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Double Bass Cracked bridge

R

ripper911

Oct 23, 2012
39
0
Powder Springs, GA
#1
I'm new here, Hello Y'all!

The other night I was standing around having a few drinks and playing with my 4/4 DB. I stuck the knob of my bow in the bridge and was letting it sit there for a minute while taking a break then I went to grab it and accidentally moved it sideways and heard a crack. The bridge has broken in a single line laterelly across the middle of the bridge, it is still holding together but I loosened the strings a bit just to be safe. Would it be alright for me to take the bridge off, dab a little hide glue in there, clamp it and let it set up, and continue to use it until I can get a replacement? Or, is the tension too high for that type of repair to last very long? I don't want to damage the instrument any further but I would like to play it again soon.

I have gotten pretty good at setting up violins, is it much more difficult to fit a bass bridge than on on a violin?
Any help is appreciated.
 
#3
ripper911 said:
I'm new here, Hello Y'all!

The other night I was standing around having a few drinks and playing with my 4/4 DB. I stuck the knob of my bow in the bridge and was letting it sit there for a minute while taking a break then I went to grab it and accidentally moved it sideways and heard a crack. The bridge has broken in a single line laterelly across the middle of the bridge, it is still holding together but I loosened the strings a bit just to be safe. Would it be alright for me to take the bridge off, dab a little hide glue in there, clamp it and let it set up, and continue to use it until I can get a replacement? Or, is the tension too high for that type of repair to last very long? I don't want to damage the instrument any further but I would like to play it again soon.

I have gotten pretty good at setting up violins, is it much more difficult to fit a bass bridge than on on a violin?
Any help is appreciated.
Click to expand...

You might get a stronger bond with 24 hour epoxy - its not like you ever want to take that joint apart again, right?

And yeah, fitting a bass bridge takes me three or four times as long as fitting a violin bridge.
 
#7
As much as I wouldn't ever recommend it to anyone for anything other than an emergency.....

About four years ago I was playing at my first of three new years eve gigs and my bridge broke in half as you described. I was a long ways from the shop, so we did a hasty search we came up with a cheap tube of superglue. '15 minute set break and I held the bridge "clamped" in my hands while the superglue set, and then strung it up to tension. I was pretty skeptical, but it actually lasted on the bass under tension (with Spirocore Starks!) for 7 weeks before I replaced it......

j.
 
#8
A thin layer of hard glue will have a negligible effect on sound. As long as the bridge is properly positioned, the glue seam will be in compression everywhere; only when the bridge starts to tilt you run a risk.

But a good epoxy seam should be as strong as the wood.
 
#9
I broke a bridge in this way about 15 years ago. I glued it with a 2-part PU glue, similar to epoxy. The bridge is still on the bass. Whatever glue you use should work as long as you clamp it well. As long as the wood fits back together well and gets clamped properly there should be no effect on sound.
 

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