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I looked through the archives, but couldn't find any specific information on this. This afternoon, I'm going to run a bunch of maple for bridge plates. What is an appropriate thickness for these? Do you guys vary the thickness for different models, or just use one thickness across for all? What are the trade-offs between thicker and thinner?

Looking forward to hearing people's opinions/experiences.

Regards,

Mark

Mark Tripp38699.4141319444

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Pullman, WA

The more I know, the more I know I don't know.

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I use .090 thick rift sawn maple plates, unless I want the guitar to have a little mor epunch and sparkle I used a rsoewood plate.

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John Mayes
http://www.mayesluthier.com

I use 2.0mm (.080")Maple, but I then laminate 1.5mm of bone where the pins are going to go through, and the strings fit. Kind of like Stew Macs little brass plate but in bone.

Bone nut, bone saddle, bone pins, bone plate, sort of makes a nice continuity.

ColinColin S38699.5122916667

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I don't believe in anything, I simply make use of a set of reasonable working hypotheses.

Colin,

How does that affect the tone?

[QUOTE=Colin S] I use 2.0mm (.080")Maple, but I then laminate 1.5mm of bone where the pins are going to go through, and the strings fit. Kind of like Stew Macs little brass plate but in bone.

Bone nut, bone saddle, bone pins, bone plate, sort of makes a nice continuity.

Colin[/QUOTE]

Colin this is just a rib and grin related to another post so please laugh

2.0 mm =.078740"

Yeah Michael but I am dealing with Luthiers here!

Colin

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I don't believe in anything, I simply make use of a set of reasonable working hypotheses.

I knew but I could not resist

[QUOTE=Terry Stowell] Colin,

How does that affect the tone?[/QUOTE]

Tone is a very difficult thing to judge subjectively, but I believe that it gives additional brightness and possibly sustain. I did it first as a retrofit on an old fender, because of a shot bridge plate, just using some double sided tape and pre-drilling the holes. I liked the sound so have done it on my builds since. If you want to try it just cut a plate, pre-drill it and use the strings to hold it in place. Nothing lost but a bit of bone.

Colin

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I don't believe in anything, I simply make use of a set of reasonable working hypotheses.

The plate bone is connected to the pin bone, the pin bone's connected to the saddle bone, the saddle bone's connected to the etc..


Ron

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OLD MAN formerly (and formally) known as:

Ron Wisdom

Somewhere in the middle of Arkansas......

Ron, you are as sharp as a tack. I love your humor!

[QUOTE=Terry Stowell] Colin,

How does that affect the tone?[/QUOTE]

Here is another I cant pass up

short story

I had a prospective client that I worked with on a quote for near 4 weeks trying to nail down what he wanted. We changed back side and top woods on the quote at least 4 times. finally he settled on IRW with bear clawed Sitka, then called me back two weeks after I had joined the back to the rim and asked me.

"If I change the back wood to Curly Koa, how will that affect the tone?"

I answered in a very pleasant voice

"It will make it sound three time more expensive"

HAHA! Now that is a classic answer

Thanks, Doug.

That's a great answer Michael.

Ron

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OLD MAN formerly (and formally) known as:

Ron Wisdom

Somewhere in the middle of Arkansas......

I love it ... my tag line on MIMF I stole off American Chopper the other week (gotta love a family business). The long haired son has an OCC shirt on, and on the back its says "its not impossible, it just costs more ".

Definitely food for thought.

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Tony Karol
www.karol-guitars.com
"let my passion .. fulfill yours"

Odd ball of the bunch - .070" Maple, Osage or Braz.

After thinking about Colin's bone lamination I wonder how Ivory piano keys would sound laminated to the plate?

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tim...
http://www.mcknightguitars.com

I use African blackwood, 2 mm around the area where the string balls rest, tapered to nothing in south direction. I got the idea from Alan Carruth, the idea is (I think!) to get a smoother transition between the very stiff bridge / bridge plate combo to the soundboard. Alan uses a fairly large bridge plate that spreads the transition over a larger area, mine is smaller.

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Rian Gitar og Mandolin

So how about some pictures of these laminates?

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