Bridge work completed on Baldwin F

Installing new bridge caps is probably one of the most demanding of all rebuilding tasks. It not only requires a lot of physical work, but is very demanding in layout and execution of the work. A few of the things that need to be considered are down bearing, both on the speaking side of the bridge as well as the tail side. Also there is the stagger across the bridge determined by proper pin location on top of the bridge. Proper alignment of brigde pins with hitch pins on the plate affect side bearing on the bridge. The proper speaking length needs to be maintained to remain true to the original scale and design of the instrument. Especially important to achieve a clear sound is the hand notching that occurs after all of the above lay out issues have been dealt with . This is achieved by cutting a relief exactly midway through the holes drilled to accept the bridge pins. Brigde pins are .076-.096 inches in diameter. This requires a steady hand, and some muscle power as we are chiseling hard rock maple. The picture shows the tools used in notching the bridge and installing new bridge pins.