Bass Bridges

[Joe & Penny Goss]

Hi Brian,
I think that the Baldwin that Ed is talking about has the bridge glued
directly on to the sound board.
Replaced one  by myself and had a lot of fun keeping the bridge in place for
the glue to set. If I were to do it again there would someone else there to
hold the bridge in place while I drilled pilot holes for screws that would
hold the bridge in place while the glue cured.
Then remove the screws.
As I remember the bridge is about 12 or 15 inches long with a slight curve.
Three small screws should do the trick.
Joe Goss
----- Original Message -----
From: Brian Trout <btrout@desupernet.net>
To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Monday, April 03, 2000 7:20 PM
Subject: Re: Bass Bridges


> Hi Ed,
>
> Normally, when I used to send out bass bridges, they would come back with
> the old apron and shoe attached to a new bridge body pinned and ready to
> install, unless I specifically asked them to duplicate the apron as well.
> That's good, if you're considering the old shoe may have small pieces of
the
> soundboard still attached.  It will mate up perfectly with the old
> soundboard.  It indexes itself.  (No filler needed.)
>
> I have always glued the bridges onto the soundboard, mainly using the
> soundboard screws as clamps to hold it all together while the glue dries.
(I
> can't remember ever having seen one that wasn't glued on.?)   If there are
> some major splits and cracks in the wood where the bridge came off, I'll
> usually be pretty liberal with the glue, trying to get it into those
places
> where it cracked and split and splintered, etc.  I definitely don't want
> anything loose in there to buzz at me when I'm all done.  Also, I believe
> that having a solid glue joint will give you a better tone quality than
just
> the screws alone. I would also worry less about whether those screws might
> be coming loose over the seasonal moisture swings that most of us
experience
> year to year.
>
> That being said, I have moved a bit farther with my replacements of bass
> bridges.  It's one thing to duplicate, but it can be another to build an
> appropriate bridge assembly.  When we duplicate, we are assuming that
> everything was right from the original.  But more times than not, I've
been
> disappointed in the results.  When duplicating, we duplicate whatever was
> there, good or bad.  It may or may not have had too much or too little
side
> bearing.  It may or may not have had downbearing.  When we make them from
> scratch, we have control over all of those factors, and then some.  It
only
> takes a couple of hours to make even some of the more complicated bass
> bridges.  To me it's worth it.  And you won't be waiting by your mailbox
for
> the next 3 weeks wondering where's my bridge??!
>
> Good luck with your bridge.
>
> Brian Trout
> Quarryville, PA
> btrout@desupernet.net
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