josh's bridge at djangobooks to the rescue

blindjimmy · June 2006

the bridge from djangobooks has made a total difference on my jj300. imagine replacing a no name pickup with a hot dimarzio, it's that pronounced. i've gone from hating the guitar to cant get enough of it.
bridge showed up ready to put on the guitar and play. fit perfectly. well woth the extra $$. the guitar sounds a LOT louder, with much improved tone, high strings dont crap out on the frets anymore. could not be more pleased. if you own a gitane, this should be your first upgrade. thanks josh , michael, fantastic job!!!

Duozona · June 2006

Glad to hear Blindjimmy, good advice. I did the same thing, but through Michael Collins. He was at DjangoFestSouthwest, where he did a cliich on set-up/upgrading Sel-Macs. He took measurements on my student's and my guitars.

Ironically, I just received my bridge yesterday, did a little sanding to contour the bridge to my top, and voila, it truly has a stronger voice, plays different (more reactive and consistent), and just plain looks cool. :P

He also sent me a DR tailpiece, which in my case helped me lose some major rattle i was getting with the stock tailpiece. This was all on my Saga D-500.

Incidentally, Shelly is now making a replacement bridge for my Park, slightly higher (1.5mm) then what I currently have, so that I can alleviate seasonal shimming by just swapping bridges.

So BlindJimmy, have you been playing with anyone in Phoenix?

Chuck

Chuck

Josh Hegg · June 2006

Blindjimmy,

Great to hear! I'm glad you are happy and that the bridge fit well.

Jam on!
Josh

djadam · June 2006

I'd love to hear a little more about these bridges. I have a DG-250M and I've thought about a new bridge, but didn't know where to start. Right now I have a couple of shims in there to reduce buzzing. If I could have a bridge which didn't need shims and improved the tone, I'd be happy to spend $70!

Jack · June 2006

Get ready to spend the $70! I've heard not only good, but great/miraculous/earth-moving testimonials to Josh's work...

djadam · June 2006

Ahhh shit I thought so!!

Josh Hegg · June 2006

You guys are making me blush... now stop it....

djadam... What info do you need/want on the bridges?

Cheers,
Josh

djadam · June 2006

Hi Josh, there's pretty much zero description on the site, so I have a few questions...

Are they made of ebony? Will it be taller than the stock bridge on my 250M? What's the stock Gitane bridge made from?

Sounds like people are pretty enthusiastic about the tonal difference they make, so I'll probably have to order one!

Josh Hegg · July 2006

"Are they made of ebony?" - Depending on the guitar and the desired tone I chose a wood that will best achieve the desired outcome. For the Gitane guitars I have been using a species of Rosewood that has been very nice sounding. I have also made a few for my own guitars with the rosewood and they sound just great. Ebony can be used as with many other kinds of wood. It just depends on the guitar and what the individual playing the guitar wants.

Will it be taller than the stock bridge on my 250M? - I can build it to any hight you like

What's the stock Gitane bridge made from? - Most are various species of Ebony. The design of the stock bridge is more the problem then the wood used. I feel that Ebony is not the best for the Gitanes but if Ebony was requested it would sound much different then a saga bridge due to the design.

Cheers,
Josh