12 Step plan for making a Gitane D250M sing...

Josh Hegg

Ok I know what you mean now. I have a sanding unit set up with the drum that is the right diameter. I used to do it with a chisel but broke way to many bridges that way. Plus it takes too darn long. I cut all my blank to rough size with my band saw and then take them down with my sanding unit and then do finish work with files and 200 grit sand paper. Then I take them to my buffer and buff them with wax. If I want to get really into it I'll finish them by an old technique call "boning" ( I know sounds gross) You do this by taking a nice smooth piece of bone and rubbing the piece with the grain. This makes the thing shine as well as giving it a really nice hard finish. It looks like it has been lacquered or polished. I don't do that very often any more because if there is any work that needs to be done after you get it on the guitar you can really tell where the bridge has been reworked.

I have the same plans you have and will be starting a guitar soon. Are you using a book as reference? If so which one? Are you sticking to the old plans or are you going to mod i.e. truss rod, bracing, etc.

Would really like to talk shop with you some time. I have made other instruments but never a Selmer style guitar.

Cheers

Craig Bumgarner

Josh:

Thanks for the reply. I like the sander idea for shaping, I have one that would work pretty well at work.

I'll send you an email on the rest shortly.

Craig

Bob Holo

Quick question for you gents...

Do the selmer plans call for a bridge that goes from concave to convex on the long sides?

What I made was convex along both long sides, but that convex "tent-like" structure ran at an angle to the bridge base to give the compensation for string length between bass/treble strings. HOwever, it was convex all along the path. (I switched my avatar to the picture of the end of my bridge as I haven't yet figured out how to post pics.)

Another way to make the hollow in the bridge is to put a small thin-kerf saw blade on your table saw -- block the bridge over the opening (definitely not a handhold operation) and bring the blade up into the underside of the bridge at a slight angle. then stop the saw, reverse the bridge blank and bring the blade up into the underside of the bridge again to cut the other side of the hollow. then you just clean out what's left with a sharp hand gouge.

Jack

Bob Holo wrote:

Quick question for you gents...

Do the selmer plans call for a bridge that goes from concave to convex on the long sides?

What I made was convex along both long sides, but that convex "tent-like" structure ran at an angle to the bridge base to give the compensation for string length between bass/treble strings. HOwever, it was convex all along the path. (I switched my avatar to the picture of the end of my bridge as I haven't yet figured out how to post pics.)

Man, I don't know where you guys find time to practice! I thought I'd chime in about my Collins bridge-to the naked eye it seems concave all the way down each long face right until it reaches the base, where it goes convex just a touch as it curves to the base. From your avatar pic, it looks like yours is concave too, not convex as you said above. No?

Also, the Collins runs at an angle as well, so that the low E hits the bridge at (again, this is just eyeballed) about 1/8'' closer to the tailpiece than the high E.

Hope that helps,
Jack.

Cynekul

I emailed Michael Collins about a new bridge and he never emailed me back. :? Can someone post a website to buy a Dupont brdige?

~Paul V.

pallopenna

Michael's usually very responsive. He might be away, or perhaps the email got lost in the ether. Try him again, or try calling him.

In any event, you can order the Dupont bridges from Jacques at gypsyguitars.com

Cynekul

ok, I measured the bridge on my Gitane and its apporx. 14.5mm high and there's approx. 2.5 mm between the top of the 12th fret and the 6th string. Which Dunlop bridge should I get as far as height goes? I probably want to raise the action to approx. 4mm between the 12th fret and the 6th string.

Josh Hegg

You want a #2 Dupont bridge. IF you want to really jack it up go with a #3 but that will be really high. I just did a #2 on a Gitane for a friend and it was really nice when we got done.

Cheers

Cynekul

Excellent, thanks for the help.