Repairing a Lifting Acoustic Guitar Bridge 

howd it go??

@@frankygalindo3574 Whew, I tell you I was sweating bullets putting those string on, waiting for the bridge to rip off any second! But I've had four gigs since Monday, and Old Boy has held up just fine so far 🥳

bridge clamps are available online for around CAD$20 for a wood one or $25 for a metal one

I agree, the bridge clamp is genius. I'm not a luthier, just a home handyman who enjoys the challenge of a new problem. I have an old guitar that probably isn't worth $20 and the bridge lifted about 1/8 inche one corner. I'm going to make myself a bridge clamp like this one and fix this old guitar 🎸 😊 Thanks 👍

@@waygone6657 I plan on doing the same to a Cort I just bought with a lifting bridge.

That works? I just did this method and I got the thing off but it was time consuming

Snap lol glued fine though

Same to me 😒😔😖

Just add wood or adhesive

Same thing happened to me now I left my guitar unfinished :(

IT'S the end of the Instruments life. Do your best and re-glue, remember the Guitars top has a slight curved radius so just clamp it down so it has minimal wobble. I mix fine sawdust with the wood glue to help the bond.

Would love an answer for this

ya had mine heating for a while can’t get it to loosen

Can't help BUT.... Jack White likes the challange of playing fucked up guitars. Says it makes him better. Also: Tom Morello says "make mistakes-that's where some new kinda tune comes out!"

i just had my 9 year old ibanez split under the saddle she had a good run

how did it go tim?!?

I haven’t done anything to it yet except put it back in the case and put it away. I’m just an old man who’s always trying to learn how to play who end up collecting Aria Acoustic guitar’s lol.

I don’t think 3d printing would be the way to go, I’m no expert in 3d printing but I’m not sure plastic is the best material for a clamp, it’s easy enough to make from a block of hardwood and some bolts etc and much faster than 3d printing.

@@DavidParker It would definitely work. There is all kinds of glue up clamps on the 3d print sites, just not one shaped nicely for the bridge. even if its just 3d printed the shape that holds the bridge in place and using wood for the rest, but ive seen entire 3d printed clamps that work. even 3d printed work holding vices. honestly the most important part would just be the shape that fits nicely against the bridge to distribute pressure evenly, that would be an ideal 3d printed part.

It bolts through the bridge pin holes to apply pressure to the bridge, then there are two bolts on either side to apply pressure to the wings of the bridge so I don’t have to make a custom caul for every bridge I clamp

Exactly what I was wondering. I'll probably end up using some basic clamps I have laying around.

I want to convert a cheap RH acoustic to lefty, to use as a practice hack and came here. I reckon you could just use bolts, through the peg holes, with washers top and bottom?

@@tyrotrainer765lol. the video speeds up just where you want a better look at what he's doing. I slowed it down and saw washers/nuts in his hand.

Hell yea return it lol

It look titebond was used in the video, any other alternative to use?

I leave mine for 3 days and have never had one lift. Regular wood glue(with some of the wood dust mixed in)no fancy super bond type glues cos they always make it impossible for future repairs.

@@giulioluzzardi7632 can we use some inexpensive wood glue for re glue the bridge

Yeah that would be fine, Keith Richards famously plays with only 5 strings in an open tuning.

They were bolts going through the bridge pin holes to nuts on the inside of the guitar

It’s easily steamed off for future repairs, that’s the one most luthiers use. It doesn’t need to be waterproof etc which are the benefits of the blue and green ones

@@DavidParker Thank you :)

Cherish it, my dad got me a guitar when I was 13 and I ended up selling it to a friend for some dumb reason, then my dad passed away, I kept trying to get the guitar back from him and he kept saying I could have it but it never happened then I asked him the other day and he said he had to sell it when he got a divorce. I fear I will never see that guitar again and it makes me sad :(.

@@kingoffire9373 you could try asking who he sold it to if you didn't already

I wouldnt. good chance of damaging the finish.

A minute or two? Until the glue is soft enough to get a spatula underneath

i have this same problem. did you manage to fix it?

I said in the video what glue I used

And in the description of the video

TiteBond Original Wood Glue

Wood glue only, Titebond is the best. Never use super glue on guitars, ever

No

Nyet.

The bolts go through the bridge pin holes with nuts on the inside of the guitar

@@DavidParker yeah it seems so obvious now lol

It varies from guitar to guitar

Once I had the bridge glued back on and the guitar strung back up I thought the action could come down, so I sanded the saddle down a bit to lower the action.

@@DavidParker gotcha. Just like you can do a nut from time to time. One more question and I’ll leave you alone. Lol… I’m about to attempt to this same bridge project to a Baby Taylor acoustic. The bridge was pulling like this guitar in the video. But, the guitar has sat for 4 or 5 years and exactly where the bridge sits, there’s a small hump that’s developed where the tension has made the body bow up. Will that have a major effect on the results? Il

@@BlaineO hard to tell without seeing it, if you’re not confident take it to a luthier. Re glueing the bridge can help flatten that sort of thing out but there could be many other factors that affect that such as bracing and proper humidity.

@@DavidParker gotcha. If the value of the guitar was a lot higher…I would. I’m just gonna fix it or break it. Lol! I do a lot of woodwork and feel pretty comfortable doing it. We’ll see. Thanks for the advice!

​@@DavidParkerHey David, thanks for posting this! I'm going to attempt a bridge repair on my Vangoa acoustic. What setting did you put the iron on and how long did you keep it on to melt the glue enough? Thanks again for your help! 🎸😊👊👏

I’ve never used hide glue, titebond works great and easy to get hold of so I see no reason to switch to hide glue unless it’s a vintage guitar that was originally glued with hide glue

@@DavidParker Why not use epoxy instead of tite bond?

@@caniswolf3394 because if there are issues in the future epoxy can’t be heated up to easily remove the bridge. Guitars are built to be repairable so you need to use glues that can be unglued

@@DavidParker Understood. Thank you.

I think you have to repair that as well.

Wax paper

maybe parchment paper that you cook with, good up to 400 degrees. Wax paper may not be advisable

Well you cut and shape a piece of wood to be the shape and size of a guitar bridge and then you have to drill and taper the bridge pin holes and route a slot for the saddle… but if you’re asking for instructions it might be beyond your capabilities and I’d suggest taking the guitar to a luthier.

It usually covered by thin layer of so called finish

Wood glue.

Someone else may have to take the bridge off in the future. Epoxy will make it more difficult. It’s a balancing act. Some might even use Hyde or fish glue.

Yeah I guess his homemade clamp is a big secret. As a matter of fact it is THE secret to successfully doing this. I just got a Blue ridge acoustic guitar that was thrown in the garbage that has this very problem.

@@kevinmeserole7345 bridge clamps are available online for around CAD$20 for a wood one or $25 for a metal one

@@PaulDeFelice thanks

You can’t, but I clean up the holes with a bridge pin reamer afterwards

@@DavidParker ok I'm going to go and look up what that is lol

@@AshCollins if you’re not fully confident I’d definitely suggest taking it to a professional, it’s not an easy job and can be messed up and ruin a guitar quite easily

@@DavidParker tbqh taking it to a professional would cost way more than the guitar is worth, so it's either have a go at it myself or chuck it in the bin hahaha

I'm here because my Ibanez has this problem...

About 150 at guitar center in denver

Just checked yesterday and $200 @ Guitar Center in San Bernardino, CA

Definitely not a repair job I’d recommend to a complete beginner but it’s really not too hard. If you don’t feel comfortable I’d get a professional luthier to do the work.

But satisfying

I’m gonna be doing this on my sister’s guitar and I’m planning on just pressing it down as hard as I can and maybe adding a little bit of tape to keep it in place as the glue dries 🤷‍♂️

Absolutely not.

I would take it to a luthier and get their opinion

I had the same problem with my Oscar Schmidt OD-312A 12 string acoustic (a Washburn subsidiary). Had it for about 2 months when it started. Couldn't get anywhere with the manufacturer so I did it myself. Just like the way David did it in this video (I had never done one before). This was 3 years ago and it is still solid. I agree with David, take it to a luthier or a guitar tech and get their assessment on it first. If you do it yourself, just take your time, refer back to this or any of the other videos on the subject that are available on RU-vid (they are all basically the same with slight differences in technique and tools used. When scoring around the bridge, use a new blade in the knife (I used a #11 holder and blade [available at most hobby shops and hardware stores]). And just score the finish, you don't want to cut into the wood if at all possible! Good luck!