Official Luthiers Forum!

I plugged it


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

The best thing I've used for locator pins is the 1/16" diameter plastic sticks, which are used for side dot markers on the fret board. I usually temporarily plug 2 of the bridge pin holes with a dowel, and drill the locator pins there. The plastic locator pins do not have to be removed when drilling the final bridge pin holes through the top. You just drill it away.

I drill the 1/16" locator holes in the dowels before I locate the bridge on the guitar. This helps to prevent movement during drilling thru the top. To get my location for the bridge, I tape it into place and measure several times, to make sure it is in the right place. I measure to the center of the saddle location, which I have already marked with 1/8" tape across the bridge. Then to be sure it is square on the top, I measure from each corner of the fret board extension to the corresponding corner of the bridge. Then I check that the center line of the fret board, lines up with the center of the bridge pin holes. Then I drill for ONE locator pin and insert it. I check to make sure nothing moved, and then drill the other locator pin.

Do I need to mention that I measure everything again, before I score the finish at the outline of the bridge. I don't use a razor knife for scoring the finish. This can cut into the top wood, it can grab at the side of the bridge, and it can take a wild turn and run away from the edge of the bridge. A sewing needle works best. I have one inserted into a small piece of dowel to give it a handle.

One additional thing you can do when locating the bridge to make sure the string lines are good is to do initial location with the usual techniques, centerline, diagonal distance from some fret around 12 to the tips of the wings for rotation, and distance from 12.''

After that lay a long straightedge along the fingerboard set in the distance from the edge of the first fret that you expect both your high and low E strings to be and locate the other end at the center of the corresponding bridge pin hole. Then measure the inset at the 12th fret. It's a good double check to be sure your string runs will be correctly spaced from the edge of the fretboard. Sometimes there is a surprise

_________________
It's not what you don't know that hurts you, it's what you do know that's wrong.

Measure once, measure twice, measure thrice.

New username, same Pat Mac

_________________
Pat