Manuel Rodriguez bridge lift repair and bodywork

15/2/2018

This Manuel Rodriguez classical was brought into the workshop due to it's bridge lifting off the body of the guitar.
The owner had tried to repair it himself, with limited success, as the glue he used hadn't created a strong enough bond.
The old glue needed to be cleaned off before the bridge could be reattached correctly.

Once the glue joint had been cleaned, the bridge was glued back down using a mixture of traditional 'go bar' clamping and a special bridge clamp. Due to the fact this joint had already been glued once, more pressure than normal was needed to ensure the bridge sat correctly on the body of the guitar.

The joint is left open to examination, to allow the removal of excess glue and for visual checks that the joint will dry strong.

After the correct amount of curing time, the bridge was restrung to test the joint. A finishing touch of some lacquer was added along the repaired joint to tidy up the appearance of the repair!

The previous owner had drilled holes in the guitar for strap buttons and the new owner wanted them plugged while the guitar was in for repair. Mahogany plugs were inserted before being stained and lacquered to hide the holes!