Search found 1038 matches

by Barry
Tue Feb 20, 2024 1:51 pm
Forum: General Discussion
Topic: El Degas F175 bridge
Replies: 1
Views: 341

Re: El Degas F175 bridge question

Hello and welcome. (This question should really be in a new topic post. Charles, could you do the honours please?) Do you mean that the bridge itself is lifting? Or, is it that the soundboard is "bellying up" and the bridge is rising up with it? Those are two different problems with two di...
by Barry
Tue Jan 16, 2024 5:02 pm
Forum: El Degas Show & Tell
Topic: New find at auction
Replies: 1
Views: 773

Re: New find at auction

Hi and welcome.
Unfortunately you have not set the access correctly on Google. Can't see the image. :(
by Barry
Tue Dec 19, 2023 4:20 pm
Forum: General Discussion
Topic: El Degas F175 bridge question
Replies: 27
Views: 4568

Re: El Degas F175 bridge question

Hey congratulations! Happy I was able to help! :mrgreen: Yeah, a neck reset is the ultimate fix for high action, assuming everything else is stable that is. I don't know if you are going to attempt it but it does demand a pretty good understanding of what you're doing and probably some specialized t...
by Barry
Thu Dec 14, 2023 8:23 pm
Forum: General Discussion
Topic: El Degas F175 bridge question
Replies: 27
Views: 4568

Re: El Degas F175 bridge question

It should work OK.
You'll likely be doing some sanding to make it fit, and of course you'll still have higher action that you'd like.
But it's a straight forward mod.
by Barry
Thu Dec 14, 2023 2:35 pm
Forum: General Discussion
Topic: El Degas F175 bridge question
Replies: 27
Views: 4568

Re: El Degas F175 bridge question

No, I replaced the adjustable saddle with a wide Gibson saddle that was made for their version of the saddle. Throw that metal thing away! Are you planning on using the original bridge now?

I gave you the link to my post above which details what I did.
by Barry
Thu Dec 14, 2023 11:30 am
Forum: General Discussion
Topic: El Degas F175 bridge question
Replies: 27
Views: 4568

Re: El Degas F175 bridge question

Good on ya for sticking with it! You'll learn a ton of stuff in the process. Yeah, a neck reset is not for the faint of heart but it ain't rocket science neither. Like everything else it takes care and patience plus some specific equipment to pull it off (no pun intended :lol: ). After it's removed ...
by Barry
Wed Dec 13, 2023 11:34 am
Forum: General Discussion
Topic: El Degas F175 bridge question
Replies: 27
Views: 4568

Re: El Degas F175 bridge question

I kinda had the suspicion the new bridge would not solve your high action problem. :( But, a new bridge needs to be centred and squared up relative to the neck and positioned for correct intonation, it cannot simply be put into the old location because the footprint will be different. You would need...
by Barry
Tue Dec 12, 2023 3:44 pm
Forum: General Discussion
Topic: El Degas F175 bridge question
Replies: 27
Views: 4568

Re: El Degas F175 bridge question

Just another tip for you while I remember it, before you restring the guitar take a few minutes to chop (or sand) the bottoms of the bridge pins at a 45º angle or thereabouts. This will ensure that the ball end of the string will ride up into the slot where it belongs and not get jammed on the new b...
by Barry
Mon Dec 11, 2023 12:43 pm
Forum: General Discussion
Topic: El Degas F175 bridge question
Replies: 27
Views: 4568

Re: El Degas F175 bridge question

Sounds like you're on your way! :) I would go with TiteBond, for everything. Fish glue has its supporters but TiteBond is more consistent and reliable over time in my view. It's doesn't get brittle and contrary to popular belief it is more predictable when removing parts, not more difficult. Just be...
by Barry
Sun Dec 10, 2023 11:31 pm
Forum: General Discussion
Topic: El Degas F175 bridge question
Replies: 27
Views: 4568

Re: El Degas F175 bridge question

First of all, understand that this would not be done on a top end guitar and is not a normal repair procedure, but it will help make this guitar more stable without getting crazy complicated. Use a hard wood like Maple. You'll have all kinds of adhesion problems and possible resonance issues with me...
by Barry
Sun Dec 10, 2023 3:20 pm
Forum: General Discussion
Topic: El Degas F175 bridge question
Replies: 27
Views: 4568

Re: El Degas F175 bridge question

Hard to say for certain but the crack appears to follow the one on the bridge so it's likely to have "flexed"when the bridge rotated. I can't tell from this view if the plate is broken below this top level ply, i.e., all the way through. If it is, ideally it should be replaced. But removin...
by Barry
Sat Dec 09, 2023 9:12 pm
Forum: General Discussion
Topic: El Degas F175 bridge question
Replies: 27
Views: 4568

Re: El Degas F175 bridge question

Well that's the first step done eh? Good stuff! Having some finish come off is much better than having wood tear out. You can touch it up with shellac afterwards. Lightly scoring the finish around the bridge perimeter with a sharp xacto knife first will help stop that from happening :wink: I would n...
by Barry
Sat Dec 09, 2023 3:38 pm
Forum: General Discussion
Topic: El Degas F175 bridge question
Replies: 27
Views: 4568

Re: El Degas F175 bridge question

I worked at my local guitar shop as a tech, and we carried this line for awhile. Never had them long enough to have one returned with this issue but they did play very nicely and had a surprisingly rich tone. Come to think of it we had the models with actual wood tops not HPL so that may have been t...
by Barry
Sat Dec 09, 2023 1:16 pm
Forum: General Discussion
Topic: El Degas F175 bridge question
Replies: 27
Views: 4568

Re: El Degas F175 bridge question

Screws?! That's worse than bolts, which are the norm found in this vintage era. :shock: Glad to hear you've discovered them! Whether bolts or screws they serve no real purpose and they cause the sound board behind the bridge to "belly up" under tension instead of letting the bridge fail so...
by Barry
Sat Dec 09, 2023 11:07 am
Forum: General Discussion
Topic: El Degas F175 bridge question
Replies: 27
Views: 4568

Re: El Degas F175 bridge question

You're welcome. I'm happy to hear that this is a learning project and not an expectation of full restoration. :) You will acquire a lot of insight by removing and replacing the bridge and that knowledge is something that will always be available to you on the next project. It isn't rocket science to...