IT IS SAD AND A BIT AMUSING that a bad idea has such staying power. From the beginnings of ukulele construction bridges have been attached to ukulele soundboards any simply glueing the bridge to the soundboard. Because there were repeated failures some folks even added a screw for added strength.
This is a flawed technique and the following photo shows the result, a screwed and glued bridge torn from the soundboard.
This is a flawed technique and the following photo shows the result, a screwed and glued bridge torn from the soundboard.
A friend brought this cheap uke by to see if I could fix it. The real fix would have been to make it properly in the first place. a hardwood backing plate under the soundboard equal in size to the bridge, The bridge glued onto the sound board and then string holes drilled through both. You bring the string knot up against the interior hardwood brace and through the bridge hole, across the saddle to the tuner. Mike Chock does it that way, Eric Devine does it that way, I do it that way, The strongest possible way to string a uke. Whoever dreamed up this traditional method was not thinking very well way back then, surprising so many ukes are still made this way.
