Last week I left you at the point where all was in readiness to glue the bridge to the top – well, almost all.
When I placed the bridge on its footprint, just to see how it sat, this is what I got to see.
Not encouraging at all. What the lifted wing tips told me was that due to the continued strain of the strings on a lifting bridge, the front corners had warped. Not good at all!
So, for me to have any chance for the bridge to glue properly to the top, the bridge would have to be sanded till the warp in it was removed. So, sanding it was till the bridge became straight, or at least till the point till the bridge wings reached a point from where they could be forced down to be glued to the top.
After a lot of sanding and checking with a ruler, things seemed to fall into line and the glue up process began. The clamps and cauls were readied, and once all was in readiness, the bridge was glued to the top and clamped.
After more than 72 hours under clamp pressure and when the humidity was well below the 45% mark, and the bridge sat perfectly in its footprint, I was very optimistic about the outcome.
While the clamps were on, there was ample time to tend to other things – the fretboard for example.
The fretboard was cleaned and the fretwires were polished and oiled.
After the period in quarantine, the instrument was released from the clamps and made to rest for another two days before the thought of strings was entertained.
The strings which the owner chose were, naturally,
But before these went on, first the bridgepin holes needed to be re-drilled.
The strings were put on but tuned a full step down (D) instead of the standard tuning (E). The instructions issued to the owner were to keep it at that tuning for at least a month.
