Acoustic Guitar Bridge Repair
Lifting Bridge Repair
About the Job
This acoustic guitar came into the workshop with a lifting bridge that needed to be assessed and repaired.
This was going to be a time-consuming process, requiring careful attention to detail.
The Problem
Over time the unusually shaped bridge had come loose from the guitar body.
The issue with this guitar was that the wooden bridge was stuck to a polyurethane finish, which made it difficult to remove without causing damage.
Initial Inspection
On initial inspection, the bridge was found to be significantly loose and needed to be removed and then removing the polyurethane finish where the bridge was attached.
Repair Process
We had to cut around the bridge through the polyurethane finish with a sharp blade and then heat the bridge to loosen it from the adhesive.
Once the bridge was removed we then proceded to chisel away the polyurethane finish leaving an island shaped area the same shape as the bridge with the wood exposed so that we could get a solid adhesive bond.
We cleaned up the bottom of the bridge removing the old adhesive and proceeded to glue the bridge back to the body and then clamping it with u-shaped clamps.
After 24 hours we removed the clamps and performed a final inspection. Some touching up of the finish was required to make the repair invisible and then we performed a final setup on the guitar.
Tools Used
| Adhesive | Titebond Original |
| Blade | Scalpel |
| To remove polyurethane finish | Chisel |
| Clamps | U shaped with bridge supports |
| String Gauge | 10s acoustic steel strings |
| Standard | Standard E |
Final Result
On completion of the repair, the guitar was fully tested and found to be playing well with improved tuning stability and a more balanced action.
The customer was satisfied with the results and the guitar was returned to them in excellent condition.
