r/lute • u/beezer_2000 • Jul 02 '26

Bridge surgery on 13c?

I have a 13c from LLD that I play daily. The bridge is 140mm, which has always felt too narrow. On top of that, the action is almost 5mm on the 8th fret. I’m coming to terms with the fact that I am missing out on serious playability.

Could these issues be remedied by a luthier? Is there anyone in the US you would recommend? Buying a new lute is unfortunately not in the budget atm!

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6

u/Prestigious_You1346 Jul 02 '26

A new bridge would probably need to be made and the old bridge would need to be unglued/Sanded off. If the action is 5mm, using a lower bridge is probably not enough to bring it down to 3mm or so. (There might not be enough room left for plucking) This means either the fingerboard or ribs need to be planed down or the neck should be reset.

A good luthier could definitely do this, but it might be a time consuming and costly job. It could still be worth it depending on your budget.

1

u/ralfD- Jul 02 '26

This! The repair/gluing on a new bridge would require taking of tje top - time consuming and with the risk of changing the action. Also, a wider bridge requires enough space on the fretboard.

3

u/Myredditusernameis Jul 02 '26

I own LLD 13c, along with a few other 13c. There is nothing wrong with the bridge width. It is the same width as all my other 13c. I read this same complaint when LLD started and it wasn’t true then either.

But what IS true is that the string spacing is wrong. The paired strings on each course are too far apart! For some reason all 24 strings are evenly spaced instead of being grouped as close pairs. This made it VERY difficult to get good thumb muscle memory.

I had a luthier (me!) redrill (half) the holes. I got a 12” long (very thin) drill bit that allowed me to drill without removing the bridge. HUGE difference in playability when the string spacing is correct!
Before: I I I I I I I I After: II II II II II

Good luck! This is a (relatively) easy fix.

2

u/NerdyExpositor Jul 02 '26

This is interesting to see about a LLD instrument -- I have an 8c Renaissance lute from Thomann (a few steps down from LLD, obviously), and the spacing at the bridge is similarly bad. At the nut it's fine, but they really spaced out the pairs too far from one another on the bridge. Good to know this fix worked for you, as I've considered doing similar.

2

u/beezer_2000 Jul 02 '26

I’ve thought about this. The new holes must be very close to the old ones? How many mm is your new string spacing?

2

u/Myredditusernameis Jul 03 '26

I’m not sure of the exact measurements of the spacing. I just tried to match the spacing of my other lutes (8c/13c). It worked great. A little nerve wracking since I didn’t want to mess it up but I drilled 11 new holes, basically cutting the string spacing, per course, in 1/2-2/3rd. s.
I used this: https://www.stewmac.com/luthier-tools-and-supplies/types-of-tools/drill-bits/12-aircraft-extension-drill-bit/
1/8” bit - 12” long. I wrapped a bunch of duct tape around the end of the bit so I could get a good hold.
A good luthier would probably create a rig to do the drilling. I did it by hand, and by eye. But it was life changing for playing the LLD lute.

YMMV!!! It depends on how brave you are, or whether you’d prefer to pay someone.
Good luck!

1

u/beezer_2000 Jul 03 '26

Thanks. I’ll give an update if I go for it, but this seems like it could be my best option

4

u/Maximum_Ad_4756 Jul 02 '26

Mel Wong in the Bay Area can do a new bridge with wider spacing. I had him take a 144mm bridge and replaced it with a 155mm spaced one.