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What random stuff have you used for a bridge?

Working on a dog bowl resonator at the moment and am struggling to find a suitable bridge. A couple of hardware store trips and looks around the fixings, drawer handles, plumbing sections have turned up nothing. In the past I've used bolts, hardwood, corner braces, but need to attach this differently. I'm not looking for advice so much but just wondering: what random, weird, interesting stuff have you used for a bridge?

Thanks!

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Permalink Reply by Blues Frog on November 7, 2022 at 10:59am

Muddy,

Probably the most random piece I ever used for a bridge was an old door latch. It worked great. I have also used bolts and made my own bridges with plastic rod on wood. Also made several with bone pieces. One was even cast in resin.

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Permalink Reply by Taffy Evans on November 10, 2022 at 11:08am

Hi Muddystone, my bridges are not "out there" so to speak, I look for what is going to give me the best sound. But if my build is fully electric It's not so important.

I use wood/ bone combinations for acoustic CBGs and for electric CBGs any metal object that can be fashioned into a bridge. The wrap-over bridge on the right would be unsuitable for an acoustic guitar in both material and position.

I know you're not looking for advice...but, check out all the many photos posted here, I recon your request may have already been posted. Good luck.
Taff

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Permalink Reply by Carl Floyd on November 12, 2022 at 3:23am

My wraparound bridge CBG has good volume & resonance. Surprised me.

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Permalink Reply by Doug Laffin on December 8, 2022 at 6:11pm

I'm using a lamb shank bone on my current build.

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Permalink Reply by Jerry Jordan on December 9, 2022 at 1:22am

I like dominos, plastic chopsticks, Walnut wedges, Bamboo chopsticks, fretwire, coat hanger wire, all-thread, bolts, bone, and other random stuff. The arm off a pair of cheap glasses works well. Plastic tooth brush handles.,

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Permalink Reply by Muddytone on December 12, 2022 at 12:50am

Some magnificent guitars (/decor/finishes/lightning f-holes) and tremendous ideas here. I'm blown away by the domino suggestion - they'd make good nuts too, and I bet I could get a nice bone set a lot cheaper than a 4" piece sold for guitar work. Looking at lambs a little differently too now ...

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Permalink Reply by Greg Brown on January 6, 2023 at 1:02pm

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Permalink Reply by Paul Craig on February 1, 2023 at 12:17pm

Most unusual thing I did was make a rollor bidge out of a bolt and some nuts. The nuts are glued to the top and the bolt is threaded through the nuts. The bolt will roll freely in the threads when the tremolo is used.
The tremolo was made out of a heavy duty fence hinge, A tremolo arm and spring claw from a Strat guitar.
The rollor bridge works great. The tremolo never returned to pitch and I replaced it with a tremolo that Gitty sells.

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Permalink Reply by John B Treutlein on February 18, 2023 at 5:26pm

I used bone and scrap hardwood scraps,horn ,antler and rawhide all are possibilities that I have used in my otherhobbys .

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Permalink Reply by Michael Fred Johnson on February 24, 2023 at 9:12am

Two 4mm thumb screws + nuts, two domed nuts plus abit of folded stainless sheet. Works well on dog bowl guitars

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Permalink Reply by bradley J Shannon on February 27, 2023 at 10:56am

I built a couple with bone pieces and wood but the height and look was off. I settled on a .38 special brass casing on a grooved flat piece of wood. It just sounds better and the string height and action are perfect.