background where the oil from your hands can affect a glue up, is that a concern with wood glue? Does using water for cleanup affect drying times? Is there a concern with creep using a PVA glue? Once again thanks and I hope to see more from Gene!
I wouldn't say oil is of no concern, but as long as your hands are clean and the wood is clean, it's not a problem. If I'm working with oily woods I will wipe them down with Naphtha or acetone to remove some of that, but it's never been an issue for me. Using water to clean up squeeze out won't affect anything, you can water down the glue slightly to thin it out for certain applications and that will slow drying time and weaken the joint if done to excess, but for clean up it's no problem. When done properly, you should have no problems with creep as long as the guitar is cared for properly...no hot cars, no direct sunlight, no excessive dryness. Thanks!
You aviation guys and your safety concerns blah blah blah ;)
Can i use fevicol glue to reglue bridge sir
This is a great tutorial on the subject. And I love Stew Mac tools but this in essence is a SM commercial. And out of the dozens of these I've done only a couple have come off that clean. The clean up is the real work. I'd like to point out the starved glue joint myth he mentioned. I've been a wood worker cabinet maker most of my life and pushing 25 years in guitar repair, although part time. Many articles have been written on this topic and it has been debunked. But people still believe it. You'd have to have a hydraulic press to exert enough force to starve a glue joint. pretty impossible on top of an acoustic guitar.
What about Titebond II ????
Great video! Just curious, would a heat gun be suitable for this task?
Great question! A heat gun is not the right tool for this job. It's too hard to control the forced air that comes from it. A heat gun will also dry the wood severely and cause cracks. You run a very high risk of severe damage with a heat gun and we would not recommend it. Thanks!
Yeah, that was about as difficult as I thought it would be ... still to hard for me! #noskills #stilllovethesevideos
Is walking still legal in Canada or do you need a permit.
What about a lifted bridge area on the soundboard?
This was a great video. Would that heat lamp trick also work on the neck pocket? The only thing I've seen is the steam method, but this would be much easier if it worked.
Watch guitar repairman Ted Woodford in Canada on UA-cam doing neck removals and resets (the twoodfrd channel). He uses inexpensive heating rods made for cutting foamboard to heat the neck pocket; easier, more controllable, less messy than steam.
@@goodun2974 Thanks for the tip :) :) :)
@@antonharmacinski276 Ted Woodford's work, and his videos, are awesome; plus he's historically informative, and quite funny, and a pretty good guitar player too. His bridge removals and reglues are much simpler than this here.
@@goodun2974 i have a feeling that they're actually not, it's just ted is giving us an edited demo as opposed to an actual step-by-step tutorial, there's probably a bunch of extra little steps that don't make it into his videos
(and yes ted is the man)
@@walterw2 , perhaps ---- but making a heat shield for the guitar prior to using an infrared lamp to remove the bridge, as we see here, is obviously fairly involved and time consuming. Ted's bridge removal method, using a miniature clothes-iron type device (a "heat-sealing" iron for plastic films), doesn't require any of that advance preparation, not even masking off the soundboard of the guitar, since the heating is more concentrated and stricty mechanical, not radiant. Personally, I think I'd choose an undertank reptile-aquarium heating-pad from the local pet store instead of an infrared heat lamp.
We all have our ways, I disagree that anyone can squeeze out all the glue or that it can make the joint weak I've never had one do that twice, thanks for uour time
Yeah, that was total BS.
Close your eyes and you’ve got a great “Tom Hanks as luthier” asmr video here
When you have an acoustic guitar that isn't going to be played for a while, is it best to loosen the strings?
Just gave me a use for my snake's old heat lamp.
So what are the draw backs of using a close iron
Good question! Clothes irons are great for straighter joints, like removing a fingerboard, or peghead overlay, etc. But it's too difficult getting one into the curves of a bridge to heat it evenly enough for safe removal.
Lemon oil doesn't hydrate the wood. In order to hydrate the wood, you need to add moisture. The oil just makes the moisture content of the wood change more slowly
Just a friendly correction - radiation, including heat, does not dissipate exponentially. It follows an inverse square relationship, which is different than exponential.
Thanks for the video!
seems like overkill with the light-heater. heating iron would do the trick without all the drama
More than one way to do this job and we encourage everyone to do what works best for them. But you should always protect the guitar when you're heating something like this with any method. Thanks!
Is that a torrefied top?
Why copper tape?
Can aluminum foil tape work also?
That's a big production. I'm self taught and my system is so easy and has never let me down. Just tape around the bridge ..... heat up a wide thin putty knife with a heat gun. ... it takes 5 or 6 attempts but you can feel that hot knife slowly push under the bridge. Easier ... no heat lamp or towels or blankets.
Your welcome.😂
@ 25:25
FYI: Backwards = counterclockwise.
What a great way to remove the bridge. I've seen guys doing this with a hot clothes iron directly over the wood. What a mess.
Wouldn’t it be easier if the bottom call had threads through each pin hole and a set of wing nuts to draw it down to top. No need for clamps. I’ll take my royalties now…
You don't need a lot of glue. In fact, less is more in wood joint gluing.
Never thought my chicken hobby would overlap with my guitar hobby....
Mark Knopfler has gone on record to say he used a cocked Wah pedal for the sound
How much would a luthier charge for this repair?
I charge $150 - $170.
Wouldn't a contour gauge be an easier way to lay out the contour of the bridge onto the mask?
Yes
Great question! If you have a contour gauge that is capable of getting all the way down flat to the top, then that is absolutely a valid method. Most contour gauges won't do that, so you overshoot the bridge in some areas. We're just transferring a basic shape here, and there are many ways to accomplish that. Thanks!
no way, that stepped measurement trick is great and i'll be using it going forward!
it also requires no extra tools besides the ruler and calipers we should already have
That was in tune? Wow.
Wouldn't you want to put some self adhesive sandpaper on the body where the bridge is supposed to be and put the bridge on top of it and sand it so you know you will have as proper a fit as possible? To match any bulges that the top might have gotten over the years.
Good question! Proper fit is mentioned and sometimes it is necessary to fit the bridge to the top. In this case, the bridge fit very well flat and it wasn't necessary. Fitting a bridge can be difficult and it's very easy to make the joint less sound structurally if you don't get it perfect. Adhering sand paper to the top can help, but it isn't a sure way to get a perfect fit on a 3 dimensional surface.
🥁☮️🥁
spinal tap?
Absolutely! If he is really serious about all this, he desperately needs to get laid.
Wagner heat gun with temperature control could make life a bit easier
You forgot tiny sunglasses for the guitar so you can have a guitar solarium
Sorry, but tonight I'm "that guy." I'd love a calculation of how much all the supplies and tools cost. Don't skip anything! I think it would be good for the customer to know when they head to their local luthier. This number would let all customers know just how much a luthier has to invest to do a job like this one. I'm guessing $800-$1000 with all tools and supplies. Just a guess. Please calculate and tells us the actual dollar figure.
I find that dropping your guitar is a fantastic way to remove the bridge quickly.
how is the infrared light tiring your eyes, if your eyes can't even see infrared light?
Can you see UVA/UVB rays? And does it affect your skin?
Dude reminds me of Justin Long.
Great informative video! (Except for the damn bloody annoying music!! Is it compulsory???!) Thanks again!
Boy all that caution and u still have all those grains torn up fr the sound board on the bridge
Minor wood fibers are normal and unavoidable. We go for as clean as possible, and what you see here is a result of the caution we took, not something that happened despite it. Thanks for your comment!
Fish glue has the best tone
Yean, but it needs to be from a salmon...
Tuna stays in key the longest