JLD Bridge doctor

[aaronjnoone]

I just bought a crappy old 12 string with some bellying of the top, below the bridge. I wanted to buy Ozrufus' Alvarez, but after an unfortunate series of events, I ended up with a smaller budget.

I'm getting the JLD Bridge Doctor, from StewMac, to remedy this condition. I wonder if anyone has heard of and/or used this device in their guitars. I know a tech who has used these with 100% success in completely reversing and preventing any future top bellying. It's a fairly simple device which apparently comes standard in "every Breedlove guitar...", according to JLD's site. Not quite true, I don't think. Read for yourself and see if you can figure out what they mean.

I'll let you know if this works. In the meantime, check http://www.jldguitar.net/ out.

[jcbuggs]

I have heard of these and also heard that they work well. Although I don't have any first hand experience.  I would be very interested in hearing about your experience as I have considered this for an old guitar of mine.

Joe

[bhika]

If I remember correctley one of our Forum members "KWAKATAK" installed this on his 70's Takamine 360.
I think he had a tech do it, but was real happy with the results. He might see this post, but you could PM him to get his opinion.

[aaronjnoone]

Takin' it over to my tech's house tonight, will let you know the results.

[jimmyd]

I'm pretty sure unclrob has some experience with these.

[dcarey]

I have a luthier friend who routinely installs them in "basket case" guitars with good results. His newest experiment is building a very lightly braced top using a bridge doctor just to see what will happen. It's going to be passed around the guitar players at my office when he's done with it, sometime next Spring.

I can also tell you that the installation and setup is very important and varies from guitar to guitar. A minor BD adjustment can make a big difference in the final sound.
I played a friends Breedlove that definitely left me unimpressed but after a minor tweak to the bridge doctor impressed me greatly.
I guess that the BD just adds one more variable to the equation.

Dan

[rrgguitarman]

I installed one on my Seagull S6+ not because the top was but because I wanted to see if the claims of a richer tone were true...they are! I very pleased with the results, highly recommended!

[Ratishna]

I can also tell you that the installation and setup is very important and varies from guitar to guitar. A minor BD adjustment can make a big difference in the final sound.
I played a friends Breedlove that definitely left me unimpressed but after a minor tweak to the bridge doctor impressed me greatly.
I guess that the BD just adds one more variable to the equation.

Note that most Breedloves are designed, built, and braced for the bridge doctor.

[aaronjnoone]

Well, my friend setup my guitar and said I don't need a bridge doctor. He brought the action down to a pretty comfortable level and suggested I leave it detuned a 1/2 step. I'm not sure I want to do this because it'll be a pain in the &%$ for gigging. Capoing 1st fret is fine if all you're playing is GCD type stuff, but without a cutaway I can't play "Wanted Dead Or Alive", or like, "Here I go again", by Whitesnake. Which is critical to my set list when people start asking for "Freebird". That's when you throw a curve at them and play some hairband stuff.

I think that at some point in the future I will put one in there.

Huh, you can't say "pain in the -CENSORED-"?
Okay, how about "pain in the balls"?

[rockstar_not]

Well, my friend setup my guitar and said I don't need a bridge doctor. He brought the action down to a pretty comfortable level and suggested I leave it detuned a 1/2 step. I'm not sure I want to do this because it'll be a pain in the &%$ for gigging. Capoing 1st fret is fine if all you're playing is GCD type stuff, but without a cutaway I can't play "Wanted Dead Or Alive", or like, "Here I go again", by Whitesnake. Which is critical to my set list when people start asking for "Freebird". That's when you throw a curve at them and play some hairband stuff.

I think that at some point in the future I will put one in there.

Huh, you can't say "pain in the &%$"?
Okay, how about "pain in the balls"?

I believe, if I'm not mistaken, that Breedlove guitars have these in them from the get-go.  It's a post that ties the bridge into the back structure and/or puts some reverse moment on the bridge to compensate for the bowed top from string tension, correct?

I have an old applause that I wanted to use this kind of thing on, but the guy from JLD said that it would be difficult with the bowl back on the Applause to get the correct moment on the bridge to compensate for the moment the strings put on it.

-Scott