Official Luthiers Forum!

so i've got an old yamaha steel string that needs bridge plate attention. a repair guy recommended it 11 years ago, and now i think it's about time.
i know that i could melt the old one off and replace it, but i'm inclined to keep this simpler if possible.
have any of you used the stewmac 'plate mate?' i'd make my own because they want a fortune for a tiny piece of metal. but i'm wondering how it would affect tone and the performance of the highlander that's under the saddle (amazing pickup, by the way).
i'm also wondering about gluing a smaller piece of maple right over the eir that's there.
have any of you tried either of these options? any opinions?
thanks in advance,
phil

You haven't said what the problem is with the bridgeplate. Holes are worn out?
Fastest way (on a Yamaha…) would be to glue a little ebony overlay and redrill/ream the bridge pin holes.

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Laurent Brondel
West Paris, Maine - USA
http://www.laurentbrondel.com/

Take a look at Stewmac's Bridge saver I think this is a better way to go.

http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Tools/Special_tools_for:_Bridges/BridgeSaver.html

I have used the Stew-Mac bridge saver tool also and I recommend it 100%.
It's a very good tool for repairing the bridge plate imo. I have also glued a small patch
of rw or maple and re-drilled. Any pics ??

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Anderson Guitars
Clearwater,Fl. 33755

Here's a discussion on bridge plate damage and bridge pins from the past.

http://www.luthiersforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10102&t=15024

As Laurent said, it helps to know specifically what the damage is. If it's pin wear, then all the above suggestions are good. If you're talking about cracking, slippage, warped top, that's when you need to consider pulling and replacing the plate.

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Eschew obfuscation, espouse elucidation.

Michael, not to argue a fine point… But $150 to fix a Yamaha that is probably worth half, if that…

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Laurent Brondel
West Paris, Maine - USA
http://www.laurentbrondel.com/

On all of my guitars I fit a small 1mm thick bone plate onto the bridge plate, similar to the Stew Mac brass one. Use the bridge to get string placing, drill and slot the bone for the ball ends. It can be held in place simply by the ball ends or if you decide you like the sound (generally tends to brighten the guitar) can be held in with a touch of glue. I first tried this on a 30s Martin that had a damaged bridge plate, and decided I liked it. It also makes sense to me as the strings run over a bone nut, bone saddle past bone pins, then against a bone plate.

Colin

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I don't believe in anything, I simply make use of a set of reasonable working hypotheses.

sorry i didn't describe the problem in more detail.
it's just worn from time. the holes are huge and connected from missing slivers of wood in between them. from what i can tell, though, there is no crack that runs through the whole thing. and there's no more bulge behind the bridge than you'd expect to see in a 20 year old guitar.
the bone suggestion is exactly the sort of thing that i imagined might come up here - a possible solution that i had never heard of before.
anyone out there who's tried the plate mate? remember, it's just a yamaha.
phil

The plate mate is a fine quick fix. On the other hand, it's very simple to glue a maple, rosewood, ebony, or bone plate cap on as well.

_________________
Eschew obfuscation, espouse elucidation.