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This is maple bridge information from professional luthier Peter Coombe.
On August 10th, Peter wrote:
Red
Please find attached a scan of my bridge # 4. I have made another bridge
from European Maple and can't tell any difference from this Rock Maple
bridge. Maybe the European bridge is a fraction louder, but the tone is
near enough to identical, I can't tell any difference. This bridge weighs
6.8gm, the European Maple bridge weighs 6.0gm.
Peter
Here's the photo of Peter's Bridge #4:
(On August 2nd, Peter had just completed his first bridge, and he wrote:)
G'Day Commandos
A visceral bridge it is indeed.
I made 2 more bridges and managed to ascertain that if you overdo the side
undercuts then you get a warmer, richer tone with a greatly improved bass,
but the E string goes dead, and most of the impoved clarity in the treble
disappears. Damn, damn! Then I saw Red's #14 bridge. So back to the
workshop and make one like it, but I changed the centre holes to be more
like a violin. Voila - warm tone with the treble clarity back, and no dead
E string. I think it sounds sweeter as well. That's it, this bridge stays
on!
A couple of hours later and my favorite oval hole mandolin is sounding
incredible and I can't put it down. Loud, sweet, warm, even balance, and
with amazing clarity. What more could you wish for! The clarity really
punches through other instruments. Red, you have done it. A very
significant leap foreward in mandolin bridge design.
I am seriously considering ditching Ebony bridges. The only problem is
that new mandolin tops tend to settle, and an adjustable bridge is a
distinct advantage. Maybe the solution is to set the action a bit high and
hope it settles down with time.
Peter
(Later, Peter added this information:)
To all bridge builders
I have just made another bridge and timed how long it took me to make it.
28 minutes from raw hunk of wood to bridge (uncompensated) ready to fit to
the top of the mandolin. This one is made of curley European Maple. I
want to test European Maple because that is what violin bridges are made
from. Weight of my Rock Maple bridge is 6.8g, weight of the new bridge is
6.2g, but that will go down slightly after compensation. I will report
later on the results, but right now I am very reluctant to take that Rock
Maple bridge off, it sounds soooo good.
Peter
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