i am fixing my classical guitar bridge, but the origional bridge was 6" long, and the only new ones i can find to buy are 7.5" , but everything else measures up the same (width, depth, etc. ). So my question is will the lengh matter? Or will a new bridge that is just a little longer be ok?
Is it possible for you to saw .75" off of each end or is it prefinished and would look weird?
The thing is, it doesn't seem like you're trying to restore some vintage instrument, trying to keep it as 'original' as possible, so maybe that extra length won't matter too much. Might make the top vibrate slightly less because of the added area being covered, but then again, there could be more vibration being transferred to the top, so it may even out.
Either way, it's less than a square inch, so I don't know if it'll really be an issue.
I will second DemoEtc's comments. The length should have minimal impact.
The key thing that has to be correct is the distance between individual strings and the distance between the outer strings. The bridge should also match the contour of the fretboard. If it is flat the bridge should hold the strings flat, curved and the bridge saddle should be curved.
