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| Question regarding bridges http://w-ww.luthiersforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10101&t=52333 |
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| Author: | billm [ Mon Sep 02, 2019 10:01 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Question regarding bridges |
Hey folks, What would you consider the minimum distance between the back of the saddle and the bridge pin holes? I've made a bridge out of piece of ebony; the saddle slotting went awry, so instead of scrapping it, I turned it upside down and started over, removing the spoiled area, just to see what it would lead to. In some areas it's a little short, and I ended up with the center of the pin holes ~8mm below the bottom of the saddle (the edge of the drill holes are a little over 6mm from the saddle, prior to reaming it out). Now I'm wondering if that's too little of a distance. Would appreciate inputs. Thanks! - Bill |
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| Author: | billm [ Mon Sep 02, 2019 10:12 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Question regarding bridges |
Posting a picture.. |
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| Author: | bftobin [ Mon Sep 02, 2019 10:32 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Question regarding bridges |
Looks good to me. |
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| Author: | Mark Mc [ Tue Sep 03, 2019 4:33 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Question regarding bridges |
That is no tighter than many that I have seen - especially if it is a smaller bodied guitar (but even if it isn’t it should be fine). A smaller and lighter bridge is a good thing in many ways, as long as it is long enough to overlap the arms of the X-braces, or whatever you have underneath there. |
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| Author: | Colin North [ Tue Sep 03, 2019 6:38 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Question regarding bridges |
Try to keep the reamer angled back to retain the maximum distance from the saddle, and don't ramp the string holes very much at all, just a small radius at the top to ease the bend in the strings. A higher break angle can put extra strain on the wood in front of the saddle. |
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| Author: | billm [ Tue Sep 03, 2019 12:41 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Question regarding bridges |
Thanks guys! I appreciate it. - Bill |
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| Author: | meddlingfool [ Tue Sep 03, 2019 12:43 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Question regarding bridges |
I think it's fine... |
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| Author: | phavriluk [ Thu Sep 05, 2019 10:54 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Question regarding bridges |
Looks really nice. I'd be happy to have it. |
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| Author: | billm [ Fri Sep 06, 2019 11:47 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Question regarding bridges |
Thanks guys! After some consideration (and finding I routed the saddle slot deeper than I intended - I think it was something like 2.4 mm left from bottom of slot to bottom of bridge) - I'm just going to start over. Which is fine. That said - the look of this bridge has started to appeal to me, it's going to inform what I do now. It was fun to experiment. Bought a DeWalt 611 with a plunge base that I hope will help address some of the ridiculous issues I've allowed to occur. |
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| Author: | phavriluk [ Fri Sep 06, 2019 4:14 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Question regarding bridges |
I don't understand how the saddle slot being deeper is cause to make a new bridge. I thought that a deep saddle slot just means less material is taken off the bottom of the saddle when it's mated to the guitar, part of the adjustment everybody makes. |
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| Author: | billm [ Fri Sep 06, 2019 6:50 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Question regarding bridges |
The references I have indicate you want 3mm / 1/8" of bridge material between the saddle and the top. My read of this is that less would perhaps be unsound. Though I haven't seen that stated explicitly. Is that a wrong takeaway? Perhaps a better answer would be, I was targeting 3 mm and would like to refine my process to be precise and predictable, so I'll do it again. |
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| Author: | bftobin [ Sat Sep 07, 2019 6:54 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Question regarding bridges |
I've got an early '70's Guild D-55 that I bought new and the saddle goes right through to the top. There have been a number of guitars built that way. |
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| Author: | Mark Mc [ Sun Sep 08, 2019 2:15 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Question regarding bridges |
Having a deep saddle slot is really not a problem, and certainly not a reason to discard an otherwise good bridge. You can even shim the bottom of the saddle (ebony is good) if you need it to sit higher. |
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| Author: | billm [ Sun Sep 08, 2019 11:37 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Question regarding bridges |
Thanks guys, that is helpful. |
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| Author: | Clay S. [ Sun Sep 08, 2019 12:19 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Question regarding bridges |
I think it's good to have some wood below the saddle, but I think you're O.K. with 1/10th of an inch. Although some guitars may have the slot cut through to the soundboard I think that is a bad idea. The spruce top is much softer than the ebony or rosewood of the bridge and I think more likely to be compressed by the pressure of the strings (but I could be wrong). |
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