Repair And Restoration
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Martin Bridge Plate Crack
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Martin Bridge Plate Crack
Hey all. I have a Martin D18 with a severe belly up. The bridge has nearly popped off all the way at the time it was brought to me. Looking inside, the bridge plate has a crack going across all the pin holes. There’s a few additional cracks above them toward the sound hole. Replace, or not replace, that is the question? Is this plate salvageable, with a tool like StewMax’s BridgeSaver? I’m planning to heat treat the footprint of the bridge and see if that belly can be reduced. Any insights are appreciated.
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5 Replies
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Yeah, I would get the bridge off. Heat treat the area and try to flatten as much as possible. I would use West Systems Epoxy mixed with some rosewood dust to approximate the color. Tape off the plate inside and fill the holes until flush.
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I agree with Dave, the only caveat is that the guitar need to be watched for recidivism. Any signs of bridge cracking, or the plate re-cracking and the plate should be removed and replaced.
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I’m all about the path of least resistance and filling with epoxy sounds good to me. But you mention watching out for additional cracks. What about the cracks on both sides in the plate above the pin holes? Seems like the plate is compromised with it broken in that many places?
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I didn’t see those. Yeah, pull it. Plus those rosewood plates are really thick and you might get a better sounding guitar with a thin plate.
BTW I pulled one of those a while back and that white glue is no joke. Not to be taken on lightly. I think it might be impervious to moisture too.
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