Tutorial ( String Changing for Archtop Bridge )

Many people often miss this part when restringing an Archtop guitar. Since an Archtop's bridge is not screwed onto the body or held in place by any support, it is common that people cannot find the intonated perfect position for the bridge after restringing. This problem can be easily solved! Works well for violin or other string instrument of same nature!


1st
Tear a low tack masking tape into 3 pieces. I'm using the 3M blue colored low tack tapes. It should look like the following illustration.

2nd
Make sure you are using the original edge of the tape and then tape it as close to the edge of the bridge as possible. Look at the following picture.

3rd
You'll no longer worry when your bridge came loose after you've loosen your string! Perfectly marked in place. Also do note that i keep the end of the masking tape up. This helps to reduce the chance of creating a ding with your nails or scratching the finish when you are removing the tapes.


Anyway this belongs to my client's beautiful Epiphone Joe Pass model which is currently going through re-inlaying process. He has cleverly opted for the real deal, high grade mother of pearl :D

Tutorial (Decal Application)

In this post, i'll try my best to show you how to apply a decal to your headstock. Do not skip any of the steps while going though this tutorial. If you have any question, you can simply post in the comment box and i'll get back asap.


1st
Cut the decals to size, keeping a small gap away from the printed area. Check if it fits nicely on the headstock or in your case the desired position.


2nd
Soak them into warm water. Cold or room temperature water will work as well but warm water allows the decal backing to be separated from the decal faster. This allows the glue of the decal to remain. Cold or room temperature water will take longer to allow the decal and backing to separate, also causing the glue of the decal to be less effective. It should take not more than 2mins for warm water.

3rd
Look carefully in this picture, the decal and the backing are now able to slide away from each other. Always slide and not peel like you would on sticker. It should be a very easy and gentle process, soak more if you need to apply pressure to slide it out.


4th
Slide the decal onto the desired location, adjust while the decal while it is still wet. You may use your finger but not any sharp object. The decal is very fragile at this stage.


5th
Use your finger to slide out excess water underneath the decal. Be gentle as the decal tends to tear at this stage. After that, use a lint free cloth or anything mild to wipe out the excess water.

6th
If you have been following so far and not skipping the steps, good. The next info is the most crucial part! The above 5 pictures have a big problem. To apply a decal, always make sure your wood is already sealed with a layer paint or sealer. If you do not do so, the clearcoat will cause a color difference. So basically, the first step is to prepare your desired area with a nice coat of finish. After that, do step 1-5. Step 6 is clearcoating the area. If you choose not to clearcoat it, you'll face decal tearing problem. Decal itself is actually very fragile but decal covered with clearcoat will be very strong.

Good Luck!