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Double Bass warped bridge. what should I do?

O

o_land

Guest
Mar 22, 2013
14
1
#1
http://4gp.tw/b020/1378193964498.jpg

This just happened over the summer. There were a few days where the humidity was high and I didn't catch it in time to turn on the dehumidifier.

Can I put it into a clamp to bend it back into shape? Or do I just have to buy a new one. I'm not really looking foward to buying a new on cause there doesn't seem to be anyone who can install the adjustable tuning pickup around here.

Any help will be much appreciated.

Thanks
 
#3
The right way to proceed is to visit your luthier, throw down a few hundred for a new bridge and be done with it.

The other way to do it is to remove the top of your bridge, submerge it in a pan of water with a weight on top of it to keep it from floating, and boil it for a half-hour or so. After the bridge is saturated, remove it from the pan and place it on a flat surface, then lay a significant amount of weight on top. I placed mine on a concrete floor and weighted it down with 200+ pounds of cinderblocks. Leave it alone for a week until it's totally dry.

Option B may only be temporary.
 
#4
KUNGfuSHERIFF said:
The right way to proceed is to visit your luthier, throw down a few hundred for a new bridge and be done with it.
Click to expand...

Yeah, it's new bridge time alright! There's certainly no harm in trying the various methods mentioned to bend it back, but like the Sheriff sez, bending it back might only be temporary. Get a new one cut and screw around with the old one at your leisure.

FWIW- I very much doubt that your bridge warped like that after only a few days of unchecked humidity. It's probably been moving very slowly for a while now, and you only noticed it when you thought to check after those humid days.

Joe
 
#5
Well, thanks for your help. I guess I'll have to get the new bridge soon, still not very comfortable about using the luthier here though.I got the pickup installed into the bridge, but he didn't put any metal casing so it's just going directly into the wood making it extreemly difficult to adjust.

I think the quality of the wood on this bridge was pretty poor. Any idea how long I got before it completely snaps?

When the new bridge comes through I'll try boiling, flattening and drying to let you guys know how it went.

Thanks again
 
#9
bsuttonbass said:
A luthier once told me to wrap it in a wet cloth and put it in the microwave for a 30 or so seconds...haven't tried it so I don't know if it works...but might be a cool experiment if you get a new bridge!
Click to expand...

I have tried this (but soaked the bridge in a bowl of water over night then placed it in the microwave oven wrapped in a dish towel) and although it may not be as good as getting a new bridge it worked for me. How long the bridge will stay straight only time will tell.
 
#12
I see the grooves under the strings are really deep from the pressure and friction of tuning. Since the string can't slide through the groove when you tune, the bridge gets pulled toward the fingerboard.

The grooves should really be no more than half the diameter of the string. Plus, if the grooves are well lubricated with pencil lead (graphite), the string will slide over the bend and not create sideways pressure on the bridge.

Also, it is a good idea to equalize the tension on either side of the bridge once in a while. Grab the string on either side of the bridge and place your thumbs on the edge of the bridge. Push down with the thumbs and pull up with the fingers so the string lifts out of the groove about a mm and carefully put it back down. Be careful the string doesn't flip off the bridge or round the edge of the groove.

I do this whenever I tune up from changing or loosening the strings for some reason. Also, when I notice my bass isn't responding in it's usual fashion.
 
#13
bejoyous said:
I see the grooves under the strings are really deep from the pressure and friction of tuning. Since the string can't slide through the groove when you tune, the bridge gets pulled toward the fingerboard.

The grooves should really be no more than half the diameter of the string. Plus, if the grooves are well lubricated with pencil lead (graphite), the string will slide over the bend and not create sideways pressure on the bridge.

Also, it is a good idea to equalize the tension on either side of the bridge once in a while. Grab the string on either side of the bridge and place your thumbs on the edge of the bridge. Push down with the thumbs and pull up with the fingers so the string lifts out of the groove about a mm and carefully put it back down. Be careful the string doesn't flip off the bridge or round the edge of the groove.

I do this whenever I tune up from changing or loosening the strings for some reason. Also, when I notice my bass isn't responding in it's usual fashion.
Click to expand...

wow great ideas thank you! I suspect my bridge has warped about 0.7 mm towards the fingerboard. hope this method can sustain its present condition until I get a new bridge and shape it right. :hyper:

btw, is the bridge centre axis supposed to be perpendicular to the top of bass, or the side of the bridge facing the fingerboard?
 
#14
A luthier friend of mine has a great strategy: put a drop of superglue in each string slot. Sprinkle powdered graphite into the glue before it dries. That way, it bonds up hard and slick. Finish with more graphite from a pencil once the glue is dry.

I'm not an expert, but there seem to be varying schools of thought about bridge angle. I've had basses that were well set up with bridges that were 90 degrees offset from the top and others that were tilted 15 degrees toward the tailpiece.

However it is set up, get into the habit of tuning with one hand and holding the bride crown with the other. If my experience is to be believed, it will save you a lot of problems.
 
#19
Well, I tried boiling the bridge. Left it for a few weeks under some heavy bricks. It got kinda moldy during this period and didn't seem to do much. I think the quality of the wood wasn't any good to start with.

Anyway, since there aren't any luthiers around I thought I migh have a go at installing these threaded bushings into the bridge:

http://4gp.tw/b026/1389020606187.jpg

I had nothing to loose since I had to replace the bridge anyway. But I ended up snapping the wood while screwing one in. Any luthiers have any comment on using these threaded bushings? I had them made up to fit the full circle fishman UNC 5/16-18 format (because it seems to be an uncommon size, i.e no other adjustable bride would fit) but they might be a bit too fat to be screwing into a bridge.

Also, is it neccesary to use threaded bushing? Another bass player in town has his pickup going directly into the wood of the bridge.

Thanks in advance
 

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