Acoustic Guitar Construction

I had read somewhere to put a light coat of sand and seal on the top to prevent discoloration when sanding down the rosette. I went ahead and did this then thought about the fact that the area where the bridge is attached is masked off during the finishing process. I would assume that this is done to maximize the glue bond between the top and the bridge. So am I in trouble by having put a very thin coat of sand and seal all over the top? This is my first acoustic build so hang on for some really dumb questions and thanks in advance for your help and patience, Tim

Hi Tim,

Welome

Your concern is valid -- yes you need to sand or scrape down to bare wood to get a proper bond.

Actually, I should have given this piece of advice first -- The only source of trusted infomation relative to a the use of any product needs to come directly from the manufacturer of that product. So here is what is said at the Titebond website

Can surfaces that have been painted or stained be bonded using Titebond Wood Glues?

Most of our glues are designed to bond bare wood. Painting or staining a wood blocks the pores, keeping the glue from penetrating into the wood. The Titebond Polyurethane Glue may work for gluing together painted or stained surfaces, but it is necessary to remember that the overall bond will only be as strong as the bond between the paint and the wood. We recommend that all substrates be clean of any type of paint, stain, or sealer.

You definitely want bare wood when you glue on the bridge, but you have plenty of time before you do that, so you have plenty of time to sand off the sealer. Don't fret over it right now! (See what I did there?)

Thanks for the quick responses. I figured I could just sand through and be OK but I didn't want to find out later that I should have tossed the top and started over. I am about ready to start with the bracing and I have a question regarding the bridge plate, is it radius-ed the same as the braces? It would seem like it would have to be but I have not seen that mentioned in any of the research that I have done. Thanks for the great information, this forum is a huge help. Tim

Glue it in flat. You could radius it but almost nobody does.

The bridge plate is thin enough that you do not have to radius it. At least I do not.