Self Repairs?

Hello
I have a Cordoba 25 ck that recently fell of a guitar amp that I foolishly set it on. No visible damage other than the bridge has come completely loose. The lines of its original resting place is still there so I'm sure I can put it in the correct spot. I'm just worried about using an incorrect or inferior glue. There is a certified luthier in my area who does my guitar work(that is above my head ).
I can't afford another uke at the moment and would hate to mess this one up any further.

Any and all recommendations would be greatly appreciated.Thank you

I would normally say definitely take it to your tried and trusted luthier. But if you really think you can get it right, you could carefully clean up the contact area (i.e. the surfaces of top and bridge that you want to glue together) an then glue and clamp the bridge back on with - my recommendation - liquid hide glue. I saw some on ebay here. If you don't get it right or aren't satisfied with the results you can still take it to your luthier and tell him or her that its glued on with hide glue.

We have put countless bridges on and pulled them off and glued them back on again I don't know how many times using this stuff. The nice thing is that it softens enough before most finishes react to the heat. With normal wood glue you can get curdled lacquer around the bridge before you get it off - at least we have had that happen, which is why we always use hide glue for fastening bridges now.

I'd save the money and do it yourself...its easy- peasy.

use the original lines, but you can even double check with a meter stick as well by measuring from nut to 12th fret and doubling the distance. That total distance should meet the center of the saddle.

I would just use some red cap tightbond...its much easier to get and use. Sand off any residue on the soundboard and bottom of the bridge, glue, clamp and let it set. As far as the residue, you can just take a damp cloth or Q-tip around the edge to clean any squeeze out. You could even let it set for a few minutes, and clean up the boogers if you like.

my disclaimer is that I dont have the same experience as some of these guys, so take it for what it is

You'll want to get a couple deep throated C clamps, like these, to clamp the bridge through the neck.

I say, take your time, do the measuring for sure. Nut to 12th, times 2, = scale length. And I would use hide glue. Just abetter option in case you do screw it up. Careful with the clamps, enough pressure to get a little squeeze out, but don't smash the top. Good luck, take your time, and celebrate your first repair.

Just for further clarification, the nut to the 12th x2 is generally correct, but some builders add in an additional 1/16 to 3/32 compensation.

luckyd said:

... Careful with the clamps, enough pressure to get a little squeeze out, but don't smash the top...

Click to expand...

Good point! The problem is if you sqeeze too hard all the glue comes out the sides and there's nothing left between the two layers of wood - kinda like biting into a burger and having all the sauce coming out the sides Of course, if you go so far that the wood is deforming (as luckyd says "smashing the top") there won't be much glue left in between. This is an issue with both hide glue and good old wood glue like red cap.

And listen to what Matt is saying: You would normally want to adjust the saddle position (breaking point)! The fret calculator at stewmac.com shows a compensation value that seems be fairly accurate - at least we haven't had any trouble with their suggested values.

Good luck with your repair job.

As for clean up of old glue... "DeGlueGoo"...Google it. You'll want very clean surfaces for new glue, particularly if you use a PVA or aliphatic resin glue. If the original joint was hot hide glue, you can reglue with same without scrupulous cleaning as new HHG melts into and bonds well with old HHG.

As for glue...Hot hide glue or LMI white glue are better choices than either TiteBond or room temperature liquid hide glue which has a lower "let go" temperature and are both softer when cured than the good stuff.

I have reglued about 100 bridges, mostly on guitars. For a bridge to pop off a top like that suggests a problem with the original glue job or a humidity problem before the accident. To do this job correctly is not especially difficult but you need to do it right. If you do it should never come off again. No matter what glue you use you should clean off all of the old glue. The bridge should fit exactly to the top. You need to make a couple of clamping cauls for the underside of the top(where the bridge plate is) and for the top of the bridge. If the bridge fits well to the top it needs moderate clamping pressure, the worse the fit the more you have to squeeze. If the top has an arch built into it so should the underbridge caul.
I wish you had posted a picture. You said you can see the lines where the bridge sat. Did the bridge pull up top wood with it? That changes what you need to do. Or was the bridge glued onto finish? If so your new glue joint, wood to wood, will be a lot stronger. Anyway, good luck with the repair.

We've glued on countless bridges with room temp hide glue and just as many before that with hot hide glue - and not one of them has ever "let go" and there is absolutely no difference in the tightness or the tonal qualities of the bond. It's not a soft bond, as you suggest, and it certainly doesn't let go until you make it do so - but you can do that if you want to. And if it ever did let go, you could still switch to hot hide glue.

Even if there were a marginal advantage to the bonding with hot hide glue, it is one that makes no difference at all in the instrument you're making - but you have to count in all the down sides of hot hide glue, like... 1) you need to find quality hide glue from a reliable supplier, 2) you have to stand at the stove warming it up to exactly the right temperature, 3) your house stinks of dead animals, 4) the stuff gels up and you have to heat it up again (and you can only do that a couple times)...
Yuck, no thanks.

Liquid hide glue is the good stuff.