Forums

Bridge contact with body - advice needed

Posted by Jonesy on February 27, 2013 at 4:52am in Building Secrets, Tips, Advice, Discussion

I am making a Cigar Box Ukulele with a nice solid cigar box I found in a car boot sale. A previous owner has routed what are presumably someone's initials in the lid. I don't particularly mind this innovation from a previous owner, but it transpires that the bridge for this instrument will be over the carved initials. I am mindful that the job of the bridge is to transfer as much sound as possible from the strings via surface contact.

I am planning to find a small sheet of brass, and then chisel out the initials and set the brass plate into the recess (chose brass to match the brass hinges I fitted). Does anyone see any problem with this?

Will this affect the sound quality in a negative way? Or can anyone suggest a different solution? The box lid is approximately 1/4" thick and is solid wood. Any comments happily received. Photo attached for your perusal.

Jonesy

You need to be a member of Cigar Box Nation to add comments!

Join Cigar Box Nation

Email me when people reply –

Replies

Bluesheart February 28, 2013 at 10:30am

You could just use a hardwood plate to cover them and a brass rod or something on that for the strings to cross. That is if you want to cover up the initials.
- Jonesy > Bluesheart March 1, 2013 at 6:48pm
  
  I'm not overly bothered about the initials. When I started out making this I thought I would like it to look good, and I wished I had a band saw to make the neck, and a belt sander, but I started to think that when people made these years ago, none of those tools were probably available to them, so I decided to make it with what I had, and see what I end up with. It's my first build, and I am already thinking how I would do various bits differently or better for the next one I make.
  
  I am pleased with the way it's going, just a bit uncertain about acoustic properties that might or might not happen :) It's great being able to get advice though, I went to the butchers today and bought some bones, and I am going to make a bone nut with those (again, with only hand tools). I can see how this can become obsessive :)
  - Thomas "Duck" Petry > Jonesy March 2, 2013 at 1:13am
    
    It's not obsessive. You can quit any time you want. You just won't want to. :)>
    - Ron "Oily" Sprague > Thomas "Duck" Petry March 2, 2013 at 11:06am
      
      Yep. And we'll be here to catch you when you fall >:-E
      - Jonesy > Ron "Oily" Sprague March 6, 2013 at 4:19pm
        
        Turns out the bridge I was intending to use made the string action too high. Used a metal bolt instead, and it worked fine. Piccy attached, along with a photo of a tail piece I made. The strings are attached to individual wooden beads on the inside of the Ukulele. Just need to do the wiring next.
Randy S. Bretz February 27, 2013 at 11:11pm

something like this would work
- Ron "Oily" Sprague > Randy S. Bretz February 27, 2013 at 11:18pm
  
  That's what I'm talkin' 'bout! And the cupboard door handle is the same idea ( which would also make a kewl tailpiece)...
  - Jonesy > Ron "Oily" Sprague February 28, 2013 at 3:29am
    
    I think we have a winner. I remembered I had this old tenor banjo bridge knocking around in my tin of 5 string banjo bridges. Some cool ideas here though, I will use them on future projects. Thanks for the help/advice everyone.
    - Ron "Oily" Sprague > Jonesy February 28, 2013 at 6:01am
      
      That's lookin' great, good solution.
  - Peter Greed > Ron "Oily" Sprague February 27, 2013 at 11:36pm
    
    I have seen one of these as a tailpiece.