Replacement bridge for L-10

[mike in lytle]

 
Okay, the bridge on the 95 L-10 BZ is coming loose. I can slip a credit card from behind it as far as the bridge pins. The side wings are ok.
I've had  the guitar for 18 months, and had it setup shortly after I got it. Ended up with my preferred low action and about .04 of saddle left at the high E (see picture, ignore the dust).
If the bridge wasn't getting loose I'd play it just like it is forever.

The guitar is in the same shape as when I got it, very stable. Putting a straightedge on it anywhere doesn't show any weirdness, and the straightedge hits the bridge about .03-.04 below the top of the bridge (my 2006 L-09 is the same). Not enough for a neck reset.

But now that I am going to get it repaired, I asked Larrivee about shorter bridges and was told they will make one for me, just tell them how tall.
The bridge is .380 in the middle and I'd like to take it to .330, so I will end up with .09 or so saddle at the high E. That is within the range they can make.
This will also result in a straightedge along the frets landing on top of the bridge.

Altho I "could" have the bridge re-profiled, it is a bridge with inlays and I want to keep the original bridge so in case I sell the guitar someday I can pass along the unmodified bridge.
I will let you all know how it turns out.
Mike

[ducktrapper]

This happens. It happened to me. It needs to be reglued. I gather you bought it used. Someone likely did not pay enough attention to humidity. Watch your hydration, folks.   

[unclrob]

If it was in my shop I would pop it off,take off some of the thickness and reglue it.Then do the happy 

[B0WIE]

I'd reprofile the bridge and plan on a neck reset sometime in the future. Going with a new, thinner bridge wouldn't make much sense when the current one isn't overly thick and it's likely the neck is the problem seeing as how the saddle is bottomed out. Just lower this bridge until you have to reset the neck.

If you really want to preserve this bridge, just get the neck reset now. A bridge like that is expensive anyway so resetting the neck may allow you to keep this bridge. If you sand it down now, you might want to replace it after an eventual reset so that you're starting over with an ideal bridge. .

First thing I'd do is remove the bridge to get a better idea of what's going on. I've had bridges like that which ended up being too warped to replace without major sanding. Sanding down the wings to compensate for a concave center can only go so far. Remove it and make sure nothing else is going on. That the guitar isn't bellied.

[Mikeymac]

I'd go with a neck reset now, too. In the long run, you're going to end up spending less money.

If this guitar has a truss rod and decent frets, all you should need is the reset, which would probably run $350-500, depending on who does it for you (make sure you know the person has experience with neck resets!).

And... *most* folks agree that the guitar's tone improves noticeably after the neck reset has had time to settle in (3-6 months; 12 months max).

[mike in lytle]

 
I got the L-10 back today, after a bridge re-glue, shave and a setup update.
Very pro job.
The bridge got shaved down to about .32 in the middle, and I have about .09 saddle just inboard of the high E.
A straightedge down the fret board sits on top of the bridge.
You can't tell the bridge was shaved from the smoothness of it.
I am quite happy with the job at a surprisingly low cost.
Had the work done at Guitar Tex.
Mike

[B0WIE]

Thanks for the follow-up! Always nice to see how these things turn out.

[Rockysdad]

That's great, those guys at Guitar Tex sure seemed to know their stuff
when I dropped in a few months back. Wish I lived closer to that place.

[mike in lytle]

Thanks for the follow-up! Always nice to see how these things turn out.

That's great, those guys at Guitar Tex sure seemed to know their stuff
when I dropped in a few months back. Wish I lived closer to that place.

Well I have another post coming on a couple of -44 series guitars I played today at Guitar Tex, but was really cool is that I got to hear John and Gus let loose with some acoustic guitar finger picking riffs up and down the neck on some good guitars. It was quite impressive. Mark, John and Gus are also locally gigging professionals, and all three have a long history.
Aside from operating the best music store I have dealt with.
Mike

[eded]

Great repair...  great outcome.

Ed