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Altamira bridge
krzys
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Hello, I am looking at getting an Altamira and was wondering if there would be a big difference between the standard bridge and a dupont. Also which size dupont would be best for 3mm action? Thanks.
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The bridges are significantly different, but that's more to do with the neck angle.
Any dupont can be setup with a 3mm action - whether it's best for that guitar is different story.
The biggest differences between an Altamira and a Dupont is actually the width of the neck - the strings are closer together on the Altamira. I personally find that makes them easier in one aspect to play (though a setup is the biggest factor).
If you're just thinking about getting an aftermarket bridge - I would take it to a repairman instead to see if your setup needs to change vs. just buying a bridge.
Thanks, I am just looking at whether or not to request one if I buy from here.
If you buy an Altamira here from Michael it already comes with a custom bridge and a free setup. You won't have to buy an additional one. I just bought a used Altamira that was originally purchased here a year ago and it did not need any additional work or upgrades. They come gig ready. Unless you want an internal pickup installed.
In general different bridges are the most fun kind of modification you can do on these guitars. Every bridge I tried brought something different to the sound, much more so than say, strings. But yeah, if you're buying a guitar from Michael, you don't have to worry about it if you just want to make sure it'll be good to play out of the box.
I bought an Altamira M30D from this website 10 years ago and got the custom bridge option done. About a year ago I got a cheap gypsy bridge off Ebay and installed it myself. I did not really think the new bridge improved the sound overall so I changed it back to the custom bridge it had when I bought it. I have since had a Stringphonic for about a year now and I love the sound. So much so that I feared my Altamira would become obsolete. It was loud and playable (it works great for lead playing), but always had a very trebly tone to the point where I couldn't really get a decent rhythm sound out of it. I am not saying it could not play rhythm, but playing le pompe on my Stringphonic was practically effortless by comparison.
About a month ago I said WTF and put the eBay bridge back on the Altamira and much to my surprise, I really liked the sound. I could even play decent sounding rhythm on it finally.
I don't want to take anything away from the original setup as there was nothing inherently wrong with it. The new bridge just made the guitar sound more to my liking. The guitar is still loud and punchy and great for lead playing, but also better suited for my rhythm playing now.
I have since ordered 2 more cheap bridges to experiment with. I don't want to discourage anyone from getting a nice Dupont bridge if you want to get one and if it will make your guitar sound better. I would love to try a Dupont bridge, but right now I really like the sound coming from the Altamira with Alnicov bridge so I will leave it as is. I will probably start tinkering with them again when I feel the urge to chase that tone again. Here are original custom bridge, uncut Alnicov, and uncut Golden Gate.
@DeuxDoigts_Tonnerre what are button thingies over the mustache pieces?
Looks like someone screwed the mustache pieces to the top. Ouch.
I suspect it's for adding a little extra weight. That might help subdue overly active top and tame some of the highs.
Buco, it is a couple of beads I glued onto the moustache pieces for decoration. I got them from a costume jewelry charm bracelet.
I need to smooth the moustache edges or replace them with the moustaches that came with the new bridge. They are significantly lower profile than the original Altamira moustaches.