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The bridge of your guitar resists upwards to 200 pounds of string tension, yet it'due south affixed to your guitar with nil merely glue. It stands to reason that, after years of playing your guitar, that bridge might get-go to come loose. If it pulls upwardly besides much or stays loose for besides long, it can affect the sound of your guitar. There's also a hazard that the bridge itself volition crack. If your bridge is croaky, replace it with a new i. However, if your bridge is all the same intact, you tin can re-glue it and then your guitar will audio like it did when it was new. This isn't necessarily an easy repair chore, and then if y'all're not comfy working on your guitar, take it to an experienced guitar tech or luthier to get the repair done.[1]

  1. ane

    Check the looseness of the bridge with a sparse sail of paper. Try to slide a piece of newspaper under your bridge, between the bridge and the acme of your guitar. If information technology slips through easily, this means the mucilage has loosened and your bridge needs to be fixed.[two]

    • Even if y'all tin can meet a gap between the bottom of your bridge and the top of your guitar, yous still need to check it. It might exist that the guitar'south lacquer doesn't reach to the edge of the bridge, which is attached to the blank wood, which can create the advent of a gap.
    • If the span itself is cracked or warped, it will need to be replaced. Don't attempt to re-glue it.

  2. 2

    Accept the strings off your guitar. Before you can work on the bridge, carefully remove all of the strings on your guitar, then pop out the cord pins in the span. Set all of these to the side so you can supercede them later.[3]

    • Inspect the bridge again with the strings off to brand sure in that location aren't any cracks or other damage to the bridge that you didn't notice before.

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  3. 3

    Utilise a heating pad to loosen upwards the existing gum. If the span is just starting to lift, the heat will melt the remaining gum so you tin can remove the span without dissentious it. Check the glue every couple of minutes past wiggling the bridge a bit. Remove the estrus when it feels loose.[4]

    • Luthiers employ a particularly designed estrus blanket for this purpose. A dry out heating pad designed to soothe sore muscles will work for this.
    • Don't get out the estrus on your guitar whatever longer than necessary to avoid damage to the finish or the wood.

  4. four

    Pry the span off gently with a razor blade. Work your blade advisedly around all the edges of the bridge. Don't force it! Y'all may need to go around more than once before the bridge comes off freely. Then, set the bridge off to the side.[5]

    • If you lot accept an audio-visual-electric guitar, be careful not to remove whatsoever of the wiring when you remove the span. Simply leave that attached and let the bridge dangle to the side.[6]

  5. 5

    Scrape any remaining glue off the top of the guitar. Whatever stale gum all the same left on the height of your guitar or the lesser of the span will create an uneven surface to glue your bridge back on. Use a chisel or razor blade to gently remove information technology.[seven]

    • You desire to gum your bridge straight to the guitar. If you attempt to glue it to onetime stale glue, information technology won't seal and you'll accept to re-mucilage it all over again.
    • Sandpaper also works well to clean dried mucilage from the trunk of the guitar and the underside of the bridge. Just exist careful non to sand too hard.

  6. half-dozen

    Score the underside of the bridge with a razor blade. Cutting some horizontal and vertical lines across the lesser of the bridge and so the mucilage will get more traction for a tighter bail. Exist careful not to gouge too deeply every bit you lot could crack the bridge.[8]

    • If your span was attached directly to the lacquer of the guitar rather than the raw woods, as is the case with some more inexpensive guitars, score the lacquer as well. Take care not to cut into the actual wood of the guitar when yous practise this.

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  1. one

    Apply a ruler to measure the midpoint of your bridge. Marking the midpoint of your bridge helps y'all place it back on the guitar in the verbal aforementioned spot it was earlier. Marking the centerline of the bridge with a pencil both on the top of the bridge and on the guitar where the span sits. And then, you can but match up those 2 lines to put your span back in place.[9]

  2. 2

    Measure and mark your bridge to ensure you replace it correctly. Use a ruler to mark the middle of your bridge and line it up with the middle of the spot where your bridge was located on the superlative of your guitar. This will help you line upward your span so you tin re-glue it in the exact same spot.[10]

    • Y'all can as well identify wooden dowels in the bridge pin holes and gear up your bridge down on pinnacle of those. After y'all've placed your bridge, you lot can simply pop the dowels out. They'll help y'all line up the bridge over the holes.
    • If you don't put your span back in exactly the same spot, it will throw your string tension off and ruin your guitar's intonation.

  3. 3

    Choose a C-clamp large enough to clamp the bridge through the soundhole. The clamp ensures that your bridge is glued tightly to your guitar. Go a deep C-clamp capable of plumbing fixtures through the soundhole of your guitar and clamping the bridge down tightly. Check the fit earlier yous put glue on the bridge to make sure it'll work.[xi]

    • Depending on the size and design of your clamp, you may want to use a caul, which is only a piece of wood that you lay between the braces of the clamp and the bridge itself. The caul distributes the pressure level of the clamp more evenly so you tin can apply enough pressure to set the glue without damaging the bridge.
    • You lot can also utilise 3 clamps, using 1 for each end of the bridge and 1 for the middle. If you use 3 clamps, you won't need to apply as much pressure on each clench.[12]

  4. iv

    Apply wood glue to the lesser of the bridge. Squeeze the wood mucilage effectually the entire edge of the bridge and inside, keeping away from the bridge pin holes. Don't worry about using also much glue — you can wipe abroad whatever backlog after you clamp down the bridge.[thirteen]

    • You could also apply the mucilage to the top of your guitar rather than to your bridge. There's no need to mucilage both, even so. Information technology won't make the bond whatever stronger — you lot'll just finish upwardly with a lot of actress glue.

  5. 5

    Press your bridge into identify on the top of your guitar. Utilize the marks or dowels you placed in the bridge pin holes to line upwardly your bridge in the exact spot information technology was earlier. Check the outer edges to make sure it'due south lined up properly while the glue is all the same moisture. Then printing down firmly.[xiv]

    • When y'all press down, you'll likely see backlog glue seeping out from the edges of the bridge. Wait until you've clamped down the bridge to wipe information technology away. Otherwise, yous adventure wiping away likewise much glue and your span won't bond to your guitar.

  6. six

    Clamp the bridge downwards onto the guitar. If you lot're merely using 1 clamp, place your caul over tiptop of the bridge, then place the bottom of the clench through the soundhole into the torso of your guitar, nether the bridge. Clamp information technology down only enough to hold the seal tight, simply not plenty to squeeze out all of the mucilage.[15]

    • If you lot're using 3 clamps, get the ends in place starting time and set the middle clamp last.
    • If you don't desire the clamps to damage the finish on the span, lay a piece of felt or cloth between the span and the clamp.

  7. 7

    Wipe the backlog glue and leave the bridge clamped at least overnight. Utilize a cotton swab or rag to clean off any excess glue that seeped out from nether the edge of the bridge. And then, leave your guitar laying flat with the clamps in place so the glue tin can dry.[xvi]

    • It will accept at to the lowest degree 12 hours for the glue to dry. Yet, if you take off the clamps and the gum hasn't stale, you finer have to start all over. To exist safe, you might desire to get out your guitar for a couple of days earlier you attempt to restring it.[17]
    • If you try to restring your guitar earlier the glue has completely dried, the tension from the strings (200 pounds worth!) will pop the bridge off again.[18]

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  • If your guitar sounds thinner or quieter than normal, that could exist a sign that your bridge is loose.[19]

  • Always go along your guitar in a absurd environment (room temperature or below) to prevent your bridge from shifting or loosening.[20]

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  • If y'all're not experienced with guitar repair, take your guitar to an experienced luthier or guitar tech rather than trying to ready it on your own. You could damage your guitar to the bespeak that it'southward unplayable.

  • If the bridge itself is cracked or warped, replace it with a new bridge rather than trying to repair it.[21]

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Things Yous'll Need

  • Heat source (heat blanket, heating pad)
  • Razorblade (box-cutter or X-Acto pocketknife)
  • Ruler
  • Marking pen
  • Deep C-clamps (1 to 3)
  • Forest glue

References

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