Bridge material and design

paulmcevoy75 · May 6

I don't have a ton of acoustics knowledge but in general you want a wood that transfers energy very quickly and is dense enough to withstand the tension of a bridge. Spruce is very soft and very undense (Light?). It is very strong for its weight but also doesn't way very much (i.e. is not very strong relative to the same size of rosewood). So it would break straight away.

I think a lot of people use the thing they do because that's what everyone used for a long time but rosewood has some pretty great characteristics. I made the bridges on my first two **** out of Padauk and they both sounds quite good.

Put simply, probably whatever you'd make a marimba out of would work pretty well for a bridge. I like to drop the rough bridges on my bench, I like the one that makes the loudest 'clink'. In a folky sort of way I think this is showing a quick transfer of energy. At some point I'll get into testing it more with a microphone. I think there's probably a lot of woods that would work well. I don't know if I'd go for Walnut straight away but who knows, it could work. So much of guitar making tradition is centered around Rosewood and it's great stuff, more importantly we know what it does. Lots of other things work great but we might not know them as well.

We maybe should learn them though, the ethics of cutting down trees in foreign countries are dubious sometimes. My understanding is that Indian Rosewood is somewhat "sustainable" as far as anything that is moved halfway around the world is sustainable but I don't know how that works exactly.

pdg · May 6

Osage orange, sustainable and readily available in the U.S, primarily from the South I think, has characteristics of Indian and Brazilian rosewood, including low "damping." Some fine flattop guitars have it as back and side wood. It's known for making (archery) bows.

CreekRoader · May 6

"tone depth and volume that aren't quite there"...

Were they ever in these guitars? Isn't that "the sound"?

Jangle_Jamie · May 6

Thanks for the bridge thoughts. I've made quite a few now, including one from the antler. Haven't had time to test any of them yet, but hopefully this week I will.

The Dupont is coming to life. I'm guessing it wasn't played for a few years (the original owner had died), and possibly not much full stop (no fret wear at all). When I bought it, the seller (the owner's nephew) had had it cleaned and set up by a guitar shop who put huge chunky steel strings on, and it sounded dreadful (of course). It's just taken a few weeks for it to come alive. It's now becoming the great guitar I was hoping it would be. I took a massive risk buying it, but as time goes by, I think I did well. It was £1750 - by far the most I've spent on a guitar, but look at that maple - how could I resist that?!!

More bridge details to follow

billyshakes · May 7

Jamie, congrats on that find! I think you were the right person for that guitar. At that price, and with your knowledge over your past projects, even if there was something wrong you probably have the skills to make it right. I think you might be right that it wasn't played much. Doesn't sound like the seller was trying to cheat anyone. If they are getting it cleaned and set up before selling at an estate sale, that to me seems like they are good folks, just don't know what to do.

Twang · May 7

@Jangle_Jamie I'm interested in how you get on with it. I've often thought guitars I own "go to sleep" if they aren't played for a while. Thought it was my imagination. I'd even include electric guitars in this. Wonder if there's any science in it. I read somewhere, might have been Ramirez book "things about the guitar", that someone once played a Stradivarius that had been in a glass show case for years and it was a complete lemon.

Jangle_Jamie · May 7

Hahaha!!! Excellent. Well I'm sure it was totally true. These instruments have to be played.

Here are some pics of the bridges. Since taking the group shot with the weights, I've made another lighter antler bridge at only 12 grams. I've tested it, plus the lightest pale moon ebony bridge (12g) and a pine bridge with an ebony top (10g). The test guitar is my recently refinished Gallato which needed a new bridge anyway. The pine was not good - thin sound all round, slightly banjo. The antler was pretty good - quite a full sound and loud, quite trebly. The best of the three was the ebony which is staying on - as loud as the antler, but with a more refined, sweeter tone and strong trebles and mids. The antler could be good for a guitar that is a little on the dull side. It'll go on a guitar for sure - as much a statement and talking point as anything!

Excuse my ignorance on all this - this is the first time I've made bridges!

Buco · May 7

You're quite a craftsman, Jamie. I've had some wood blanks I intend to make a few bridges out of, for years. You put me to shame. I really need to give this a shot.

Wooden instruments absolutely go to sleep if they're not played. Even my daily player gypsy jazz guitar (and only one) turned it up to 11 after I got a guitar strumming dayjob. It's crazy how responsive it is now, and it wasn't a quiet guitar before.