Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Tracy Kennedy on May 14, 2010 at 3:33am

Wes, my first thought is that the smaller the bridge the more resonate potential of the top. The larger the bridge less potential is achieved. However if you are sending the string vibrations directly to the piezo disks under the bridge befor they make it to the soundboard more sound will be realizes and the sound board is a wash if it is amped. Just my .02. But this is just Redneck logic.

Are you boring shallow depressions in the bottom of the bridge to make room for the disks to sit between the top of the lid and the bridge? I ask cause I was considering doing the same thing and was tinkering with it last week. i thought I had a novel idea, but I reckon not.

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Permalink Reply by Wes "I'm Baaaaack" Yates on May 14, 2010 at 3:47am

Yeah, that was my logic too. I'm not putting the piezo on the outside under the bridge (too much PITA). under the lid on the inside which works out fine. Have been toying with the idea of in-bridge but nothing strikes me yet. That might be another test soon.

-WY

Tracy Kennedy said:

Wes, my first thought is that the smaller the bridge the more resonate potential of the top. The larger the bridge less potential is achieved. However if you are sending the string vibrations directly to the piezo disks under the bridge befor they make it to the soundboard more sound will be realizes and the sound board is a wash if it is amped. Just my .02. But this is just Redneck logic.

Are you boring shallow depressions in the bottom of the bridge to make room for the disks to sit between the top of the lid and the bridge? I ask cause I was considering doing the same thing and was tinkering with it last week. i thought I had a novel idea, but I reckon not.

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Permalink Reply by Roger Martin on May 14, 2010 at 4:18am

I used to build old style fretless banjo's.
The thinking at the time ( and still is as far as I know) is that a higher bridge= more volume.
At least on my pieces I found that to be true.So when I build a CBG now days, if I find it lacking on volume I'll add a piece of wood under the screw eye I use as bridges to boost volume a tick. It almost always works for me.
Do you guys use tricks to boost volume on already built but lacking Pieces?
One reason the thinking was higher=better is that it puts more pressure on the strings between the bridge and tailpiece = ing more volume.
I build almost all my pieces as acoustics to keep the cost down for my customers in THIS market.

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Permalink Reply by Wes "I'm Baaaaack" Yates on May 14, 2010 at 4:39am

I'll prolly toy around with that later. Thanks

-WY

Randy S. Bretz said:

Why don`t you chamber out under the saddle plate, you could use a fostner bit. Spread a thin layer of hot glue into the chamber push in the piezo and fill the rest of the hole with hot glue. Run the wire straight through the box under the plate. Since making my bone piezo bridges I will never go back to putting piezo`s in a box. There is no feedback whats so ever!

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Permalink Reply by jason fitzgibbons on May 14, 2010 at 4:48am

say wes, this is way off topic, but what is that brass thing that you are using for a jack plate?

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Permalink Reply by Wes "I'm Baaaaack" Yates on May 14, 2010 at 4:52am

Simple. A door pull from Lowes/HD. Its what would be on a sliding cabinet door or thin closet door. Look in the door hardware section and see if they don't have a bin for them near the drawer pulls and hinges.

They come in nickel (chrome?), brass, antique copper, pewter tone. ~$3 for 3 or 4, I think.

Link

-WY

jason fitzgibbons said:

say wes, this is way off topic, but what is that brass thing that you are using for a jack plate?

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Permalink Reply by Tracy Kennedy on May 14, 2010 at 5:05am

Randy, That is precisely what I have been working on myself in the past few weeks. .25x1.75x3 oak saddle and 5/16" allthread bridge.

Randy S. Bretz said:

Why don`t you chamber out under the saddle plate, you could use a fostner bit. Spread a thin layer of hot glue into the chamber push in the piezo and fill the rest of the hole with hot glue. Run the wire straight through the box under the plate. Since making my bone piezo bridges I will never go back to putting piezo`s in a box. There is no feedback whats so ever!

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Permalink Reply by Jim Mitchell on May 14, 2010 at 8:45am

Hey Wes and Roger, now you have me thinking. When I did this build I was going for that old pyramid bridge look this build did sound better and I was thinking the larger bridge produced more sound. Now I wonder if it is because this set up is also higher than what I had been doing in the past. (I also spent sometime thinning the top). This CBG has nice even tone no matter where you fret the note. The owner tells me that it is continuing to open up and sounding better all the time. I still think the larger bridge size does contribute.Good discussion thanks

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Permalink Reply by Tracy Kennedy on May 14, 2010 at 9:29am

Is it possible that the larger surface area of the bridge allows the otherwise small string vibrations resonate deeper and futher into the soundboard? Say ...like a childs footprint in the mud leaves a small impression (small bridge), likewise a mans footprint would leave a larger impression (large bridge) . Redneck logic

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Permalink Reply by Wes "I'm Baaaaack" Yates on May 14, 2010 at 9:53am

By Jove, I think we're on to something!

-WY

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Permalink Reply by Chester Winowiecki on May 14, 2010 at 1:44pm

Really great discussion, guys...and good information, too. Here's what I recall reading about bridges: A hard saddle is good because it won't dampen the vibration of the string and allow it so sound clearly. A light bridge is good because it won't absorb the vibrations and can transfer them quickly to the soundboard. A taller bridge means more downward string pressure and more vibrations going to the soundboard. This is all for acoustic instruments, electrics are somewhat different... you want a massive bridge and saddle that won't absorb any vibration and let all of the energy stay in the string where it can get picked up by the "pick-up".
Now I'm not sure where bridge size matters but the only thing I can think of is how loud a banjo is with it's tiny bridge compared to a guitars wide flat bridge. I want to say smaller is better if you can get away with it (that is, if you don't need to make it larger due to the huge pull and pressure of the strings being attached to it.) An archtop bridge is much smaller than a normal acoustics's.

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Permalink Reply by MichaelS Country Boy Guitars on May 14, 2010 at 5:04pm

My bridges are open in the middle like a banjo or violin type. I found that a wider set feet seemed to sound better on one that I changed the bridge on. The height was kept the same, and the feet are about the same size, just spaced further apart. This is an all acoustic cbg.

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