Hey man , is it normal for a brand new acoustic guitar like Fender to have a belly bulge or hump right behind the bridge? the hump is visible and you can feel it when you swipe your hand.
Yes, you can see where I've altered the saddle on the G string to compensate intonation. The top should be flat, hence the moniker flat top. I bought it for $400 because it had neck sink and a crack in the top. The top had sunken at the soundhole about an inch. I brought it back up with patience and humidity. I'm addressing the bulge now. It's taken a few weeks of humidity and pressure on the top, but it's working.
I cant get that answer from anyone. For example Takamine or Taylors has that little dome or an arch where the bridge sits. And Taylor literally calls it AN ARCH. And they say if you start to lose it rapidly, guitar is dried out very much. Modern guitars are not flat on top or back. There's a radius and they are a bit domed from both sides. Especially dreadnoughts. Ok,i can understand that a guitar can get a belly bulge and that the action will logically go up a lot. But no one will explain what is the the normal ARCH? My Takamine for example, has that arch, when you put a ruler behind bridge, it will rock left and right a bit. But when i put a straightedge on the freeboard, and if you slide it towards bridge, it will land perfectly on it in a fracture of a millimeter. Action is 1mm at 12 fret low E string. High E even lower... No buzz what so ever!
Although some belly bulge is “normal” that does seem to be a bit too much. You could shave down the saddle to lower the action but that will also reduce the string “break” over the saddle which can affect tone and projection. The problem is it will never get better on its own … only worse. A good luthier can get rid of that bulge and intonate the saddle the same day. Good luck 👍
It's my understanding that Martin guitars are supposed to be perfectly flat although I cannot confirm that for sure. My Gibson J-45 has a very slight bulge but that is engineered into the design.
@@thep2pband Have you tried adding humidity to it? Guitars are supposed to be kept at 45-55% RH and if they dry out too much they can develop a bulge. Adding humidity is known to be able to remove or minimize such bulging. There are dozens of videos on YT showing how to properly humidify a hollow body guitar. I've got a 1991 Gibson J-45 that has been in storage since 1995. When I got it the sound hole was a little sunken and the bridge bulge was more pronounced, but after a few days of reintroducing it to humidity the issue has resolved.
@Jim Dent yes, I bought it for $400 because the guitar was stored in a dry warehouse and the neck sunk in 1" at the soundhole. After humidification, the soundhole came up. It's playable now. The belly bulge stills needs addressing. It would improve the action above the 9th fret. I have a luthier with a custom rig to fix it, but I haven't taken it in yet. It sounds fantastic, but I will eventually get it fixed. Thanks.
@@paulg1897 I completely agree with what you say but I've seen humidity reduce that bulge too. I think it depends on the instrument and how it's built. Let's say for instance that the sides of the guitar (the part that makes up the depth or basic outline) shrinks more than the top does then you would have a condition that causes compression of the top along it's edges and that would cause the top to bulge. I've recently gotten a 1991 Gibson j-45 that was in storage since 1995. The sound hole was slightly sunk down and the bulge behind the bridge was too pronounced. After several days of humidity both issues have corrected themselves.
Does the entire Guitar shrink or does the bridge itself rise and change height because of wood fiber size and string tension. I'm confused. Humididty is supposed to expand wood so it makes sense some of the guiar actually shrinks. Thanks @@jimdent351
Hey man , is it normal for a brand new acoustic guitar like Fender to have a belly bulge or hump right behind the bridge? the hump is visible and you can feel it when you swipe your hand.
No, you should take it back for warranty replacement or repair.
I think its still normal belly bulge on a guitar, do u already try to setup the saddle to lower the string action?
Yes, you can see where I've altered the saddle on the G string to compensate intonation. The top should be flat, hence the moniker flat top. I bought it for $400 because it had neck sink and a crack in the top. The top had sunken at the soundhole about an inch. I brought it back up with patience and humidity. I'm addressing the bulge now. It's taken a few weeks of humidity and pressure on the top, but it's working.
I cant get that answer from anyone. For example Takamine or Taylors has that little dome or an arch where the bridge sits. And Taylor literally calls it AN ARCH. And they say if you start to lose it rapidly, guitar is dried out very much. Modern guitars are not flat on top or back. There's a radius and they are a bit domed from both sides. Especially dreadnoughts. Ok,i can understand that a guitar can get a belly bulge and that the action will logically go up a lot. But no one will explain what is the the normal ARCH? My Takamine for example, has that arch, when you put a ruler behind bridge, it will rock left and right a bit. But when i put a straightedge on the freeboard, and if you slide it towards bridge, it will land perfectly on it in a fracture of a millimeter. Action is 1mm at 12 fret low E string. High E even lower... No buzz what so ever!
@@sotirzvanidjubre4109 I have another Martin and a Lavarrie that both have flat tops. No bulge.
Although some belly bulge is “normal” that does seem to be a bit too much.
You could shave down the saddle to lower the action but that will also reduce the string “break” over the saddle which can affect tone and projection.
The problem is it will never get better on its own … only worse.
A good luthier can get rid of that bulge and intonate the saddle the same day.
Good luck 👍
It’s my understanding that some belly bulge is normal.
I have a Larrivee D03 with perfectly flat top and a 84 D28-12 Martin with another perfectly flat top. I still haven't taken this in for repair though.
It's my understanding that Martin guitars are supposed to be perfectly flat although I cannot confirm that for sure. My Gibson J-45 has a very slight bulge but that is engineered into the design.
@@thep2pband Have you tried adding humidity to it? Guitars are supposed to be kept at 45-55% RH and if they dry out too much they can develop a bulge. Adding humidity is known to be able to remove or minimize such bulging. There are dozens of videos on YT showing how to properly humidify a hollow body guitar. I've got a 1991 Gibson J-45 that has been in storage since 1995. When I got it the sound hole was a little sunken and the bridge bulge was more pronounced, but after a few days of reintroducing it to humidity the issue has resolved.
@Jim Dent yes, I bought it for $400 because the guitar was stored in a dry warehouse and the neck sunk in 1" at the soundhole. After humidification, the soundhole came up. It's playable now. The belly bulge stills needs addressing. It would improve the action above the 9th fret. I have a luthier with a custom rig to fix it, but I haven't taken it in yet. It sounds fantastic, but I will eventually get it fixed. Thanks.
Thd action is a bit high ? 🤔 Seriously ? You could use this thing as a bow and arrow 🤣
Needs humidity.
@@paulg1897 I completely agree with what you say but I've seen humidity reduce that bulge too. I think it depends on the instrument and how it's built. Let's say for instance that the sides of the guitar (the part that makes up the depth or basic outline) shrinks more than the top does then you would have a condition that causes compression of the top along it's edges and that would cause the top to bulge.
I've recently gotten a 1991 Gibson j-45 that was in storage since 1995. The sound hole was slightly sunk down and the bulge behind the bridge was too pronounced. After several days of humidity both issues have corrected themselves.
Does the entire Guitar shrink or does the bridge itself rise and change height because of wood fiber size and string tension. I'm confused. Humididty is supposed to expand wood so it makes sense some of the guiar actually shrinks. Thanks @@jimdent351
Looks like nothing
th-cam.com/video/d3usc-kMKc4/w-d-xo.html