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Your cart is empty.4.6 out of 5 stars
- #3,266 in Musical Instruments (See Top 100 in Musical Instruments)
- #9 in Guitar Bridges & Bridge Parts
The JLD Bridge Doctor Enhances volume Flattens 'bellied' soundboards A unique solution to a common bridge problem, this spruce device attaches beneath a guitar bridge. An adjustable spruce "pressure post" rests against the tailblock, providing leverage to flatten the soundboard. The spruce block is 3/4" x 1-5/8" x 3-3/8" tall. The 1/4"-diameter tension rod is 9" long. The mounting post has three different positions to accomodate a variety of bridge styles. Screw mount version: This spruce device attaches beneath the bridge via an inlaid screw (a white pearloid dot is included to hide the bridge screw). An adjustable spruce pressure post rests against the tailblock, providing leverage to flatten the soundboard. Better bridge contact and alignment can also enhance sound projection. NOTE: This tool requires a hole to be drilled through the bridge behind the pin holes. StewMac Tech Tip: We recommend the brass pin mount version (sold separately) for 12-string guitars. Installation instructions included.
camgeek
Reviewed in the United States on September 30, 2024
This product works as described and I must say perfectly. My handmade guitar no longer has a belly and is absolutely flat. The volume and tone have both improved after using the bridge doctor. The cost of repair versus the cost of this small part was unbelievable. It saved me so much money with the same result, maybe even better than a luthier repair.
chanda
Reviewed in the United States on September 26, 2024
It really did eliminate the belly bulge. It also made the guitar more resonant for better sustain and clarity, which surprised me. It was easy to install and worth the money.
Max Power
Reviewed in the United States on February 14, 2024
I recently put the Bridge Doctor in a 50 year old Martin D12-28 12-string that had been carelessly stored for the past 20 years and had developed a large belly bulge causing the bridge to tilt significantly toward the sound hole resulting poor action and poor intonation, and almost no break angle on the fundamental strings. Apparently, this is a common problem with 12-strings due to the extra string tension on the soundboard.Some research which led me to two methods to correct belly bulge. The first was to remove the bridge and clamp two hot plates around the bridge area then wait - sounded like an expensive trip to a luthier. The other was the Bridge Doctor. The reviews were encouraging and installation looked to be pretty simple, so before taking the guitar to a luthier, I gave it a try.Although the brass pins version is recommended for 12-strings, I went with the screw version. I didn't like the look of the brass pins and was concerned about not having enough break angle - plus the brass pin version cost more than twice as much.Installation was easy. I used a screw driver type handle that accepted my drill bits, allowing me good control. After I'd cut the rod to length and made sure it contacted the tail block, I tightened it in with the Allen screw, being careful not to overtighten. I'd expected it would take some time for the soundboard and bridge to adjust, and would be followed by additional tightening. However, I was very surprised to find that even after the initial installation, the bulk of the belly bulge was already gone and the bridge tilt was much improved.Over the past week, I have checked the tension on the Allen screw every couple days and found that I was able to give it 1/2 turn the first time, a 1/4 turn the 2nd, since then it's stayed about the same.The result? When I started, the belly bulge measured over 6mm - now it's about 1mm, about the same as my new D-18. The bridge tilt has leveled significantly, so that now the action, the intonation, and the string break angle over the saddle are all good.The Bridge Doctor saved me hundreds of dollars that I'd have had to pay a luthier to fix this guitar. I now have a guitar that plays great and saved a lot of money. What's not to like? Got an older 12-string that starting to show some belly bulge? Install Bridge Doctor, or take it to your luthier and have them install one for you. It'll remove the bulge you have and prevent it from coming back.One thing to note, the dot which was provided to go into the screw hole in the bridge is black, not abalone. This would have worked better for me anyway as all my bridge pins are black, but instead I made a wooden plug cut to an exact fit and stained it to match my rosewood bridge.
brady plyler
Reviewed in the United States on December 29, 2024
this is good for beyy buldge plus it enhances the sound quality
Joseph V.
Reviewed in the United States on November 11, 2024
I used this on a cheaper guitar that was gifted to me. I thought the belly was far too bad to correct. I humidified the guitar with a plastic bag with holes containing a wet t shirt for 4 days. The bulge was still noticeable but greatly reduced. I installed the Dr. it in about an hour. It took longer than it should because the guitar was too shallow. I had to modify the Bridge Dr. It worked really well. I increased pressure gradually over an hour and it really worked!
Sudbury Guitars
Reviewed in the United States on September 22, 2023
I own a guitar repair shop where we install these fairly often. This is a great devvice which solves (or improves) a common problem. The reviews here that mention having issues are not using the product correctly. The guy that says it "pushes up on the soundboard causing an undesirable change in action" probably has the device installed incorrectly. There are three positions to choose from, if you place it too far forward it may not be able to do its job, which is applying upward pressure DIRECTLY UNDER THE SADDLE to counter the tendency for the top to drop in front of the saddle and rise behind it.by rocking the bridge back into a flatter position, you are actually lowering the action and creating more break angle by dropping the back of the bridge down. The person who complained that the wood is "cheap" is incorrect. the device is made of spruce (like the top of most steel string guitars) and id plant strong to do its job. im not sure how she managed to break it, but you certainly will not break one under any conditions I have encountered. Bottom line: this is a very good product. Any luthier will tell you that.
Joel Fritz
Reviewed in the United States on August 5, 2018
It does what it claims. It's not a combination neck reset and top flattening, but it does reduce the bow in the top considerably. I have a 1963 Guild F-30 that I bought new. I didn't take very good care of it when I was younger and the top has a pronounced bow. It's a very nice sounding guitar. It's horrible looking and people are often surprised by the sound. I figured that the worst that would happen would be that the device wouldn't do anything. One little installation surprise was that I had to cut it down a bit. It was bigger than the cross section of the body under the bridge plate. A couple minutes with a razor saw solved that. The rest of the installation was a snap. To drill the hole in the bridge I made a pilot hole with an electric drill and then used a quick change bit in a ratchet screw driver to enlarge the screw hole. No problems. If I did a couple of these I think I could get the installation time down to under 30 minutes.I've adjusted it a couple of times and reduced the bow. Bonus, there is a bit more sustain. Because the neck angle is changed there is a bit of buzz that wasn't there before. I haven't gotten around to that yet.All in all this is a good way to improve a guitar you care about but don't want to spend a huge amount on. This is much cheaper than getting the top flattened professionally. It improves the action and, in my case, changed the tone a bit for the better. Expect to need some set up after installation. You are changing the geometry of the guitar. One con. The piece of plastic described as MOP was dark grey in mine. I used a bit of silicone putty to anchor it in the hole.
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