Official Luthiers Forum!

Hi Everyone, finished my first guitar. I'm happy with it
except a BIG MISTAKE! The bridge placement is off about 1/8th inch. Pics are not great, but here's where I need the experts, (you guys!). The intonation is off. The saddle needs to go back about an 1/8th inch. It's already an 18th inch saddle, and peaking it back isn't enough. I know the easiest way would be fill the slot and re-rout the s/slot. 2 problems are, the inlay will touch, (which I could live with), But the low E will be too close to the saddle break. If I move the whole bridge back, then I would have to fix the lacq. line, and then what about the bridge plate holes? I even thought about modifying the nut and step it back an 1/8th, but would look like #@$*. What advise can you guys give me? Should I move the bridge and fill all the holes in the bridge plate? AHGG!!

Contratulations, Mark!!! Looks great, esp for #1!

Start on another one, play this one, and after six months you'll have a decision

_________________
now known around here as Pat Foster
_________________
http://www.patfosterguitars.com

Congratulations! The guitar looks great!

I would move the bridge back. Take it off, plug the holes with hard wood dowels, refinish and put the bridge back on.

Your guitar is too nice for you not to fix it right. You'll have that guitar forever.

_________________
"An adventure is only an inconvenience rightly considered. An inconvenience is an adventure wrongly considered." G. K. Chesterton.

WOW WOW WOW! Mark, congrats on a superb work of art for your no 1!

Wouldn't know what to suggest you on the bridge placement but let me tell you that you did an excellent job on the rest!

Mark, Nice Job!
I love the bridge design!
I'd say leave the bridge alone.
If you have not glued the fretboard extension yet, you may consider a neck reset. That is, add some matterial to the neck so it, in essence, sets the neck back, correcting the intonation. It will be way less notisable than messing up your great bridge.
But.. we will see what other folks come up with.

Wade

_________________
Wade
Nashua, NH
http://www.wadefx.com

Mark,
That looks incredible for a first guitar! I like everything about it. That is a very agressive first attempt with the cutaway, unusual bridge shape, and headstock, and fancy end wedge. Great job!

I agree with Steve. You should pull the bridge, fill the holes, and move it and refinish. You will probably have a little lacquer line, but most will be hidden by the strings. It shouldn't be too bad refinishing that area since the bridge will be off. It's not like you have to refinish the whole top.

Another very important question...do you have enough bridge plate left to move it back 1/8"? In other words, will the bridge pins hit the bridge plate if you redrill?
Tracy

_________________
Tracy
http://www.luthiersuppliers.com

A fantastic attempt for a first build, congratulations!!

There are so many features in your design that would challenge most first timers (like myself!!), you met those challenges HEAD on!!!

How did the bridge become misaligned? Sam Price38995.7155902778

[QUOTE=Wade S.] Mark, Nice Job!
I love the bridge design!
I'd say leave the bridge alone.
If you have not glued the fretboard extension yet, you may consider a neck reset. That is, add some matterial to the neck so it, in essence, sets the neck back, correcting the intonation. It will be way less notisable than messing up your great bridge.
But.. we will see what other folks come up with.

Wade [/QUOTE]

Been there done that. Works good. I agree though, whatever you do fix it right you'll have it for ever.

Good luck

I like it a lot Mark! You did a super job on your #1.
About your bridge placement,I think I would have to move it to the correct intonation if it were mine. Great bridge design and nice cutaway too. Congrats!

_________________
Anderson Guitars
Clearwater,Fl. 33755

Mark,

Great job for your first so first of all feel proud!

One slightly off the wall suggestion as a fix. From the pics, the bridge profile looks big enough to make another one of the same shape (or fractionally larger all round) route the saddle slot in the correct position and have the bridge pin holes slightly further back to give enough string break. Take off the old bridge, plug the holes, refit the new bridge and re-drill.

That way you don't have to re-finish. If the bridge profile is a smidgeon wider than the old that gives you a little lee-way.Dave White38995.7436921296

_________________
Dave White
De Faoite Stringed Instruments
". . . the one thing a machine just can't do is give you character and personalities and sometimes that comes with flaws, but it always comes with humanity" Monty Don talking about hand weaving, "Mastercrafts", Weaving, BBC March 2010

Mark play it some then fix it (my fix )plane about 3/16 from top of bridge fill slot and holes graft new piece on top recut slot and holes= no finishing anyway great first guitar Mark.      

I would do what Dave White suggests above. The new bridge would allow you to move the saddle to the right place and you could work the pins and inlay around that.

Great looking guitar Mark!

_________________
Dave Rector
Rector Guitars

Would it be practical to simply remove the bridge and replace it with s slightly oversized bridge to solve the line problem?

Mark, my feeling is to do as Dave White says. That is one outstanding guitar and if you leave it alone it will bug you forever. So go peel that bat,, sorry I mean bridge off the guitar and make a new one with the saddle and pin holes in the proper spot. then call batman and tell him where he can pick up the old bridge, i know he has to be looking for it.    Seriously, I think its a great design, but it remeinds me of a bat.. A cool bat though. And again,, truely outstanding job,, you should be very proud.
Mike

Great guitar! Very well done.

I think Dave has a good idea there. But like Hesh says, take your time, think it over and something will appeal to you in time... Speed kills man, speed kills...

_________________
I'd like to be able to prove, just for once, that money wouldn't make me happy...

i would go along with those who say to remove and reposition the bridge. if the finish is nitro without any toners, which it appears to be, there should be very little trouble getting a finish with no witness lines, and remember that butyl cellusolve is your friend, so long as you don't make a practise of huffing it. an airbrush would be handy in the finish repair.

now that this unfortunate event has occured, take the time to sit back and reflect on your positioning routine to determine how the error occured and how to avoid it the next time. record same in your buid jounal and your construction sequence if you have one.

oh, and i forgot to mention; along with many others i too am impressed with your overall execution of a difficult construction.

If it would be mine, I would put a 1/8 shim under the heel, a decorative purf line possibly. I assume this is a bolt on. This is the easiest and is fully reversible if you do not like the result.
The 14th fret will not line with the body, but this is not critical.
You can also make a new fingerboard with a scale 1/8 longer, and keep this one for a new project.

Mark, you should be very proud. Its a great first effort. I know that the thought of taking the bridge off is daunting, but like the guys have said, you are going to have the guitar for a long time not to fix it. Good luck.

_________________
Aoibeann

Thanks so much for all your great ideas. I knew I could turn to this site for help. I hope I can be of the same help to others here like you have been. I think I'm going to do the suggestion of enjoying it for awhile, and then take on the task of moving the bridge later. It does play well, it's just knowing that intonation is off that kills. (you know what i mean). I appreciate your compliments on the 1st of hopefully many more guitars.

An absolutely amazing first guitar!!!!!!!
The ideas above for the bridge are right on

_________________
Andy Z.
http://www.lazydogguitars.com

Nice job Mark. It is a shame about the intonation. I'm with Wade and Alain (in the minority) in thinking that adding a shim to the heel of the neck might be a little easier.

_________________
Joe Breault
Merrimack, NH
Perpetual novice

Mark,

It looks to me like you've got some real potential as a guitar builder. You've taken on some design challenges in your first instrument, and come out looking good!

If you want to continue on this journey, there's going to be a time where you'll have to remove the bridge and touch up the finish on one of your instruments, so why not do it now? I think you'll be happier with that in the long run than with a visible shim on the heel (even if you try to decorate it). Besides, then you'll be available to help me when I need to remove a bridge!

Good looking guitar. Small problem to fix bridge location.

Mark -- that's a beauty regardless of whether it was your first or tenth. I really like the headstock and font chosen for the logo/inlay -- beauty!