Glue? Or?

[Hans Mattes]

I'm rebuilding my second guitar. The first (a KMG kit) had a number of carpentry flaws, but after a couple of weeks playing, developed a very musical tone. I was really pleased. The second guitar (components from LMI) is (was) much more attractive (to my eye), but never was as resonant or musical. I decided that was because I overbraced it and didn't thin the top adequately, so I carved out the braces as much as I could through the sound hole and restrung. Better, but not enough.

So I decided to remove the bridge (which had been affixed using LMI fish glue) and planed and sanded the top. When tapped, the top now rings much better than before and I'm ready to refinish and reinstall the bridge. Unfortunately, my amateur removal of the bridge before planing and sanding resulted in some serious divots in the top. I'd guess that the area of "no gap" contact between the top and the bridge will be reduced by ¼ to ⅓.

Which brings me to my question -- how should I glue on the bridge this time (as ever, using the excellent KMG bridge clamp)?

I could use the fish glue again and hope that the reduced area won't cause the bridge to lift, or

I could use epoxy which will give me increased bonding area as it acts as a gap filler, or

Someone could make a better suggestion.

Anyone??? (I've also asked this question on AGF; I hope you don't mind, but I'm casting a wider net for suggestions.)

[ken cierp]

Certainly is not a panic situation -- (preparing you for the doomsday comments I'm guessing you'll get from AGF). You are not the first to pull up material when removing a bridge, nor the last. If you have divots in the show area you can fill those "after top coat finish" is applied using the top coat material to make a transparent gel by letting a puddle dry on a piece of glass. There will be a lot of shrinkage so plan on a few applications to build the surface before scrapping and polishing.

As for gluing the bridge I suggest HHG (not fish glue) every thing is pretty normal except that you'll want to heat the sound-board and the bridge, most shops use a heat lamp for this purpose. Get every thing warmed and proceed as usual - this will slow down the dry time and assure a good bond.

The only places I use Epoxy are for the "X" junction and finger board to the neck -- Expoxy does release easily with the application of heat.

[Herman]

Hans,
If it is tearout, I would not try to fill it with wood or colored stuff. My guess this would make things visually worse.
Ken's tip is just fine. I for me use super glue after spraying a few finish couts, then level, and spray the final coats. That takes out the shrinkage issue.

If they are just dents, try to steam them with a soldering iron and a wet cloth over it. Let it steam to the surface for about 5 seconds and let it dry. If they are proper round dents, they will disappear completely.

Good luck on this! Let's not call it a doomsday disaster, but consider it a learning fee. Yes, we pay all the time.;-)
Herman