paul.rowlett Posted January 23, 2009 Share Posted January 23, 2009 Hello all. I recently bought an '03 LP Studio Swamp Ash, one of the early ones with the ebony fingerboard. I love it, it was in great condition when I got my hands on it, almost zero play wear. However, it is not without issue. When the guitar arrived it had an old style ABR-1 bridge on it with the stock Nashville bridge inside the case compartment. There was a note from the previous owner explaining this. He said that as the notches in the saddles of the Nashville weren't very central (all are off to one side, a couple are a mile off center) so he had the shop he purchased it from fit a new Gibson bridge. They must have stuck the ABR-1 on it because it was all they had in stock. I prefer the nashville bridge and I wanted to keep the guitar relatively stock so I bought some Graphtech nashville saddles (to replace the off center ones that were in the original bridge) and the next time I restrung I replaced the ABR-1 with the Nashville. This was all good, I set the guitar up with the new bridge and all seemed to be fine but then I noticed that the Nashville bridge would rock back and forth on its studs simply by pushing it with my fingers, even under the pressure of the strings. I found this quite alarming as my other LP (an '07 classic antique) has a nashville and it's really solid. I then removed the strings and bridge again and found the inserts that fit into the top of the guitar that hold the bridge studs were loose and could easily be removed from the top of the guitar with my fingers. I'm sure that this must be the cause of the rocking bridge, has anybody else experienced this problem and does anybody have any advice as to how I might go about fixing it? Many thanks Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Remnate Posted January 23, 2009 Share Posted January 23, 2009 The actual studs that are recessed into the top of the guitar? Or the posts that screw down into the studs? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul.rowlett Posted January 24, 2009 Author Share Posted January 24, 2009 It's the actual studs that fit into the top of the guitar, not the parts that hold the bridge that screw into the studs. If you remove the strings and the bridge from the guitar you can easily just pull these parts right up out of the top leaving two plain drilled holes in the wood showing! I've been doing some digging and in a book I have found that this can be a common problem. The author recommends building the holes up using some glue so the inserts fit snug or wrapping the inserts in a little PTFE plumbing tape to achieve the same result. Any ideas? Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KSG_Standard Posted January 24, 2009 Share Posted January 24, 2009 My .02, I would take it to a good tech or even a luthier. I wouldn't put glue or anything in the holes. I've been playing, mostly Gibsons, for over 30 years and I've never seen this problem before. The studs are friction fit, and they have to be very tight to keep the strings anchored. Have you sent an email to Gibson and asked for their opinion? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul.rowlett Posted January 24, 2009 Author Share Posted January 24, 2009 Hi KSG_Standard, Thanks for the advice. I'll send Gibson an email right now and post any reply I get right here. Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul.rowlett Posted January 27, 2009 Author Share Posted January 27, 2009 Hi All, Just thought I'd post that I got a reply from Gibson to my question. I have pasted it below. Thank you for your interest in Gibson guitars. The suggested adjustments should indeed be a solution to the problem. I suggest you however to ask a luthier in your surroundings to have a closer look the guitar as well, to make sure that the described problem is the only problem on the guitar (before modifications are being started with). If you have any further queries, please do not hesitate to contact me again. I have also spoken to a local guitar tech who offered to have a look at it for me. He said this wasn't uncommon and was caused by he wood drying and shrinking from when the holes were cut. Maybe a few days in summer when it's more humid might help solve the problem? I have decided that I'm going to try to put a little tape around the inserts to make them fit snugly. This seems like a mod that is both easily reversible and won't damage the guitar or any of its parts. I will let the forum know how I get on. Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeRom Posted January 27, 2009 Share Posted January 27, 2009 I was thinking tape or maybe paper. There is also a product I'v seen around that causes wood to swell, which seems to me to be more ideal. Check your local h/w stores. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobv Posted January 27, 2009 Share Posted January 27, 2009 There is a thing that causes wood to swell, it's called chair-loc and it's kind of a gimmick you see in woodworking magazines. Maybe this is the one application where it actually works. Problem is, the expansion and contraction from moisture exchange is not really reversible. If wood tries to expand with extra moisture and there's something stopping it, like a poorly designed furniture joint (called a cross-grain joint) or a piece of hardware, then the cells crush while they're swelling. When the moisture is gone and the wood shrinks again, it will become smaller than it started out because of the crushing. It never really goes back to the same place where it started. So if the wood around the inserts has shrunk back, it really won't ever hold it tight again. Teflon tape seems like something workable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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