Official Luthiers Forum!

So Martin produces their bridges like everyone else of that scale with CNC and such and then that bridge is glued onto a domed top.

When we make our bridges our saddle slots are milled to be flat and not incorporate the desired dome of the top.

StewMac even makes a tool to flatten a saddle slot bottom.

When the bridge is glued to the instrument it flattens the top to some degree where the bridge is (bridge is a brace too) but it also takes on some of the dome of the top especially over time.

With this said is the saddle slot still flat.....

Not in my experience.

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

The answer is: maybe

What Chris said - no.

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

I was taught to tape a piece of sandpaper to the top and sand the bridge to match the radius. That would exert no bending effect on the top plate when glued on. Of course the bottom of the saddle slot is perfectly flat.

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Brad Hall
Mystic Dawg Guitars

That actually makes the strongest case for radiusing the bottom of the bridge to the top.

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Measure Twice,

Karl Borum

I think most everyone is radiusing the bottom of the bridge to match the dome of the top, whether to design or to actual dome. I think to design makes more sense.

So, the "over time" part is what I think is being discussed and yes that would make sense that if the whole bridge took on more of a radius over time then the slot would also. Who was it that said wood is plastic?

Pat

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Pat

I heard it from Dave Collins, he told us wood is rubber and metal is plastic IIRC.

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"