Relaxation therapy?
Correcting a Warped Bridge
© Frank Ford, 5/1/01; Photos by FF, 5/01


The bridge on this 1975 D-35 has been loose for quite a while. With the heat that caused the looseness, and the long slow pull of the strings, the bridge had warped considerably:

Off the guitar, the bridge still shows the same warped shape:


One "conventional" repair technique is to flatten the bottom of the bridge by sanding:

Notice that I have the sander turned off. I don't use this technique. (And, I'd be using push sticks rather than risking the old digits.)

I've found good success by simply immersing the bridge in boiling water for a few minutes:


After the hot bath, the bridge often relaxes to its original shape, obviating the need for an introduction to Mr. Beltsander:


The "restored" bridge fits right back on the top, the way it should:

I clamp the bridge back in place with hide glue, which is far more resistant to the heat that caused it come loose in the first place.

And, after gluing the bridge back on the top of the guitar, it's flat and solid:



Back to full string tension, still looking good:



Back to Index Page