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I don't understand this bridge


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The bridge on my hollow body project, http://projectguitar.ibforums.com/index.ph...?showtopic=3640 is confusing. Is it even a bridge, or do I need to get a bridge? There is no screw holes or anything where a bridge went. That's why I don't know if it there was a seperate bridge. It has a spot for the flat whammy bar, but there is no spring. Is it supposed to have a spring, or does the string tension pull it back up where it's supposed to be? All I want to know is what else I need to make the crapper playable.

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Yeah, it looks like you had a whammy tailpiece on there.

I don't know about replacement parts, maybe someone else does.

That's not a genuine Bigsby on there, some import version probably...

You basically need a trapeeze tailpiece and a floating bridge, any decent on-line guitar parts store should carry them.

You could use the existing tailpiece you have, it just won't whammy mammy for you, it'll just act as a stop-tailpiece, then you'd just need the floating bridge.

And yes, the bridge does not get glued down. You (how do they say on that TV rotisserie show?) 'set it and forget it'!

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Howdy,

On most archtops, the bridge is a "floating" bridge. That means that it is not attached to the body, but is held there by string tension. The exception would be guitars like the ES-135 from Gibson that have a Chromyte (balsa wood) center piece where the TOM can be attached.

And the piece in the pic is Trapeze style tailpiece. Whether or not it has some sort of vibrato capability I can not tell. :D

Good luck,

Guitar Ed

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Ed, I think it was a whammy mammy because it looks like the endpiece where the strings go thru is on a rotating spindle type of setup w/ bearing, like a Bigsby would have if it had the arm attached to it, and I think that's the arm for the whammy lying there.

My opinion, it has whammied it's last mammy if you want a nice instrument that will stay in tune for you.

Even if you did get the whammy fixed by finding a spring, those thing go out of tune just by cussing at it, or looking at it the wrong way (cross-eyed mary syndrome)

So, for you to have an instrument that will stay 'somewhat' in tune for you to play and enjoy, no whammy fo' that mammy no mo'. ...Your call tho.

Just use the tailpiece you have, the string ball-ends go thru the holes on that shaft, and you will need to buy a floating bridge for it and that's all you need.

Put bluntly: ---You Need A Floating Bridge and That's It. :D---

Just go to ANY big guitar store online and find the 'bridges' section, and look for the ones for hollowbody or archtop guitars. It easy, should take you less than 15 minutes to come up with several.

The whammy 'can' be made to work, don't get me wrong, but those types of whammy systems are kinda high-maintenance if you want it to stay in tune.

See, I secretly know that you're gonna fix that whammy and make it mammy agin. I just know these things!

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