1971 Manuel Contreras
This vintage came to me in great distress. A really sad sight
There was also damage to the soundboard
The wings at the treble side was also stressed
It just looked hopeless.
The owner was looking to a bridge replacement, but I had other ideas.
This guitar has a story, among which, that it was briefly loaned to Paco de Lucia for practise.
Instead of slapping on a new bridge, I decided to restore it, much to the appreciation of the owner. It's going to be a long and rough ride, but I was all for it.
Piece by piece, they were intricately pieced back together
It looks more complete now, but there's more to be done
The tieblock has got a missing bone ledge and a shell inlay on the bass side
I fashioned and added the bone tieblock piece, inlaid mother-of-pearl for missing end piece, sanded till it glows
Completed
Before
There was a lot to do for the cleanup on both gluing surfaces
After
Glue applied and stay clamped to dry
Another angle
Ernie Ball Clear & Silver
Owner's strings
Before
After
The saddle some compensation as it was roughly shaped
Nut work, but very minimal
After a few days, the bridge lifted again.
It was due to the weak mid section which was why it broke in the first place.
After discussing the proposed plan and it's consequences, I cut three walnut veneers...
...to glue to the bottom of the bridge, shimming it and added structural integrity to the bridge which it did not have, to give it any chance to survive the string tension.
But during the bridge re-repair and shim gluing process, the bridge looked like it did in the beginning!
Much careful resanding brought back the shine
It is now better looking and more importantly stronger to face reality
The gluing surfaces were also prepped al over again, with much damage that needed filling and strategic sanding so both surfaces match
Here's a view of the newly shimmed bridge
It sits nicely where it belongs
But since the bridge is now taller, we need to work down the already-low saddle to compensate
It was shaved down to just a sliver of bone
These string ties avoided the string from strangling the tieblock, thus not damaging it. They also promotes a better string break angle for improved tone and volume
Action is probably at the highest but acceptable range for flamenco playing
Corresponding action on the treble side
The clarity of the bridge's wood grain stands out more now
Before
The owner just wants these dinks to be lightly sealed against further natural deterioration
After
Before
After
Before
After
Before
After
Restored
What a journey and I hope her story continues...
