Sanding Bridge on JF30-12

[hojo199]

Hi All:
I recently bought a 1994 JF3-12 that has the saddle down as far as it goes leaving not enough clearance for the low E strings to resonate (and intonate) properly. Obviously I am not interested in a neck reset as the guitar plays pretty damn good (considering it's a 12 string with a baseball bat neck). So, I am considering sanding the bridge down a .32"-.16" or so.

Do any of you have any experience with this? Tone change? (I would think the tone could get better given better clearance over the bridge.)

 

[dreadnut]

I've seen it done but I wouldn't want to try it myself. Is there any "bellying" on the top, something as Bridge Doctor might be able to help?

 

[charliea]

My three 12-strings all have shaved bridges. I've come to consider it par for the course. The G312 came to me shaved. I did the other two. Only takes a few minutes. First put some tape under the pin holes to keep dust out of the guitar. Bridges are hard and you could spend your youth (if you have any left) sanding by hand, so I used a palm sander with 100 paper. To protect the spruce I covered the entire top, and soundhole, with blue masking tape. Then I put a couple of layers of duct tape over that in the vicinity of the bridge. Small slips won't penetrate, and the whole thing peels off easily. Get sanding with a bias toward the rear of the bridge to get some added break for the even strings. Finish the pin holes with a reamer from Grizzly http://www.grizzly.com/catalog/2010/Main/377 (they also have the cheapest bridge pins around) and you're in business. One of mine had a shallow slot for the saddle, but a small file took care of that. In the long run I think the Bridge Doctor is the way to go, at least with jumbos. There's a lot of strain on that big expanse of top, and some lifting is inevitable. You'll lower your action a little just by getting the belly out.

 

[hojo199]

Thank you so much for the info. These answers are more than I could have ask for!

 

[onewilyfool]

Please see this link......I rest my case. Your guitar needs a neck reset....

viewtopic.php?f=5&t=19715

 

[hojo199]

Re: Neck Reset or Sanding Bridge on JF30-12

Interesting.... I just got back from my repair guy. He agrees. What we are going to do instead is drill some slots underneath to make the pins sit deeper and cause the strings to sit properly on the saddle. The action stays where it is and there is no loss of integrity for the instrument. If I wanted the action down even a touch, it would be a neck reset.

By the way, my Martin needed a reset and my Gretsch will in time....

 

[chazmo]

Hojo, I'm not sure what you described will actually stop the buzzing. There's not enough information here for us to really make any valid suggestions. But, of course, a luthier/tech who has eyeballed your instrument should be giving you valid advice.

Are you getting buzzing when you fret the low E string and play up the neck, or only when it's open? If the latter, then you just might need a new nut. I assume your tech looked at that.

Anyway, best of luck getting things straightened out (pun intended).

 

[charliea]

I believe neck resets can be put off for many years, maybe indefinitely, with a little work that any vaguely competent handyguy can do. When and if the day comes, a new bridge will add maybe $75 to the $500+ a reset is gonna cost. Big deal. A bridge lowered 1/16-1/8 simply isn't going to compromise the structural integrity of a guitar. Not one I'd own, anyway.

 

[hojo199]

... and "putting off" is exactly what I am doing

 

[taabru45]

My "80 F512R recently had some work done on it.... tha action would have indicated a neck re-set for sure, and a corner of the bridge was lifting a little,, you could put a piece of paper under it....Well It got the work... the bridge came off, got shaved, reglued, and adjusted, etc....the guitar has never been easier to play, great action right up to the soundhole :lol: :lol: . sounds wonderful, and is totally awesome in every way, I've got light strings on it, and tuned down now.....still a stunning guitar, and action? Well Joe played it and his eyes glazed over, and after playing a few minutes put it down.......like a man who had just had one too many drinks :lol: Powerful stuff, these special Guilds. cause I'm not entirely sure Joe has a one too many drink limit.... :lol: His discription of the action?..."what action".....So maybe in another 30 years it'll need a re-set.....I probably won't know... or care... :wink: Steffan

 

[wontox]

My two cents here about bridge thickness reduction...On my '70 D-40, I belt-sanded mine (first covering all exposed areas around the bridge with cardboard) using a 100 grit belt sander and reduced the thickness of the front of that big thick bridge by almost an 1/8". I re-reamed the pin holes and correspondingly reduced the original bone saddle and the action came down to an almost perfect point. It's a one-time fix, but it worked great on my Guild and made (along with some other repairs on the sunken neck) a virtually unplayable guitar a pleasure to play. There's still plenty of wood left on the bridge to do its job. It's practically undetectable unless you know what to look for. I might not have tried it on a less robust bridge, but Guild doesn't skimp on their bridges. If it comes down to that fix or a $5-800.00 dollar neck reset, well....I'd do it again and again.


Wontox

 

[taabru45]

It's practically undetectable unless you know what to look for. I might not have tried it on a less robust bridge, but Guild doesn't skimp on their bridges. If it comes down to that fix or a $5-800.00 dollar neck reset, well....I'd do it again and again.


Wontox[/quote]

Any change in the tone that you noticed....I couldn't tell on mine...my eyes glazed over too fast... :lol: Steffan

 

[charliea]

Steffan, I'd go ahead and add the Bridge Doctor. Both my Jumbos wear them (well). Prevents long-term problems, I believe, and keeps the string's angle of pull on the neck down low. And, as already discussed, you can't tell the bridge has been sanded unless you know what you're looking for, or somebody tells you.

 

[adorshki]

but Guild doesn't skimp on their bridges. Wontox

Not that it needs any work on it but the bridge on my Corona D40 is the thickest of all 3, it's downright CHUNKY. It's a full 7/16" tall at the highest part of the profile, compared to 5/16" on the D25. I think that whole guitar is one of the "beefy" ones. With that much meat I'd give sanding the bridge some serious consideration if it looked like it'd buy me several years of postponement of a neck re-set. Conversely, since I'm the original owner, I'd run the whole thing by Guild for a warranty repair evaluation FIRST. 8)