barrymclark Posted June 9, 2014 Posted June 9, 2014 Ok, so I had my Eagle up for sale for a bit and as a deal was about to be reached, the bridge collapsed under the pressure of the strings. Not sure if that bridge was a factory original. It had feet. Anyways... I was going to have a friend make a new one but when rummaging around in my parts bag (literally a duffle bag full of parts for guitars) for something completely unrelated, I came across a number of bridge bases I got when I was building the Gretsch back up. They had varying post widths and wood types. I had completely forgotten about those. One of those happened to be a rosewood base with feet! Even better, the posts were the same width! I thought 'd have to do some sanding to get it to sit right on the Eagle top, but actually sits pretty good. There is a sliver of daylight between the body and feet... but I stuck it on there anyways. Sounds good enough for me! I am really happy this turned out to be a very, very low cost fix.
MartyGrass Posted June 9, 2014 Posted June 9, 2014 That's good to hear. The party line for archtops is that the base should be in full contact with the top. Where that notion came from is unclear, but it seems to date way back to the earliest of archtops, about 100 years ago. These guitars evolved from flattops, which of course have full top contact from the bridge. Archtops originally had high actions because they were strummed hard and load. It was easier and cheaper to make adjustable bridges to accomodate different string guages and playing styles. A floating bridge allowed better adjustment of intonation. But why most of the bridges on high end archtops had flat bases is a mystery. Consider that almost all of the conducted vibratory energy is funnelled through two thin posts prior to reaching the base. So how could a base with feet diminish the overall sound of the guitar compared to a flat base? Most luthiers build what they think will sell. But there are some who build what they think is best. Of this latter group, quite a few make bases with feet. They claim that the lower bridge mass better transmits energy to the top. Indeed, the finest stringed instruments of the world seem to agree. For example, here's a Stradivarius (NOS from 1690s). Sometimes Heritage put footed bridges on their Golden Eagles and other archtops in the last few years. When Ren was asked why the cheaper bridge he responded that they seem to work fine. And I think he's right. The other viewpoint is that some don't like the look of the footed bridges. The ones without feet may be more durable (see OP). And the broader base may transmit string vibration better. One thing is certain. The bases with feet are cheaper and easier to fit. That makes a difference to a hack like me who is always tweaking my archtops.
barrymclark Posted June 9, 2014 Author Posted June 9, 2014 I am very happy so far. I didn't even change the strings! haha. I just slacked them to move them out of the way and then popped them on. Had the nut filed a little bit and the action is really impressive now. Nice and low. Neck is nice and flat.
randy2270 Posted June 11, 2014 Posted June 11, 2014 I am always skeptical about that because most of the sound from the strings goes into the top of the guitar, not necessarily the bridge.
MartyGrass Posted June 11, 2014 Posted June 11, 2014 I am always skeptical about that because most of the sound from the strings goes into the top of the guitar, not necessarily the bridge. Small hijack: Do you mean the sound goes to the top via the adjacent air or the neck or something else?
bolero Posted June 11, 2014 Posted June 11, 2014 it is intriguing to think about you'd think a smaller footprint would result in less energy transmission however if you've ever been stepped on by a pair of high heeled shoes, you will be aware that the smaller footprint actually increases the force ( is that the correct term? ) so maybe having the 2 smaller feet increases the transmission I'm sure someone out there has done tests? all I can do is speculate
randy2270 Posted June 12, 2014 Posted June 12, 2014 Small hijack: Do you mean the sound goes to the top via the adjacent air or the neck or something else? I am also skeptical about how much sound comes from the neck, the sound goes into the top, from the air and comes out the back of the guitar, mostly, in an archtop. James Chirillo talks a litttle bit about this in his instructional video.
MartyGrass Posted June 12, 2014 Posted June 12, 2014 I'm pretty sure that not much sound is transmitted from the neck into the body. Most of it goes through the bridge.
bolero Posted June 12, 2014 Posted June 12, 2014 ah, but if that's the case, why do different fretboard materials affect the sound?
randy2270 Posted June 16, 2014 Posted June 16, 2014 ah, but if that's the case, why do different fretboard materials affect the sound? it doesn't affect the sound, in my opinion, it's a myth
Billgelder Posted June 17, 2014 Posted June 17, 2014 ah, but if that's the case, why do different fretboard materials affect the sound? it doesn't affect the sound, in my opinion, it's a myth I disagree. If you could play similar guitars, but with different fretboards side by side, you would be able to hear the difference. We have had this discussion many times. Hopefully "Kuz" will chime in on this post. He can explain it better then I.
Kuz Posted June 17, 2014 Posted June 17, 2014 Sound is equivalent to frequencies. Those frequencies that are enhance or dampened will either be projected (or not projected) depending on the amplitude to the frequencies. Each wood has it unique frequency of sound based on it's density. What I am getting at is that EVERYTHING EFFECTS EVERYTHING, to quote Paul Reed Smith. If you don't think that the wood of the neck, wood of the fretboard, wood of top, wood of body, wood of the bridge, ect..... If you feel they don't have different frequencies and thus don't contribute to the unique sound of the instrument then you are in the minority. Certain woods on certain parts of the guitar will have more of an impact on the sound, but they are contribute. Go to a large guitar store and play several rosewood fretwood Strats and then several maple fretwood Strats. Then go to the acoustic guitars and play several rosewood dreadnoughts vs several maple dreadnoughts vs several mahogny dreadnoughts.
Kuz Posted June 17, 2014 Posted June 17, 2014 Why do the maple vs rosewood vs mahogany guitars sound so different? It's the wood. I am not here to say which one sounds better (that is subjective) but using different wood means different frequencies ring out and thus a different tone. If sound is not emitted from the neck, why do bolt on necks have a different tone & sustain from glued on necks which is different from the "neck though the body necks". Change the ebony floating bridge to rosewood and see if you hear a difference. EVERYTHING EFFECTS EVERYTHING
randy2270 Posted June 23, 2014 Posted June 23, 2014 I have played rosewood and ebony necks on similar guitars and they sound the same to me.
yoslate Posted June 23, 2014 Posted June 23, 2014 EVERYTHING EFFECTS EVERYTHING Including the player's ears. ...and they sound the same to me.
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.