Bridges warp after time under string tension. That's all there is to it! Which way they warp just depends on the piece of wood they were made from. Each one's different. A warped bridge effects string length and intonation, as well as the action height of the strings. And if the bridge warps bad enough to collapse under string tension, it can cause damage to the instrument.
Below are pictures of amatuer luthiers at work.
The fit of the feet should match the top, so that there are no visible gaps. Below is an example of my work done for a Disneyland bass.
And sure, I can do a Cello bridge. Just no violins or violas please (unless it's for Taylor ;-)
errr..... back to the cello bridge -
The crown of the bridge creates the action height of the string over the fingerboard. Below is the crown set on Geezer Butler's Triple Skullhead, one of Bunny Brunel's Custom Electric Upright Basses.
If your bridge is ok, but you want your action adjusted I can just recrown your existing bridge. Below is a traveling bass used by Dr. Roger Shew, Professor at Fullerton College, recrowned by me for his playing needs. A bass bridge should be clamshelled to a 5 or 6mm rim for the string slots.
And a 5 string recrowned for Dr. Matt Hare
If you want to add adjusters to a new or existing bridge, I can do it
professionally. Adjusters can be used to raise or lower action height
to accomodate for different styles of play, or compensate for action
height changes during the winter pinch and the summer sag months. There
are many that believe that any kind of adjuster installed in a bridge
detriments the transfer of sound, and I agree, but sometimes the
need for adjustable action height outweighs the small difference in
tone. I always add a reference dot to my adjusters so that
my customers can keep track of the adjustments they make. Many
bassists don't realize what they're doing to the crown when they don't
make equal turns to the adjusters on both the E and G sides.
Below is a custom bridge that I did. It was scratched and stained to create the illusion of age, fitted with adjusters, and equiped with a custom K&K Pickup blendable pickup system
And if you want to install a custom experimental bridge just to see how it will effect tone and response on the bass, well, I can include multiple soundpost settings. We can try it out!
And, just in case you're curious as to whether it was a violin luthier who installed the last bridge on your bass, this is how you can tell; A violin luthier puts the bridge logo toward the tailpiece, so that when you're holding the bottom bout under your chin you can see it.
Jon Paget has been working on his own instruments and modifying gear for more than 30 years. More recently he has worked on Upright Basses for customers ranging from pros like Bunny Brunel, Stanley Clarke, and Brian Bromberg, to local schools and their students.
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Contact Jon at (714) 335-7091 or send email to stringmaster63@gmail.com
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