bass bridge replace: glues? makers?

[EBordeleau@aol.com]

>Hello -- it looks like I'm about to replace the first upright bass bridge
>questions:

>1.  Who would I like to send the old bridge to duplicate?
>2.  Last time I did this I used a carpenter's glue, screwed it in, then let
it sit overnight
>before loading the strings back on the next day.  But hey, is there a
quicker way?

Audrey-
We replace a half dozen upright bass bridges a year in my shop, and can do
the whole job in about 4 hours (from bass de-stringing to fabricating to
installing to replacing the bass wires on the bridge and pulling up the
tension).  Needless to say we fabricate our own bridges (using scraps of
Bolduc pinblock stock).  If you sent us the bridge, we could duplicate it,
but I'm sure there are people closer than us that could do it for you as
well.

As for installing, the fastest way we have is to drill through the top of the
bridge into the apron for a round toothpick at each end to use as guide pins,
then drill and counterbore (1/8") for 4 evenly spaced #10 flat head wood
screws.  We use Franklin liquid hide glue warmed in the gluepot (or a
microwave) because it bonds well to any old hide glue left in the glue joint,
is sticky, and sets up fast, but gives us more time than regular hot hide
glue to tighten all the screws.  Hot hide glue works fine too if you're used
to working fast enough to stay ahead of it's jelling.  We apply glue to the
wood, push the bridge down over the toothpicks, then screw it tight to the
apron, and finally plug (with maple plugs) over the screw holes for a neat
appearance.  In 20 minutes you can carefully trim the plugs flush to the top
of the bridge, then graphite over them for an almost invisible job.
Once the screws are in and the plugs are trimmed you can replace the strings
and pull the piano up to tension - no need to wait for the glue to cure.
 This is another of those jobs that looks more intimidating than it really
is.  The thing to be most careful about is to maintain proper downbearing
with the new bridge - often we need to make it thicker than the original to
get the bearing right.

Good luck-
Edward Bordeleau
Pianoarts