Baritone Bridge Help.....

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Hey Fellow Uke'rs

i have a question an Baritone Uke Bridges...i have a Kingston.
i need to replace the one in the pic , but being a new uke'r , i have little knowledge on uke bridges,
do all bridges have to have bone saddles , i'm not sure if this had one before or not, this is the way i received the uke ,
do they make bridges like this or would i be better of getting one with a bone saddle, the nut on the fretboard is wood, not bone or plastic, so i was thinking i needed an all wooden bridge......

IMG_1841.jpg

any help would be fantastic

thanks
Bob Uku'er
 
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Hello Uke If Ya Got'em,
Welcome to UU. It looks like a nice walnut sound board. If you do not want to get into a lot of work you can keep what is already in place.
This is a simple fix. Your existing saddle is fine BUT you have to work on the broken bridge. You may want to put a lot of work into the uke later if you care for the sound by replacing the bridge but for now here is the procedure.
Drill 4 holes through the bridge with a 1/16" drill bit. Push the strings through and into the box towards the sound hole. Fish each one out and tie a ferrule from an old set of steel strings to each string. Tune it up and away you go. You can PM me if this is not clear.
Regards
1931jim
PS: I just had supper and I thought I would add.....The drilling of 4 holes through your existing bridge will not be too big a problem if you do decide to put on a new bridge and saddle. Just plug with 1/16" dowels, or leave for the glue to ooze through whenever you tackle the bridge replacement if the sound warrants it.
 
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Looks like from the picture that your bridge and saddle is one piece....you could repair the bridge if you are inexperienced in changing bridges as slight difference affect the intonation...and you
may need a set up afterwards... yes a compensated saddle maybe if needed.. remember to measure and mark the saddle position if you do..
 
i forgot to add that

thanks you mmstan and 1931jim ,
i forgot to add that the bridge is already separated from the uke, i just put it there for the picture, because taking just the picture of the bridge made the bridge blend in with itself and hard to distinguish , but maybe that was just my eye.

i really don't want to repair the bridge if i can find a similar one , i have no problem replacing it, one of my main issues was if i needed/had to get a bone saddle because that is what they do now to upgrade,
with the string nut being wood, i would want to keep the bridge the same as it is also, that being all wood,
i'd like to keep it the same if they still make that kind of built in saddle with the bridge, i'm kind of a purist with certain things , i don't want to go high tech if it wasn't meant to be high tech,.......
can i buy another bridge that is the same as i have ? and where,
i have found Mainland but they only have bone saddle bridges that look comparable ......

to 1931jim ,
i fully get the idea of drilling and fishing through which makes perfect sense and i will do that if i have to,but if i could find another like it to replace it, that'd be much nicer....but not afraid to go drilling if it keeps it original

to mmstan,
would i have to worryy so much about marking and measuring if i found the same type/size bridge ?
i know getting things lined up is important but replacement seems easier with the same type bridge......

thanks again for you knowledge and advice guys, i will almost certainly have more questions and hope to hear from you before i am done.....and i tend to over think things and ask too many questions to be sure,so forgive me for my ramblings
more pics to post soon.

Bob Uku'er
 
excuse my beginnerness

Looks like from the picture that your bridge and saddle is one piece....you could repair the bridge if you are inexperienced in changing bridges as slight difference affect the intonation...and you
may need a set up afterwards... yes a compensated saddle maybe if needed.. remember to measure and mark the saddle position if you do..



what is a compensated saddle?
 
Hello Bob,
I am glad that you have to put on a new bridge. Measure before you start. From the nut to the 12th fret, now check from the 12th fret to the old glue line of the broken bridge and write it down or command to memory. This will give you a good indication of the saddle location. Is it the same to the saddle, or is it +2mm or is it 1mm or 1/16".? Use whatever measurements you are comfortable with. A compensated saddle is one where you have increased the distance from the string break angle to the nut by a very small amount. If you look at a classical guitar in the music store you will usually see the 2nd (B) string has had the saddle filed a little to increase the string length. Also the bass strings are .5 to 1mm longer than the trebles usually. I wish you lived close to me, I have an old bridge with a bone saddle sitting on the shelf above my bench.
Jim
 
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more baritone questions , bridge and tuners this time

hey 1931jim,
thanks again for your time,

let me ask you about the tuners also,
tell me this, i see a lot of baritone ukes that have the tuning pegs in the back of the head stock, are mine already replacements or is this how they possibly came on Kingstons back then , i can find no information on Kingston Ukulele's......or should i even worry....they are tight with no issues as i can see, i'm a bass player and have some knowledge, just none on uke tuners..........

and now back to the bridge, where would you recommend on getting a similar walnut replacement bridge as i seem to have, i have ordered a stewart macdonald catalog and they seem to have an nice assortment of choices on their website.........haven't received it yet, but looking forward to it, mainland has great stuff ,3 to choose from, but don't think it is what i need, with the bone saddle and all......and still one question i have is Do I Need A Bridge With A Bone Saddle.....or stay with the all wood.

i am still trying to wrap my head around the bridge placement instructions you had in the post, and seeing how i have a
" i will not let it defeat me attitude ", i am pretty sure i can tackle this and be successful...it just might take a wee bit of time , i just worry about after the gluing and then going holy crap ...........so my prep is taking over my thoughts....

thanks for reading my ramblings
i have also sent pics of what she looks like now with the tuning pegs back in place and one pic of the fretboard of what it looked liked before i stripped it down...

ukulele 010.jpgIMG_1827.jpgIMG_1826.jpgIMG_1828.jpg

Bob Uku'er
 
Hello Bob,
You asked.....
""i see a lot of baritone ukes that have the tuning pegs in the back of the head stock, are mine already replacements or is this how they possibly came on Kingstons back then.......they are tight with no issues as i can see,""
These tuners are fine, actually a bit better than tuning pegs. They are not the "Cadillac or Lincoln" of geared tuners but if you just put a little drop of sewing machine oil on the worm and work it in they will be more than adequate for the job. Remember just a little drop of oil.
Now for the bridge....Thanks for picture #3 ....1826.jpg.....of the soundboard. I clearly see the screw holes that held the bridge on. Your 1st posting with the bridge picture was helpful to me. If you gently screw the bridge back on and measure the distance from the 12th fret to the saddle and note the difference if any from the measurement from the nut to the 12th fret that should be within 1 to 2 mm as I posted previously. This will also give you your scale length which will be handy to remember whenever you come to buy some strings.
You also asked.......
""where would you recommend on getting a similar walnut replacement bridge as i seem to have,""
In your posting #4 you wrote.....
""to 1931jim ,
i fully get the idea of drilling and fishing through which makes perfect sense and i will do that if i have to,but if i could find another like it to replace it, that'd be much nicer....but not afraid to go drilling if it keeps it original""
Here is what I would do Bob to get the uke playable for a good evaluation of the sound and action which you no doubt can tweak to your own style of playing. The bridge you have now will be fine if you drill the 4 holes after you have screwed it down. A bone nut and new bridge would be nice but is not a big enought concern at this stage.
The #4 screws (if that is the size) that now hold the bridge down could be replaced with #6-32 or 4mm bolts and nuts if you are handy and can get your granddaughter's little hand inside to put the nut and washers on. HaHa!! I have a model airplane store close by where I can get the size down to 2mm bolts even if the #6-32 are too brutal for your liking.
The #2 picture 1827.jpg shows the nut is in good shape and the tuners are fine with the collars on and none missing, the frets don't seem to have had any wear and the edges of them look good in the pictures. We can leave the gluing of the bridge or another replacement 'til later. Send me a PM at any time.
Regards
1931jim
 
Hello again Bob,
I have an old StewMac catalog but maybe my soundhole bridge clamps have a different # by now. You probably will not need one unless you like the sound and decide to make a replacement walnut bridge and glue it. The old #'s are 2010 and 2011. They have a 5" and 7" throat. I also have a bridge caul (#4600) which lets you get by with just one clamp whenever you tackle jobs that are a little tight for space in the sound hole opening. If you can't get baritone strings DGBE in your local music store you can use classical guitar strings. Sometimes if you're careful you can get 2 out of the classical length.
Regards
1931jim
PS: Bob you have me hooked with the repair of the existing bridge. To repair the bridge it will be difficult to find a piece of walnut with the aged look of the old break.
How do you like this idea.? A new little piece of plastic, ivory coloured to match the tuners and the collars. Carefully remove the remainder of the broken lip until you have a nice straight shoulder just above the 1/16" or so of the bridge base. I figure the length of ivory plastic that you will need to be 3 1/2" to 4" or so.
Take it to where the taper just starts towards each end of the bridge and feather your plastic in nicely. Now I have used stuff called super glue (model airplane store again) which is instant acting. Be careful and don't glue fingers together. Glue your little shoulder of ivory plastic in place and then dress it up real pretty to blend in towards the end tapers of the bridge. Screw it on to the soundboard using the existing holes. Now drill your four 1/16" holes as we talked about previously and fish the strings through. If you do the strings through the soundboard, you will not have to glue the bridge down as the screws or bolts will be fine for testing. If happy then you can glue the bridge down to transmit the superduper vibrations and nuances and and and.HaHa!! The contrast will compliment the headstock. And you haven't spent anything but your time. People say "time is money" but it is really only the interval between heartbeats. My wife thinks I am not the brightest star in the sky. She probably has a point there.
 
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thanks again 1931jim

I fully get what you are saying and that sounds like the way i might have to go,
do you think that way of mending it will effect the sound at all ?
i wouldn't think so, i just had to ask
and is there a certain kind of plastic i should search for , or just something bridge worthy and just thick enough to be bendable and to patch the area..........

i am on my last day or two of sanding so i can apply a simple coat for the finish which i will probably re-sand and do over maybe twice......
and will post before ,during and after pics of this whole project i am obsessed with now.
i can almost taste the sound of this baby coming to life......

i know this Kingston Baritone isn't anything to jump up and down and write home about , there are a lot more better quality Uke's out there but this is the one that came to me like a stray cat that wants a happy home, and a happy home i have.

so i thank you for all your help
and also to (mm stan) too.

i will post up soon and give you the progress report.


peace
Bob.........
 
Hello Bob,
""i am on my last day or two of sanding so i can apply a simple coat for the finish which i will probably re-sand and do over maybe twice......""
Don't forget to mask the area for the bridge. You don't want to glue the bridge to the finish, like some ukes from the far east. The Far Eastern ukes are very well made and finished but it seems whoever sprays the finish can't be bothered to mask the bridge area. I have two real bargains from ebay, a soprano and a tenor. All I had to do was scrape off the bridge area and glue.
 
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