adding a glued bridge to a flat top

[stephen jeffery]

Hi i'm new so beware of naievity and poor spelling. I have an old worco parlor i would like to add a bridge to to replace the floater for intonation purposes and to possibly lower the action. the belly is fractionally sunk. I thought of a spanish type that wouldn't need drilling. what's involved please?

steve

perhaps the following photos help

[Ron Frazier]

Do not glue the bridge to the top!!!

Use steel strings  as that is what it was built for. Tuned if the strings are to high ether remove from the bottom of the bridge until the string hight is right or the best is reset the neck.  That is a hard job but if you have not done one this the one to try. If after the bridge is thinned the strings wont stay in the groves I would bore two holes one  at each side of the tailpiece and screw it to the top , It wont make any sound different on this cheepie any way.tune to pitch and then fret at the 12th fret and move the bridge back or forword to make thet note the same as the open string.  Do both E strings that way .  The bridge will not be streight acrost but that is the compusation to make it play in tune.

I have done this to many of these parler guitars and they are still playing. 

Rons Guitar shop No' dont send me any thing as I dont want any work as I am retired. 

Ron

[Robbie Collins]

Take your cell phone, put it in the guitar, and take a photo of the underside of the bridge area and post it. Then forum members can give you more specific advice. If you have an iPhone, you can switch the camera to the front view so you can touch the trigger while it's lying flat.

[stephen jeffery]

if you visit the utube link you will see a glued to the top spanish bridge that works perfectly :)

[Ned Knepp]

Guys, Stephen is trying to tell us that he's done what he was going to do long ago. 

Stephen,  did you install the Bridge Doctor to support the bridge and top?

[stephen jeffery]

it as a long time ago now - but I believe it didn't fit for some reason. the guitar is narrow, but to be honest, I couldn't be happier with the spanish bridge. A low action and wide string spacing with spot on intonation. What's wrong with glueing a bridge? I believe other guitar manufacturers do it all the time. :)

[stephen jeffery]

also by glueing the bridge,the string tension has righted the depression caused by the downward pressure from the floater.

[Ned Knepp]

Nothing wrong with gluing a bridge but I think that most of us would hesitate about it without doing anything to the underlying structure to insure the long term survival and playability of the instrument.  Without reinforcement, there is a chance that the correction you mentioned to the depression that existed in the top will continue until, someday, it becomes debilitating as the string pressure continues to exert unchecked roll forces on your bridge.  Only time will tell and in the mean time you have a guitar you obviously like very much.