telereactor - Posted - 03/23/2012:  23:09:24

Any of you guys ever tried this banjo bridge?  If so, whats your take on it?

stewmac.com/shop/Bridges,_tail...idge.html 

rexhunt - Posted - 03/24/2012:  04:36:17

I had one years ago.  It's still around here someplace but hasn't been on a banjo in a long time.  It's way too heavy and the compensation isn't really that great either.  I believe it was that bridge that Roger Siminoff had in mind when he said something like "by their very nature, compensated bridges can never sound as good as a standard bridge".  The Hatfield compensated bridge is much better as is the design used on the Snuffy Smith compensated bridges and others.

Rex

desert rose - Posted - 03/24/2012:  04:47:39

Hands down the most consistantly  BAD sounding bridge made

Scott

David Cunningham - Posted - 03/24/2012:  04:58:31

I opted for one a little different from that. The price was a bit higher - a couple hours of my time. But I think it was worth it.

 

Edited by - David Cunningham on 03/24/2012 05:00:03

Fathand - Posted - 03/24/2012:  05:27:20

I had one for years on my Ball Bearing, the intonation worked well for me but it sure brightened up when I changed it.

ltjgcag - Posted - 03/24/2012:  05:42:12

I switched from that bridge to one from Steve Davis.  Liked it so much I ordered another one for the latest banjo and sent to the builder to put on straight up on my latest build.

eagleisland - Posted - 03/24/2012:  05:50:38

One of those was on my Ode 2SR when I bought it.  That particular banjo does better with a straight bridge.

5stringpicker2 - Posted - 03/24/2012:  06:01:35

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Dead Reckon - Posted - 03/24/2012:  06:19:03

I tried one of those bridges, and as well as compensated, I found the sound constipated!  Five minutes on the snag grinder and a lot of excess wood quickly removed and they look like this. Sound much better but not quite on  par with a quality bridge. If you have one lying around that is gathering dust give this exercise a try. It will amaze you the difference in sound before and after!

Mumble Peg - Posted - 03/24/2012:  07:26:05

Bart Veerman, bridge maker extraordinaire, has a system where you measure the string length for each individual string and for your specific banjo. He will then custom make a compensated bridge that really works.  It's just not necessarily interchangeable with another banjo.

banjobridge.com/

banjodad - Posted - 03/24/2012:  08:02:10

I have one on my AT-TT. I'm good with it.
The banjo has a bright sound to begin with, perhaps I like it because it tones the whole machine down a bit.

scooter46 - Posted - 03/24/2012:  08:15:23

I've never bought one from StewMac but it's identical to a Grover I have, there are a lot better bridges out there, but if you need a cheap compensated bridge it will work.  

wuzapicker - Posted - 03/24/2012:  19:50:22

I remember when they were introduced. I was in the 5th String store in Berkely California. The package had the name Shubb like the capo, so I think he was the inventor. I bought one and used it for about a month. I replaced it and never looked back.

A local picker started making a better one by bending standard Grover bridges over a hot iron. The angle of the bend matched Shubb's angle. The bridges were marked by a distinctive burn where the wood met the iron. I must say the bent bridge worked as well to correct intonation. Being no heavier than a standard Grover, it didn't kill the tone like the Shubb.

Now I use straight bridges.