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Here's a new hardtail bridge design. The basic idea is to use aluminum for weight reduction but have the string lay over a hardened steel pin...which won't wear with age. Also, the saddle design uses nothing but string tension to apply leverage to all parts...eliminating any potential to rattle.

I strung this one up for the first time today...works as designed.

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I read Emerson on the can. A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds...true...but a consistent reading of Emerson has its uses nevertheless.

StuMusic

Clever. I like it.

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"Act your age, not your shoe size" - Prince

Very nice precise work.
If this was on the market and moderately priced, I'd buy one.

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wah
Wah-wah-wah-wah
Wah

You designed and built this bridge yourself?

cool. are you worried that the super-hard steel height adjust screws will tear the heck out of the bridge's bed? i know they tear chrome plating up after a bit

what i'd like to see attempted is an acoustic bridge- the density of aluminum is about 3 times higher than ebony(i just looked it up, 2.7g/cm3), but with a CNC you could mill it/"honeycomb" it, etc, and probably get it down to being as light as an ebony bridge. dunno how you'd attach it to a spruce top though

doppelpost

Yes...it's loosely based on my previous design. Those steel pins are the biggest improvement. After about 200 playing hours on some fully aluminum saddles they mushed out ever so slightly on two out of six strings. These pins will never wear.

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I read Emerson on the can. A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds...true...but a consistent reading of Emerson has its uses nevertheless.

StuMusic

Thank you.

What do you consider a moderate price?

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I read Emerson on the can. A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds...true...but a consistent reading of Emerson has its uses nevertheless.

StuMusic

Really nice. You do have a great sense of design aesthetics. It's clean, precise, and I'm guessing works great.

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"I want to know what kind of pickups Vince Gill uses in his Tele, because if I had those, as good of a player as I am, I'm sure I could make it sound like that.
Only badly."

Yes...a little. But a fully tuned set of light strings only pulls about 35 pounds a string. Even with the leverage it doesn't tear it up too much. It basically marred the surface on the old design a little bit...and I'll live with it since it's covered by the saddle. If it was a problem I could get it plated with an electroless nickle process...and that would certainly deal with it.

The pin concept allows for a different kind of bridge though...kind of like you'd see on a PRS P-22...if that helps. I have that design finished as well. It eliminates the allen screw height adjustment entirely.

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I read Emerson on the can. A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds...true...but a consistent reading of Emerson has its uses nevertheless.

StuMusic

Thanks!

Yes...it's working well.

But it's funny you should mention 'clean' because I did spend quite a bit of time on the next design after this one trying to clean up the look of it...lol.

The pickup rings adjust up and down in the cavities. The next bridge will similarly adjust up and down in it's own cavity. It will be artistically similar in shape to the pickup rings.

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I read Emerson on the can. A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds...true...but a consistent reading of Emerson has its uses nevertheless.

StuMusic

Do you have some sort of CNC equipment and or software that you designed and cut it with? Or do you make them all with handheld routers, sanders, files, drill press and so forth?

It's all done on production level cnc equipment and software. I used to own a business and had several Haas mills. I sold that business and moved two of the machines to my home where I now make guitars.

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I read Emerson on the can. A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds...true...but a consistent reading of Emerson has its uses nevertheless.

StuMusic

Beautiful as always......

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Brian

You never know what you are capable of until you actually try.

https://www.howardguitarsdelaware.com/

Hi Stuart, on my hobby budget I'd pay $50-$100 for a bridge.
If I made high quality guitars, I'd pay more to obtain the best bridge.
Your bridge appears to fit the "best" category.

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wah
Wah-wah-wah-wah
Wah

Absolutely beautiful. When will you start selling them and how much?

Very cool. I especially like the countersunk intonation screws.. The proportions and execution are great. The look really hangs together.

Hehe...if I never sell any more whole guitars I suppose I'll have to consider selling parts...but I'm sad thinking that.

I've only really considered these for my own guitars.

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I read Emerson on the can. A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds...true...but a consistent reading of Emerson has its uses nevertheless.

StuMusic

Hey Stu,

Are there any issues with dissimilar metals - steel against aluminum? Will sweat be an issue too?

Besides those concerns, looks fantastic but I think you are a little cruel not offering to sell them (read, give them away) to us.

Kevin Looker

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I'm not a luthier.
I'm just a guy who builds guitars in his basement.
It's better than playing golf.

You can get galvanic corrosion between certain metals...in the presence of some kind of electrolyte. No...I don't expect any issue though. 6061 Aluminum and 17-4 stainless are pretty compatible generally and there would have to be a lot of moisture present between them.

I doubt sweat will do anything to it...but it's an option to plate these with nickle if it does.

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I read Emerson on the can. A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds...true...but a consistent reading of Emerson has its uses nevertheless.

StuMusic

I'd be looking to pay a minimum of $150 for a bridge like that. Then factor in limited runs, maybe $200. It really is very nice work. I'd consider hard tails more often personally but I tend to rest my hand on the bridge and the height adjust screws are a discomfort. Perhaps a through body design someday?


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Cool design. I'm sure try are light as a feather made from aluminum. Wear is the only issue I can see with it but your hardened pins should take most of that out of the equation. Now you just need a marketing strategy