Another bridge question.

Digger

What's the thinking/reason for the channel chiseled out in the base of the bridge? Does it do anything to the sound?

Thanks.

Craig Bumgarner

Relieving the underside lightens the bridge which increases its response. In general, the effort is to make the bridge as light as possible while retaining its sound transmission properties and structural integrity. So hard wood is used for sound transmission and then lightened up to the minimum to support the strings structurally. As Scot's recent experimental bridge pictures posted here show, we still have a long way to go before reaching the limit.

Craig

scot

To answer earlier questions about the sound changes my lightweight bridge made, I think it aired out the sound a bit. The overall character of the guitar did not change, but there is more "ring" to the tone, and the guitar is slightly louder and projects better. The tone is less dark but still strong. I play as far away from the bridge as I can because I like the kind of tone you get at the top of the soundhole - lightening up the timbre was exactly what I wanted. That's why I call this bridge a success.

The shape of this Selmer bridge is pretty busy and complex, and there is a lot of room to experiment with it. I will get started on the next even lighter bridge next week. I'll try rosewood this time.

Josh Hegg

Hey all... Don't forget that the bridge, being made of wood, changes over time with playing. They "open up" sort of like a top plate. So if you are building and you tune it supper light and it sounds great and then a six months later your guitar sounds dead or there is a change try re working another bridge. I have found that the maturing of the bridge effects the tone of the guitar very much. Some times for the better and some times for the worse.


Cheers,
Josh

Ken Bloom

Josh,

I have one very noticeable wolf note on my guitar. It's the C. On the second string first fret it's not so bad,but the note on any of the wound strings sounds noticeably dead. Could removing some mass from the bridge help this situation? The guitar has been strung for about two months. This began to occur after being played for about a month.

Ken

Josh Hegg

Ken,

Will you email me at <!-- e --><a href="mailto:josh@djangobooks.com">josh@djangobooks.com</a><!-- e --> so we can talk about this issue? I don't want to turn this "bridge" discussion on to another trail.

But where the bridge is concerned I don't think the bridge would be causing the issue. I need to know what kind of guitar it is as well as a hand full of other questions to start narrowing down the possibilities.


Cheers,
Josh

Ken Bloom

Thanks Josh. I'll do just that.

Ken

Digger

Thanks for the replies, chaps.

phil_g

Ken, try changing your strings first before you chop the bridge. Cheers, Phil

Ken Bloom

Hi Phil,

Thanks for the suggestion but I have been through three sets of strings with the same result. Doing another bridge or moditying this one is no big deal. I made the guitar, I can make another bridge.

Ken