Official Luthiers Forum!

I'm hesitantly thinking of making a ziricote bridge. Given that, IME, ziricote has been CA's best friend I am afraid the bridge would have the potential of cracking along the saddle slot or pins line.
Anybody tried it as a bridge material, what are your thoughts on it?

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Laurent Brondel
West Paris, Maine - USA
http://www.laurentbrondel.com/

Bill Moll has used it on some or made up some when I was there.to my knowledge there were no issues. His bridges are just a little larger than some and to me almost gothic looking. Very cool bridge. I know he was able to get some really nice boards and he doesn't waste a board inch of anything.

I made one a couple years ago and it has been problem free through a couple of extreme winter and summer swings. I wouldn't hesitate to make another.

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Burton
http://www.legeytinstruments.com
Brookline, MA.

Laurent,

I am in the same boat as you!
I purchased an amazing ziricote blank from Steve at Colonial and dropped it off to Bob at St.Lutherie when he did his run of pyramid bridges. The look is very nice as it matches the landscaped fretboard on my current project.
As for structural performance...Hopefully, I'll be as happy in a couple months as I am now.

Hope all is well in Maine, I'm just a wee bit north of you on the border in New Brunswick.

Ray

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Guitar Building = Continuous Improvement Process

Laurent,
I've used Ziricote only once as a bridge. (It was part of a matched set...the rest of the plank was used for the fretboard.)
This was over 10 years ago, and zero problems out of that guitar.
I would not hesitate to use again if a customer requested.

Steve

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From Nacogdoches...the oldest town in Texas.

http://www.stephenkinnaird.com

I stock them and i have no compliants from people using them.

it has all the caracteristics of a great bridge materiel so go for it.
as far as cracking is concerned i dont think it will be an issue with the thicker stock you need for bridge just make sure you have no cracks or checks to start with.

also you could put your bridge pins in a curve if your worried in anyway about the wood cracking with the line of the bridge pins

Joel.

Thanks to all for the feedback, I haven't made my mind yet but am more tempted.

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Laurent Brondel
West Paris, Maine - USA
http://www.laurentbrondel.com/

Yeah the blanks I cut have a really nice ring and are lighter than ebony. Besides it's gorgeous wood.

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Laurent Brondel
West Paris, Maine - USA
http://www.laurentbrondel.com/