Guitar Bridge Repairs
Source: Acoustic Guitar Belly Bridge
Acoustic Guitar Belly Bridge:
There will be times when you encounter a bridge that is so severely cracked, it is in need of replacement. Another reason to make a new Belly Bridge may be to replace a smaller footprint bridge that proves to have an inadequate gluing surface. Additional reasons exist for a bridge replacement and therefore you should be prepared to know how to make a new one.
If you are removing a damaged bridge, and especially if it is a vintage guitar, you will want to match the shape, wood and dimensions of the existing bridge. If not, you will want a good template to make a new bridge – then read on….
The Belly Bridge is an Acoustic Guitar standard that was made popular by the C.F. Martin Co. with the advent of their Dreadnought series guitars made in the 1930′s, also know as pre-war Martins.
The Belly Bridge exibits many popular features, thus advancing it’s use to many of today’s factory and handmade guitars.
Some of these features include:
- Adequate gluing surface that allow a glue-only attachment, without the need of mechanical fasteners.
- Minimal thickness, thus advancing the tone carrying qualities of the guitar top plate.
- Graceful lines accentuating the simplicity of the flat top acoustic guitar itself.
- Generous room to add some flair with the bridge pin arrangements and allowing for saddle placements and intonation adjustments.
- Easily made from hand tools.
Bridge Material Selection:
The material for the belly bridge is traditionally the same material as the guitar fretboard. If you can’t determine the fretboard material, select a hardwood material that matches the coloration and grain pattern of the fretboard as possible. The materials will usually be either Ebony or one of the woods in the Rosewood family. Just make sure it is a ‘Hardwood’, in that I mean really hard.
You can either purchase bridge blanks from luthier supply houses such as Steward MacDonald or LMI. They are available in any configuration from finished bridge stock with no shaping, all the way to a finished bridge.
If you are the adventurous type and wish to build your own ( and you probably wouldn’t be reading this if you were not), it is not that hard to do. The amount of tools required will depend on if this will be just a one-time build, or if you plan to build several of these bridges.
If you do just one bridge you can complete all of your work without the need for any specialized jigs or stationary power tools. If you plan on several bridge-making projects you will want to make templates, make a saddle routing jig, make a bridge ramp shaping tool for a Stationary Belt Sander and have access to a Belt Sander, Drill Press, Countersinking bits, and assorted other tools.
Watch for the Saddle Jig, and Ramp Shaping Attachment for the Stationary Belt Sander in future articles and cross-referenced to our Ultimate Guitar Building site.
Start With a Plan:
I would recommend that you first start with a great guitar bridge plan/template. I have several free ones available at our Guitar Plan Shop. Just scroll to the Free Plan Section at the bottom of the page and you will find a wealth of free plans that are available as pdf downloads. We are always adding to this section so in your guitar repair and building adventures, check it out often as you may find “just what you need” for a problem you are facing or a plan you need.
Building The Bridge:
Our next article will deal with the actual building of the Acoustic Guitar Belly Bridge, so be sure to check it out.
Tags: acoustic guitar belly bridge, guitar bridge, how to make a belly bridge, how to make a guitar bridge
