xixiant - Posted - 02/17/2011:  08:58:52

Hey, Hangout!

Looking for advice on bridges that'd be suitable for old-time music. I play clawhammer and fingerstyle. When I play fingerstyle, I'm looking for each individual note to carry a bit more punch. With clawhammer, I suppose I'd like that first note to relax a bit and get a bit more bass. Overall, I've been pretty happy with the sound, though. When I started thinking about replacing the bridge I gave both styles a good listen.

Anyway, based on reviews on BHO and older threads, here's a list of bridges that I've been considering:

Grover
Stelling
Stew Mac
Stockwell Moon
Steve Davis’s
Hatfield
Bart Veeman’s
Snuffy Smith
Gary Sosebee
Jim Farquhar
Huber
Sullivan
Bart
Sampson
Nechville
Gold Tone
Beaver King bridge
Clifford Essex
Spillway Dam Bridges

Any recommendations?

vernob - Posted - 02/17/2011:  09:48:32

Grover isn't what you want, unless price is the only factor. They are cheap with too soft a material IMHO. I have a Moon bridge, a Snuffy Smith and one made by a guy in Indiana. All three are hard maple with rosewood caps. They all cost about $20-25. I like the Moon for the intonation thing. The Snuffy and the other one are basic. One is a 5/8, the other 1/2. I switch them based on what I want to do. The higher one is louder. The shorter one is easier to play. All three sound really good on my two banjos. I've heard good things about Veerman, Sosebee, Steve Davis, Huber. After all that, making a bridge isn't rocket science. You could do it if you want to save a buck. Probably any hard wood will suffice. Having rosewood or ebony on top gives it more ring, being that they are tropical hardwoods. Shop on Ebay and see what you can find.

xixiant - Posted - 02/17/2011:  10:32:43

That reminds me of something I was wondering about with all those woods used for the Spillway Dam Bridges (that combo pack looks kinda fun). Seems like the weight of the wood makes a big difference.

Here's a website that talks about wood density, as a point of interest:
simetric.co.uk/si_wood.htm

Thanks for the advice! That moon bridge looks so neat. It's a tough choice.

RG - Posted - 02/17/2011:  11:10:21

PM BHO member Bart Veerman, he makes a fantastic custom bridge that I use on all of my builds as well as vintage banjos...and his price is right! I'm an CH/2 finger picker primarily, but also have a couple of resonator banjos hanging around...Bart's never missed with any of the bridges I've ordered from him, couldn't recommend someone more...

Emiel - Posted - 02/17/2011:  11:13:19

On my Clifford Essex C.E. Special I like the Moon heavy. On my Iida with deep pot and 20-hole flathead tonering I like the Snuffy Smith III, on my Deering Vega Tubaphone definitely the Huber bridge...

Edited by - Emiel on 02/17/2011 11:14:04

championofnorthhuron - Posted - 02/17/2011:  11:22:38

What's on there now? If something generic or unmarked... can you tell what kind of wood it is? I can't comment on all of those makers, but I play CH and have been using Greg Galbreath's/Buckeye Banjos bridges. He uses cherry for the base and a thin ebony cap. I prefer what both cherry and walnut do towards an old-time sound... with my hat tipping a bit towards cherry. The cherry to my ear carries the bass about the same as the walnut, but retains a bit more note clarity and carries the highs better than the walnut. Buckeye also uses the solid foot design I have come to prefer. I like the concept of the raised 5th string for CH as well. I had Greg at Buckeye raise the 5th ~0.080" on the bridges he made for me. Got 'em on both my banjos. Works real well I think.

banjoholic - Posted - 02/17/2011:  11:40:12

Lots of good choices, and hard to go wrong with all the great bridge makers out there. However, I will put in a plug for Bart Veerman's bridges. One of the great things about his bridges is that you can tell him the sound you're after, and he'll customize the bridge to meet that. I had a banjo that I thought was a little muddy sounding with somewhat poor note separation - I told him this, and the bridge he sent made a tremendous difference. He's also a really nice guy.

Josh
oldtimejam.com

Edited by - banjoholic on 02/17/2011 11:41:38

Booger McGee - Posted - 02/17/2011:  12:12:42

I really like the sound of my Buckeye Banjo bridge. It's made from cherry with an ebony strip on top. It works well with my Tradesman and Nylgut strings.


Booger

nickbachman - Posted - 02/17/2011:  12:57:01

Bringing it up because I didn't see it on the list, I recently swapped out my Deering bridge for a Fielding unit ( fieldingbanjos.com/bridges.html ), I also swapped out the plastic head for a Renaissance head. I was looking for more punch and volume all around, and I sure got it. I should have followed the "one upgrade at a time" rule so I knew what exactly was the work of a new head and what was the work of the new bridge, but I'm very pleased with the new sound. Tons of volume, high and low. I think it sounds great, looks cool too.

championofnorthhuron - Posted - 02/17/2011:  13:14:44

quote:

---

Originally posted by nickbachman

Bringing it up because I didn't see it on the list, I recently swapped out my Deering bridge for a Fielding unit ( fieldingbanjos.com/bridges.html )

---

Edited by - championofnorthhuron on 02/17/2011 13:17:25

Steve Donnelly - Posted - 02/17/2011:  19:28:43

I have no-names, Grovers, S Smiths, Sosebees and Moons.

They all sound at least ok, but the best sounding on my banjos
are the medium Moons.

I've seen many banjos being played on youtube but just about all of
these players use uncurved bridges even though Moons are often recommended fo clawhammer.

oldwoodchuckb - Posted - 02/17/2011:  20:24:08

I prefer the Grover Compensated Bridge, but it is only available in 5/8ths size now, so I buy Moon Bridges - 4 times the price and not quite as mellow a sound, but really pretty good.