Lifting Bridge

SamUke

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Hi UU. I have an older Lymana tenor and the bridge is starting to lift away on one corner. Is this something I should get removed and re-glued? Can I leave it and play, or is it something that should definitely get fixed? Regards.

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I would get that fixed. It may last a while like that, but eventually it will start causing problems. Are you going to fix it yourself? It might not be so hard if you are interested in doing it, depending on how you get along with wood and tools.
 
No, I’ll have someone local do it. Is it a common repair? Do they just use the original bridge?
 
If not mistaken, your Lymana ukulele is a premium priced top notched ukulele. As such, I would NOT allow just anyone to do the repair. I would start by contacting Lymana Ukuleles and see if they can recommend one in your area.

I would first inquire if they can do the repair and pay the shipping costs round trip if needed. Likely would not be charged and money that would go to the local luthier can be applied to the shipping. Worst case is a local luthier messing it up and making it more difficult for Lymana to do the repair.
 
Yes, it's common, any well-trained luthier should do this repair pretty easily. Unless there's a problem with the bridge, they will remove it, sand down the sound board to the wood (just at the bridge area), sand down the bridge then glue and clamp it down overnight. Now would be a good time to change your bridge if you see one you like better.

Like Rainbow said, find a luthier recommended by the builder first. Research luthiers in your area if you don't know a good one or have a good recommendation.
 
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Yes, it's common, any well-trained luthier should do this repair pretty easily. Unless there's a problem with the bridge, they will remove it, sand down the sound board to the wood, sand down the bridge then glue and clamp it down overnight. Now would be a good time to change your bridge if you see one you like better.

If I owned an ukulele that cost well above $5K, I would not give it to just any luthier. Difficult to tell how good they are at their craft. An anecdotal example is I went to a good local shop (in business for decades) and I thought the job they did installing a strap peg was poor to average. But their reputation is stellar. How would you know if they would be great at regluing the bridge?
 
I’ll reach out to Lyman. I don’t want a different bridge so it makes sense to talk with him first.
 
I’ll reach out to Lyman. I don’t want a different bridge so it makes sense to talk with him first.

Your repairer would like to know what kind of glue was used for the bridge, so ask that.

If it was hot hide glue, and it's just a corner lifting while the rest of the bridge is still firm, then it's a simple repair - a little more glue under that corner, clamp, clean up. Other kinds of glue really need removing before re-glueing, though even then if it's just a corner the same method might work OK.

For anyone who has the same problem on a cheaper instrument, don't just squirt superglue/CA glue into the gap. It will make a horrible mess of the top around the bridge, and it also makes a proper repair much more difficult/impossible economically!
 
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