I have a classical guitar on which the strings pulled the bridge off the soundboard. The bridge actually split with half remaining on the soundboard and the other half pulled off by the strings. Is this a repair that I can do? This guitar is a very basic beginners one and I'd like to do it myself. An tips on how to do this successfully? Thanks.
I'm no luthier or instrument repairman, but I think you can do it.
De-string the broken bridge, and "dry-fit" it back onto the part that remained on the soundboard. See how good the fit is. Don't sand or smooth either part. If you can get a good, clean, dry fit with almost invisble seams, that's good.
Then it's just a matter of getting the same fit with glue. I'd recommend a good quality yellow glue (e.g. Titebond II), or maybe epoxy. You'll have to find some way to apply some clamping pressure (maybe a baggie of sand, or a clamp with enough reach to make it work through the soundhole).
There's bona-fide luthiers here somewhere that can discredit me, I'm sure.
-Zz
While I wouldn't do a valuable instrument for my first try, this is certainly within the skill range of intermediate woodworkers. Get thee to a library and pick up a book on acoustic guitar repair. This is probably one of the most common repairs. You can most likely buy a suitable replacement bridge or make your own (although you'll need a tapered reamer for the peg holes). You'll need a few long reach clamps to clamp the bridge in place while glue sets.
If the split was clean, you may have success just gluing it; I'd try that first.
HTH,
Paul F.
Didn't think that you needed a super-u-beaut glue for a bridge as it is under downward pressure which would hold it. I have a guitar which I broke the bridge about 45 years ago, stuck a couple of matches under the strings and the thing still plays well, even though I don't
MIMF is the place to look, (if you have lots of spare time)
Classical guitars and a lot of acoustics have the strings attached at the bridge, unlike electrics or electro-acoustics which use a "tail piece", so there's a fair pull on the bridge.
Bookish wrote the following:
thanks for posting it.
R
There's a plate under the bridge that bears a lot of the tension from the bridge pins.
Bridge should release by heating it with a clothes iron and carefully prying it loose with a thin table or putty knife. Scrape off all remaining glue and reglue it with hot horse glue if it's a decent instrument, yellow glue if it's anything less. Avoid epoxy. Glues used on musical instruments are chosen for their reversibility.
Be sure to mark the bridge location before removing it to guarantee it goes back to the same place. Laying strips of masking tape around it works well. If you're lucky, the finish will have broken at the bridge perimeter, marking the location for you. Slight misalignment can be compensated by refiling the string notches to correct intonation.
Be sure when you restring it that you use nylon strings. Steel strings put too much tension on the bridge. If they were used in the past, that might be why the bridge broke in the first place.
Make it a lot easier to tune, too, since the barrels on classical machines are too big for steel.
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