JLD Bridge Doctor

If you have a guitar with a bulge, try this it works, don't rush it adjust a little and wait, give the wood time to respond, ( the bulge didn't happen over night) then adjust some more, it will pull back in to tolerable measurements..sound is good... sustain is better.. stays in tune better, all around good device..

This was my first attempt to correct a 70s era Takamine 12 string which had bad action. I was able to restore proper intonation and action with a combination of truss rod adjustment, some sanding of the bone saddle and installation of the screw mount version of the JLD truss. Placement of the screw hole was critical to avoid blocking any of the pin mount holes, but installation was smooth and the effect was immediate. The soundboard had a slight belly as well which was corrected and the sound is still great. Overall I am pleased with the result and will definitely try this again should the need arise.

Man, I wish I had invented this thing. It totally salvaged several acoustics people have brought here for "lipo." Most recently, I got rid of the belly on a Simon & Patrick. I have had such good luck with this, I've made one standard equipment on bcustom acoustics. If there were a gripe, it'd be that there's not 2 inlay dots (MOP & black.) Breedloves come stock with a bridge doctor and a black inlay dot. Plus I dropped the inlay dot and it rolled away, never to be seen again. I had a spare the same size. Thanks for a great product that has saved guitars and made me look like a hero.

As others have mentioned, the instructions are not very clear or intuitive. If you look at the diagram it appears the block must sit on a brace on the bottom. This was not an option or even necessary or desirable. I installed mine on a 12 string with a severe belly problem. Through research I found it would help to humidify the box and to stack a weight on the top for about a week or more to stabalize the flattened position prior to installing the bridge dr. This would negate having the bridge dr. do all the work. On the positive side, the belly did stabalize with the bridge dr. On the negative side, the tone completly dissapeared. It went from a ringing sound to a thud. The need for all the brass pin replacements and having to keep the bridge dr. fairly tight were probably the cause. I ended up removing it and have built a new bridge, which is incomplete at this time (saddle slot). I think the idea is sound and it may work in some instances. I would try it again on a lesser problem guitar, but not on another 12 string.

Installation no problem on my 12 string. If you take care drilling and follow the directions carefully, it's about a half hour job (adding in first time "think about it" delays. Love the product and considering installing it on my 6-string Tak just because.

Well now there are two! I bought the the screw mount but when it arrived, I realized that it wouldn't work on my j200 because of the curved pin line and no room for the screw beneath it but I'll keep it for another guitar. I ordered the brass pin mount, installed it and it works as advertised, flattening the belly, bringing the action down and allowing for better adjustment and enhancing the sound. A side benefit was almost subconcious. Before the doctor was installed, the belly bulge and bridge tilt drew my eye like a wart on someone's nose or an infected lip piercing. Now things are as they should be! My only issue was that on first application, I (yep) broke the dowel. Did I tighten it too much, too quickly, or would a hardwood dowel be the answer? Or would that affect the sound adversely? Or is there a built in fail-safe provided by the pine dowel, allowing it to break before something else does? Whatever, it is easily replaced (I stole one from my other kit temporarily) and my second try went better, adjusting it a little at a time over two to three days which I obviously recommend now. Delayed gratification pays off. The guitar is being played again!

You know the problem, you get an awesome guitar with great action, and sounds just like you want it. yikes, the bridge has started pulling up and its bringing the wood from the top up with it. Its called bellying. To the rescue - Stew Mac has this awesome product called the Bridge Doctor. A simple installation to bring the bridge back into alignment with the top and carefully bringing the top back down to flatness. I have used this fix on both newer and vintage instruments with great success. I have installed it in at least a dozen of my guitars. Got a Belly problem? No, not your waistline...grab one of these to fix your guitar...the other problem you are on your own to fix. Lawman-Mike

While waiting for snail mail I removed the strings off the guitar and carefully weighted the bridge. In the span of a week this dropped the bow by about 1/16". Doesn't sound like much but it was very noticeable.

The install of the JLD system was very easy. I read other reviews of people snapping the tension rods and such.... This system is based on fulcrum points and leverage... You do not need to 'crank' anything. Your are given three adjustments on the wood block before installing it... Go with the widest one that works with your guitar bridge and bracing as this spreads the load (better leverage) under the bridge. When I installed the dowel I purposely set it at a downward angle towards the back of the guitar for even more leverage... It has worked great. Action is perfect and I am playing this guitar again... I was about to make fire wood out of it.

A few smarts and some planning go a long way here. Think it through... It does work great. I will buy a few more just have on hand.

My guess is my guitar had a little more bulge at the bridge than this product was designed to fix. So now I have the item installed and the bridge is still too high to make the guitar playable. If you consider the bulge you're trying to fix as big or extreme I wouldn't purchase this item. If it's small I'm sure the device will pull the bridge & top down to flat and you'll be pleased.

I bought an older Takamine 12 string for a song a while back. However the bridge/top were badly bellied. I was afraid to keep the strings up to full tension. Bought the JDL String Dr after stumbling across it accidentally. The directions were not exactly crystal clear but I studied it for a day or two then the install went quite smoothly. The belly is well controlled (although not eliminated) and I now have my 12 string ready to go! Very cost effective solution.