IN THIS ISSUE:
1. Removing Bridge Sleeves
2. Become A PYOG Affiliate

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1. Removing Bridge Sleeves

(ALWAYS wear protective eye wear when working on your guitar with sharp tools.)

Removing the studs that hold bridge poles in place... yup - removing them is tricky work. However, when you're going to paint your own guitar, in most cases, you want to remove them from the guitar; you'll do a better job of painting with them out than with them in.

Normally, I dread removing them - especially from a Les Paul-style guitar. I've chipped so many finishes removing them - I always have Bondo close by to fix the damage.

Well, I think my damaging days are OVER FOR GOOD. I've discovered a new way of removing those tricky bridge sleeves, so I wanted to share this with all of you. Using this method, the bridge sleeves come out EFFORTLESSLY.

See FIG 1. I'm using two scrap pieces of wood which are about 3/4" in height.

And, I'm using two flat head screwdrivers.

Although I'm using an old stud instead of the brand new gold one, this is so easy to do, you shouldn't cause any damage to your stud using this method. Still - I would recommend wrapping some tape around the head of your stud so you don't scratch the finish.

I position the stud so that it's sitting high in the sleeve. In other words, there's a lot of thread exposed (see FIG 2). This allows for the heads of the screwdrivers to get under the head of the stud and lift it up.

When you try this method, you'll be amazed at how easy it works.

This can also work on removing the sleeves for a Floyd Rose bridge, too. Again, to keep from scratching the finish off of the stud, wrap some tape around it before you remove it - just as a safety precaution.

I wish I could say that I discovered this myself, but I got this tip from Pat Wilkins - from Wilkins Guitars.

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2. Become A PYOG Affiliate

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