Wood Bridge

[low end fuzz]

I dont really have any questions persay; but has anyone tried this?

or seen like a carl thompson up close?

im gonna experiment anyway; im trying to remove as much metal and plastic from my basses as possible;

im kinda thinkin of shaping it based on an upright bass' bridge, with a 'string thru' feed .

but the few things i'm wondering is,

should i make sort of a point at the top of the bridge, where the the strings lay on? or

should i make a saddle sitting in a bridge like an acoustic?

or would having any size top and just have the edge being my "intonation' (kinda intonated)

i think the saddle idea would make the string height easier to control, but i know id be dissapointed with the look;

any experiences/thoughts/questions of your own; would be awsome

i cant find anything on this topic anywhere!

is it that crazy??

i dont think so

thank you

[Cerb]

I believe there has been a couple of posts regarding this over at talkbass.com in the Luthiers section. I know that Cliff Bordwell of CB Basses has made beautiful adjustable wooden bridges for some of his basses, so you may want to email him. Just google for his site and you can probably find an email address. I played with the idea of making one for the fretless I just finished, but didn't. I may still make one and replace the current one (an awesome ETS bridge).

[erikbojerik]

I'd try to figure out some kind of tailpiece arrangement recessed into the bottom edge of the bass where you can adjust and anchor the string spacing. Then you can try out many different ideas for wood bridges which just rest on top of the body (like an archtop bridge does).

[low end fuzz]

would i really need a tailpiece?

the effect should be obtained from feeding the the strings through the back and up over the bridge?

there would be approx 2 inches between them (kinda like a tun-a-matic)

im not looking for it to be adjustable; or individual saddles or anything, kinda exactly like an everyday acoustic bridge;

but i was also wondering about grounding;

if the bridge is not metal i cant ground it; but will the strings/machine heads make hum?

maybe some metal bushings/plate in the back holding the strings that i can ground?

or does no metal bridge elinate the extra hum floatin around?

thanx; i'll check that site you mentioned, but i dont think its what im after

[Cerb]

Grounding the bridge is an unnecessay practice, anyways. As long as the cavity is shielded along with your pickups, and as long as it is done well, you will have little to no hum.

[low end fuzz]

i dont know how you can say that; i always sheild my cavities; and as far as i know theyre done well;

and ive caught myself a few times with a buzzing that i freak out to find until i remember my hardware to be wired.

but i like the idea of nobody bashing not grounding the bridge!

[De Trepagny]

Hi low end fuzz, I made my own wood bridge for my mahogany fretless. rosewood bridge String through body with individual saddle all made from rose wood, so i can intonate every string proprely. I did not have any machanism to adjust the height or the intonation. I simply move the wood saddle to adjust the intonation and the string tension keep it in place just like a violin. For string height, i took a fine rasp and sand the bottom of the saddle. nothing had moved and i play this bass for 2 month. The bass sound realy natural but dont exepct a snappy fretless sound à la Jaco, it will sound much more like a cello. My string are grounded by a brass plate insert in the back of the body. brass insert I dont think the brass plate affect the sound, anyway you have to make a strong achnor to keep the string tension. And making your own bridge cut the hardware price!

I hope this will help and good luck!

Philippe

Edited July 5, 2006 by De Trepagny

[low end fuzz]

that looks like a beutiful instrument;

thanks for the pics;

do you have a closer photo?

is your saddles running along a set screw or something?

thanx again

[xtjdx]

I thought that grounding was really more of a safety precaution. I once played through a guitar that wasn't grounded, in a poorly wired room, and got zapped by my amp a couple of times. Decided to ground it and it never happened again. I'd go with a metal retainer ferrule-type thing for the back and ground it from there.

Anyway, this looks like a really cool idea and has inspired me to start working on a wooden bridge design for my next guitar build. I hope this works out for you!

[erikbojerik]

De Trepagny's bridge is exactly what I was thinking, you intonate simply by sliding the saddle a little bit and string pressure keeps it in place.

If you have a string spacing that absolutely works for you, then go with it. As for me, I never actually realized that a wider string spacing at the bridge made it easier for me, until I tried it.

Grounding is both a safety and sonic issue. Unless you're using a piezo only, all the strings need to be grounded. Use a metal nut or metal tailpiece anchor common to all strings, and ground your electronics to that.

[De Trepagny]

do you have a closer photo?

is your saddles running along a set screw or something?

thanx again

I will take closer pics by the end of the week and will post them on photobucket. No set screw, no spring loaded screw, just wood

Philippe

[De Trepagny]

Pics posted!

It's a proto, next one will be more sofisticated, but still wood on wood! You can notice the wood shim under the saddle, it's ugly but it's R&D !

Philippe

Edited July 10, 2006 by De Trepagny

[Ben]

Nice design- relatively simple and looks to do its job well.

The only shortcoming that I can see is the lack of adjustable string height. That and you might lose one of the saddles if you break a string!

I always like the look of wood hardware too.

[De Trepagny]

That and you might lose one of the saddles if you break a string!

I always like the look of wood hardware too.

breaking a string... on a fretless bass?

I never broke a bass string, but it's a good idea to find a way to keep the saddle locked on the bridge

Philippe