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- From: basinski@biosci.arizona.edu (Mark Basinski)
- Newsgroups: alt.guitar
- Subject: Re: major acoustic mod
- Message-ID: <basinski-200193193811@lully.biosci.arizona.edu>
- Date: 21 Jan 93 02:28:44 GMT
- References: <C0v46p.KuH@acsu.buffalo.edu>
- Sender: news@organpipe.uug.arizona.edu
- Followup-To: alt.guitar
- Organization: Univ. of Arizona
- Lines: 27
-
- In article <C0v46p.KuH@acsu.buffalo.edu>, v201lrxa@ubvmsb.cc.buffalo.edu
- (L'Angelo Misterioso) wrote:
- >
- >
- > I have a four year old Harmony acoustic guitar (of the Sears
- > Catalog variety :) ). about a year ago, the top under the bridge started
- > bulging out, and the bridge began to pull away from the top. I tried
- > tuning down, lighter strings, and use of a capo, but the problem has
- > gotten to where the guitar is unplayable. Something I thought of a few
- > weeks ago is to install a tailpiece/floating bridge system like an
- > archtop so the tension is no longer directly on the top of the guitar.
- > Is this feasable? The guitar has no major value other than the sentimental
- > value of being my first guitar, so changing the original hardware is no
- > problem to me. I just want something I can play. I have never done major
- > work on an acoustic before, but I know what needs to be done and I know
- > how to do it. I'm just wondering if this has been done before, and if it's
- > a good idea (as opposed to just getting a new guitar).
- >
- Nope, it's a bad idea. Get a new guitar. The reason it's a bad idea is that
- guitars with bridges glued onto the face are designed for *pulling* stress
- (although in the case of cheap guitars like the Harmony, not particularly
- well). If you put a stop tailpiece on, you subject the top to compressive
- stress, and you may merely cause it to collapse the other way even faster,
- since it wasn't made to support that kind of stress. Even if it doesn't
- collapse, it won't sound very good...
- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
- Mark Basinski Internet: basinski@biosci.arizona.edu
-