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Private member DiscussionAcoustic Repair

Bridge Reglue Suggestions...

Hey everyone, I had a question on how to approach this bridge reglue. It's from a 1940's Kay type guitar, I removed the bridge without issue, and did some surfacing of the underside of it, but there's a problem. The bridge is missing material on the outer edges and I don't think I can remove much more material without compromising the overall shape and structure of it. I was wondering if you had suggestions on how to approach this? I wa…

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Unfortunately it's an absence of material on the bass and treble sides. @member
Private member DiscussionAcoustic Repair

Martin DX 175th bridge reglue

I have a martin DX 175TH that is in for a bridge lifting. I did some research and it has an HPL top and a rosewood bridge. I have some gluboost gel on hand but I was wondering if anyone has a better suggestion.

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Here are a few tips for reglueing a bridge to HPL: 1. Clean off any old cyanoacrylate (CA) residue on the soundboard using "Super Solvent" or a similar product designed to remove cured cyanoacrylate. 2.…
Private member DiscussionGeneral

When do you guys suggest a bridge re-glue?

At what point do you tell a customer that their acoustic instrument needs a bridge reglue? Do you do it when the corners are just barely starting to lift? Once it has begun to affect playability/tuning stability? Do you offer half-measures to save them money when the damage is not too bad (dripping in some thinned tite bond instead of removing the bridge entirely for example)? I ask this because a Godin acoustic bass just came across my…

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Ian Davlin
You've had better luck than me with half measures. I'm not sure why you're diluted Titebond worked, but the one of the unfortunate things about Titebond, is that you cant glue TB to TB. It could be th…
Private member DiscussionAcoustic Repair

Classical Guitar Bridge Reglue

I have a Favilla Classical guitar on the bench, in for a bridge reglue. This is a low to mid-range classical guitar, made circa 1960, and it's an heirloom guitar for the customer, he basically wants it back in playing shape. The story is that he went away on vacation, and when he returned the bridge had delaminated from the top and took a fair amount of finish with it. It also appears that someone attempted to glob on superglue at some…

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Private member DiscussionAcoustic Repair

Advice on getting this 50s parlor nylon back into good shape?

Hi all, I'm new here. I've been playing guitars for ~15 years and recently started as a technician at a music production school in London, where part of my job is maintaining the guitars. I picked up this 50s parlor nylon the other day and it's in bad shape but I don't know how to go about repairing it. The main issue is the bridge. The guitar was kept high strung and the bridge has twisted and lifted off slightly at the base. T…

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So now put the iron on low, heat the bridge for at least 5 minutes, then take it and the insulating cardboard off, and see if you can begin to work palette knives under the bridge. If it's not relativ…
Private member DiscussionGeneral

Newbie luthier wannabe

Thought I would introduce myself, I am a retired computer nerd ex farm boy that loves to fix things… used to repair/rebuild pianos but now that I live in FL, space is at a premium in small home so I now am venturing into repairing guitars…. I have numerous practice candidates I have picked up on the cheap as not to destroy anything of value or collectability, and have tooled up with enough stuff to be dangerous. I have done several aco…

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Glad to have you on board, Tom! Welcome!
Private member DiscussionAcoustic Repair

‘58 Martin strange stuff

So I have a ‘58 D-18 in for a lifting bridge. Upon inspection I find a 1/2” dowel glued from side to side about an inch below the top right under the front of the bridge. I’m baffled as to what this is or what it’s for. The current owner didn’t know it was there. Was just going to leave it alone (ya know, just back away slowly 😂) but it’s located such that I can’t get bridge clamps above or below it to reglue the bridge. And informatio…

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The saddle slot has been filled and recut at some point.
Private member DiscussionAcoustic Repair

When do you make the call to pull a lifting bridge and reglue?

Hey y'all, I've got a mid budget lefty acoustic in the shop for some work and one of the bridge wings is starting to pull up. I know some people are content to just squeeze some glue under and reclamp, but from what I can see underneath it the finish goes back a long way before we even start to touch the wood, if ever. So I'm leaning towards pulling it to be safe, but just making sure I'm not being overzealous before deciding on that co…

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Thank you both for taking the time to reply! Pulling it was definitely the right choice, it's a lot happier now. They'd removed some amount under the bridge at the factory but not nearly enough, only t…
Private member DiscussionAcoustic Repair

Neck reset for this Harmony H162?

I just posted this question over on the patreon app chat which I think might not be the best place, so I'm posting here. Apologies for the redundancy! The Patreon app confuses me a bit. This is a friend's Harmony H162 I'm evaluating. Needs bridge reglued both otherwise is in good shape. It's either had a neck reset before or just doesn't need it as action is low, 3.5/64" on low E with .007" relief. There are two areas I can slip a .006"…

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Link says video is private. Would love to see the video and what you mean by it's not standard! thank you!
Private member DiscussionAcoustic Repair

Regluing Taylor bridges and others with embedded electronics

I was recently asked to do some set up work on a Taylor GS Mini when I noticed the bridge beginning to lift at the back corner on the treble side. The pickups/electronics are mounted through the bridge plate and bridge, which is not something I've dealt with before and I'm wondering about how you all approach bridges like this. Any tips, tricks, warnings, etc. Would you tend to remove the bridge and reglue (if so, how nightmarish is it d…

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I'm not sure if you're aware but I worked at Taylor for 24 years, 19 of those in the Repair Dept. Dust and glue is totally appropriate, especially on the Tecate made guitars. That's what customer servi…
Private member DiscussionAcoustic Repair

Strange(?) bellying on Martin 000-15 SM

Just realized that I posted this on the main feed earlier and should have posted it here. Apologies for my poor posting skills. Will go and delete the original now.... Hello all, I’m new around here and excited to continue lurking and learning, taking in all the great content and the knowledge of all you experienced looths. I am more familiar with building than repairing, but I am interested in learning all I can about both. I’m happy to…

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Yeah, I don't know. I would start by calling Customer Service. They will either direct you to a warranty operation for verification or if they let you send the pics, they might just issue a Return Aut…
Private member DiscussionAcoustic Repair

Guidance on Bridge Re-glue

I recently picked up an inexpensive acoustic with a belly bulge and lifting bridge for some repair practice. I got the bridge off and used the TJ Thompson belly reducer to reduce a lot of the bulge. However, some of the wood stuck to the bridge during removal and the wood left on the guitar is now uneven and has some chipping. Should I remove the wood from the bridge, carefully remove wood from the top of the guitar to get the bridge area…

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I have a couple pallet knifes that I filed and abraded a long, thin edge just for situations like this. After the bridge is removed I clamp it to a flat plate with a damp paper towel between the bridge…
Private member DiscussionGeneral

Hoffner Bass neck reglue

I have a Hoffner bass with a neck that broke loose. The main problem seems to be that that neck was loosely fit and was relying on a thick layer of glue at the bottom of the neck pocket to hold it in place, it looks like some shimming is in order. My question is about getting the neck angle correct. With the bridge thumbscrews at the bottom of their adjustment, should a straight edge on the finger board touch the top of bridge, or the to…

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Private member DiscussionFinish Repair

'52 LG1 Bridge issue

Had to replace the bridge, new one was modeled to the original specs, however the footprint is a little forward and showing some bare wood. I don't really want to pay for another rosewood bridge. After regluing the bridge, I was thinking of a shellac fill and trying to do some like very light color work to blend around the bridge wings. Interested in how y'all would approach such an issue.

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Ian Davlin
This is one of the reasons I almost always make my own bridges. It's just hard to do it any other way and have it line up. Also, I'm a firm believer in cutting that saddle slot after the bridge is on.…
Ian Davlin DiscussionJob Postings

Tempe Arizona: Acoustic Vibes Music ($21-26/ Hr)

Acoustic Vibes Music is looking for a lead tech that would primarily be working on Martin and Taylor warranty issues. We are a Martin and Taylor Warranty Service center. So everything from Setups, to making new nuts/Saddles, minor finish repair, refrets, binding repairs, cleating cracks in tops, Pickup installation, strap button installation, pickguard removal and installation, bridge removals and reglue, level crown/polish, and oc…

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