Doc Posted June 7, 2005 Report Share Posted June 7, 2005 I've had to pull the bridge off of my FT-79 Epiphone. It had sunk down on the neck side and pulled up on the bottom side enough so that it cracked near the saddle. I've kept a wet sponge inside the guitar for a month and it has flattened out a little. How flat does the top need to be? It now is sunken in on one edge about a 1/16 and is raised up on the other about a 1/16. It doesn't seem to be moving anymore. I can get inside and pull the plate and replace it but I'd rather not if I don't have to. Any advice? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orgmorg Posted June 7, 2005 Report Share Posted June 7, 2005 Doc, have you seen this before? bridge doctor It is designed to correct the problem you are having. I've only messed around with acoustic guitars a little bit, but I have a feeling that even if you get the bridge put back right, it will just happen again. As far as the question of flatness goes, most guitars actually have a domed top, in a 25 or 30 foot radius-barely noticable, but gives it a bit of extra strength. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnJohn Posted June 20, 2005 Report Share Posted June 20, 2005 Also check the bracing at the X. If the bridge is dipping on one side it could be a brace has pulled slightly throwing off the top tension. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Posted June 22, 2005 Author Report Share Posted June 22, 2005 Thanks for the replys guys. I have to get in there and replace the plate 'cause when I looked closer it's cracked along the line of the string holes. I removed the 1/2" diameter brass inserts by putting a 3' long bolt in them one at a time. I wrapped the body of the insert inside the guitar with a piece of leather to protect the threads and clamped a small vice grip to it. I heated the bolt with a small torch until the glue softened. then I backed the little sucker out. This way the threads cut in the wood of the top didn't get trashed. I going to make a new bridge using the old one as a template. I've modified a couple of butter knives that I'll heat up on a hot plate and work under the old plate to lever it out. The do-dad from Stew-Mac looks neat but I wonder how much it will affect the sound. When it's right this is a really wonderful sounding instrument. This was made back when Gibson seemed to still be motivated by things other than the bottom line alone. I tried to force a thin palette knife under all of the bracing and it all appears to be solidly glued, so that problem isn't there. I'm going to make clamping cauls out of some 1/4" aluminum and see if gluing in a new plate flattens out the top. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JPL Posted June 22, 2005 Report Share Posted June 22, 2005 The do-dad from Stew-Mac looks neat but I wonder how much it will affect the sound. When it's right this is a really wonderful sounding instrument. This was made back when Gibson seemed to still be motivated by things other than the bottom line alone. ← I have that do-dad installed in an old Wurlitzer acoustic and not only did it bring the top down flat and fixed the intonation problem, it also made a nice sounding instrument into a great sounding one. Breedlove puts them into all of their guitars. Edit: I just saw that this is an old Gibson so you might want to think about the vintage thing but there is a bridge doctor that does not need holes drilled or anything sacreligious like that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.