Patrick1962 - Posted - 08/11/2024:  06:27:06

Was looking through a lot of old posts on the different materials people have used. Would love to hear about peoples experiments with different bridge materials and how it turned out. I was wondering if anyone had ever tried something like solid silver or gold, or topped a maple with silver or gold?

martyjoe - Posted - 08/11/2024:  06:43:31

You could always try gold or silver paint on a maple bridge. That might be your best chance of a decent sound.

Bart Veerman - Posted - 08/11/2024:  06:53:38

Always nice to think outside the box but in this case: those are soft metals Patrick, not suitable for bridge toppings as they would dampen string vibrations so the sound/tone would be muffled. Also, it wouldn't take long for the strings to slice their way through that metal to the top of the wood.

Here's a bunch of info about banjo bridges you might like: banjobridge.com/

steve davis - Posted - 08/11/2024:  07:47:37

It depends on the application.
Most of my claw hammer customers prefer a sycamore base with a rosewood top.Made a few walnut bridges for those players,too.
These woods don't work for bluegrass/melodic players who need a tone with more snap and projection which they find in the time-tested maple base with an ebony top.
I've made solid ebony bridges,solid lignum vitae bridges and a couple with bone tops.

I tried cherry and mahogany and found them lacking a full spectrum of tones.

I feel that the use of maple for stringed instrument bridges was settled on many years ago because luthiers of that time could easily try any other type of wood and found maple to be superior.

RioStat - Posted - 08/11/2024:  08:03:07

Saw this the other day, while scrolling thru eBay........

ebay.com/itm/166830644551

Culloden - Posted - 08/11/2024:  08:32:10

There used to be a fellow who sold laser-cut flange plates and several other items including a Lion of Judah bridge base. One of the things he sold was a metal banjo bridge. It looked nice but I never was intrigued enough to buy one to find out how it sounded.
I do wish I had bought a set of his flange plates but he's out of business now.

Owen - Posted - 08/11/2024:  08:35:32

... some of my "don't give up your day job" efforts.   

The two in the middle have vertical aluminum inserts; the one at the back has vertical inserts made from a graphite (?) fishing rod.

[Sorry for the fuzzy pics ... I think my camera is telling me it's time to come into the present century from a technological standpoint.]

 

GS - Posted - 08/11/2024:  08:48:49

The Snickers bar I used was better than the Mars bar, but only just.

Bob Buckingham - Posted - 08/11/2024:  08:56:25

quote:

---

Originally posted by steve davis

It depends on the application.

Most of my claw hammer customers prefer a sycamore base with a rosewood top.Made a few walnut bridges for those players,too.

These woods don't work for bluegrass/melodic players who need a tone with more snap and projection which they find in the time-tested maple base with an ebony top.

I've made solid ebony bridges,solid lignum vitae bridges and a couple with bone tops.



I tried cherry and mahogany and found them lacking a full spectrum of tones.



I feel that the use of maple for stringed instrument bridges was settled on many years ago because luthiers of that time could easily try any other type of wood and found maple to be superior.

---

This is interesting that you use sycamore. I have a sycamore banjo that Will Fielding roughed out before he died and my long time banjo buddy, Glenn Carson finished for me. I am using one of many bridges made by Will that I have in my collection made of walnut with a purple heart top.  It sounds very good.  I am wondering just what a sycamore bridge would sound like on a sycamore banjo. Did you ever make a sycamore with an ironwood or purple heart top?  What design do you use? Right now the banjo is full spectrum with a bright edge. Probably due to the Whyte Laydie tone ring topped with a Bacon tone ring.  The depth of tone may be in part to the deep Richard Newman 4" pot. 

All in all I am fascinated by bridges and 14 years ago I did a thread here: http://banjohangout.org/archive/188807 using a wide range of them made by Bill Rickard.  The bamboo bridge was quite amazing as I recall.

Edited by - Bob Buckingham on 08/11/2024 08:58:33

Laurence Diehl - Posted - 08/11/2024:  09:48:46

All my best bridges have been maple except one, which was birch. I wish that I could anticipate which bridge would sound good on which banjo but I can't. It's completely trial and error. However, finding a bridge maker with a good reputation and lots of experience does make a difference.

Edited by - Laurence Diehl on 08/11/2024 09:49:40

Bill Rogers - Posted - 08/11/2024:  10:04:54

Ever since (1975 or so) I tried an old light weight all-maple 1920s Bacon bridge, I’ve stuck with all-maple bridges for clawhammer. Standard maple/ebony for bluegrass banjos. Has anyone ever seen a fiddler with anything but a maple bridge?

martyjoe - Posted - 08/11/2024:  10:31:39

quote:

---

Originally posted by Bill Rogers

Ever since (1975 or so) I tried an old light weight all-maple 1920s Bacon bridge, I’ve stuck with all-maple bridges for clawhammer. Standard maple/ebony for bluegrass banjos. Has anyone ever seen a fiddler with anything but a maple bridge?

---

The bridge on my regular playing fiddle became twisted and finally collapsed. I needed to replace it in hurry so I made up a bridge from some bamboo stock I had for banjo bridges as a temporary measure. That was 3yrs ago and is still going strong on my fiddle, an excellent bridge that I won't swap for anything!

Culloden - Posted - 08/11/2024:  10:48:40

quote:

---

Originally posted by martyjoe

quote:

---

Originally posted by Bill Rogers

Ever since (1975 or so) I tried an old light weight all-maple 1920s Bacon bridge, I’ve stuck with all-maple bridges for clawhammer. Standard maple/ebony for bluegrass banjos. Has anyone ever seen a fiddler with anything but a maple bridge?

---

The bridge on my regular playing fiddle became twisted and finally collapsed. I needed to replace it in hurry so I made up a bridge from some bamboo stock I had for banjo bridges as a temporary measure. That was 3yrs ago and is still going strong on my fiddle, an excellent bridge that I won't swap for anything!

---

Sounds like the time I made a sound post with a piece of Tinker Toy. That sound post is still in the fiddle after 30 years. It sounds too good to change out.

Back on topic; I've noticed that the old Grover Acousticraft bridges had bone inserts in them. The newer ones have plastic ones. Has anyone ever done a side by side comparison? Not that I use them anymore but I am still curious.

martyjoe - Posted - 08/11/2024:  11:38:09

I remember getting a couple of those Grover bridges with the plastic inserts. I could see daylight between the plastic and the wood in one of them. So obviously the quality control on them is dubious so I didn’t try either one.

heavy5 - Posted - 08/11/2024:  12:49:30

Gibson used aluminum topped adjustable mandolin bridges on some A models that I happened to collect yrs ago but don't remember how they sounded compared to ebony or rosewood which was the most common material .

Bruce Berry Banjos - Posted - 08/11/2024:  13:02:32

Tom Nechville made a video a few years back, in which he compared several different bridges on the same banjo.
He also talked about his experience with different materials.
I had been experimenting on my own, but I haven't since then.
He summed it all up pretty well, IMO.
Maple or maple/ebony for nylgut or steel strings respectively.
The video is worth the watch.

lightgauge - Posted - 08/11/2024:  16:12:39

I have tried walnut, hickory, ash, pear, apple, locust, dogwood, sycamore, and maybe a few others, but always come back to maple/ ebony for my bluegrass banjos.

Tim Jumper - Posted - 08/11/2024:  16:36:19

I made one -- "bigfoot" design, no cap -- out of a scrap of purpleheart.
To my ears it is surpassed only by my Steve Davis bridge.

Tim Jumper - Posted - 08/11/2024:  16:39:13

And I should add, I've pretty much tried them all.

martyjoe - Posted - 08/11/2024:  18:09:01

quote:

---

Originally posted by Culloden

quote:

---

Originally posted by martyjoe

quote:

---

Originally posted by Bill Rogers

Ever since (1975 or so) I tried an old light weight all-maple 1920s Bacon bridge, I’ve stuck with all-maple bridges for clawhammer. Standard maple/ebony for bluegrass banjos. Has anyone ever seen a fiddler with anything but a maple bridge?

---

The bridge on my regular playing fiddle became twisted and finally collapsed. I needed to replace it in hurry so I made up a bridge from some bamboo stock I had for banjo bridges as a temporary measure. That was 3yrs ago and is still going strong on my fiddle, an excellent bridge that I won't swap for anything!

---

Sounds like the time I made a sound post with a piece of Tinker Toy. That sound post is still in the fiddle after 30 years. It sounds too good to change out.

Back on topic; I've noticed that the old Grover Acousticraft bridges had bone inserts in them. The newer ones have plastic ones. Has anyone ever done a side by side comparison? Not that I use them anymore but I am still curious.

---

I'm in the process of making an attempt at  building another banjo/fiddle at the moment. From what I've read, the fact that it didn't have a sound post made the first attempt a failure. So this one is going to get a bamboo sound post to go with its bamboo bridge. It will make its own thread when I've completed it. 

steve davis - Posted - 08/12/2024:  14:52:34

There is an old Frets or BNL with an article on installing a sound post in a banjo.
It seems that it must have been on top of the co-ordinator rod.I can't see how it could be at the resonator.
May have been a Siminoff venture.

euler357 - Posted - 08/15/2024:  04:07:44

Here is a write up on some experiments that I did earlier this year with help from Danny at Turtle Hill.

I've tried a variety of other materials (bone, corian, 3d printing resin, etc ). also with mixed results.  We found that the sound that most like best was achieved with Roasted Maple, Roasted Walnut, Osage Orange, and Roasted Osage Orange.  The old time & claw hammer folks seem to like the teak ones.

bnjojoe46 - Posted - 08/15/2024:  07:10:27

I've made bridges out of every wood that grows here(S.W. Va.(Appalachian Mtns.) vertical grain, horizontal grain, heartwood, sapwood, whatever. They all perform, but different sound. Several years ago, I made one out of 1/4" birch plywood, cabinet grade, with a white oak top and it performs as well as any of them. It has birch on both sides and 3 plys in the middle made of what I don't remember. I have it on one of my banjos to this day. That bridge made THAT banjo come alive.

Patrick1962 - Posted - 08/15/2024:  16:53:18

I kind of figured that there was a reason for the maple/ebony combo to be the most popular..still nice to read about peoples experiments though...appreciate all the replies

euler357 - Posted - 08/15/2024:  18:26:51

My theory is that the roasted woods have less cellular moisture which absorbs some of the sound energy.  The roasted woods are really popular after people try them.

Bart Veerman - Posted - 08/15/2024:  21:34:46

quote:

---

Originally posted by euler357

Here is a write up on some experiments that I did earlier this year with help from Danny at Turtle Hill.

I've tried a variety of other materials (bone, corian, 3d printing resin, etc ). also with mixed results.  We found that the sound that most like best was achieved with Roasted Maple, Roasted Walnut, Osage Orange, and Roasted Osage Orange.  The old time & claw hammer folks seem to like the teak ones.

---

The bridges in that link Chris, are all of them made at the identical dimensions, or at identical weights or is each one tweaked for max performance depending on their wood species?

Bart Veerman - Posted - 08/15/2024:  22:00:25

Besides the kind of banjo, the kind of music, the style of playing, one important thing also needs to be accounted for when it comes to evaluating bridges: the age of the user.

Three typical age groups come to mind: under 30, 30 to 50 and 50+ The hearing capabilities of the folks in these age groups are quite different from one to another and that can have a profound difference on their bridge requirements.

In my bridge-making days I fondly remember the comment someone made after trying one of my bridges: "it made my banjo sound the way it did when I was young." Yup, it was an ultra light Archie used by a 60plusser - definitely not the one to try out if you're looking for a mellow sound :) Them Archies are described on my website banjobridge.com/br-archie.htm Don't forget though, I am retired and no longer make/sell bridges. By all means, do check out my website as there's all kinds of stuff about bridges that quite a few people have used as a "how-to" study guide over the years.

Bart Veerman - Posted - 08/15/2024:  22:02:30

Besides the kind of banjo, the kind of music, the style of playing, one important thing also needs to be accounted for when it comes to evaluating bridges: the age of the user.
Three typical age groups come to mind: under 30, 30 to 50 and 50+ The hearing capabilities of the folks in these age groups are quite different from one to another and that can have a profound difference on their bridge requirements.
In my bridge-making days I fondly remember the comment someone made after trying one of my bridges: "it made my banjo sound the way it did when I was young." Yup, it was an ultra light Archie used by a 60plusser - definitely not the one to try out if you're looking for a mellow sound :) Them Archies are described on my website banjobridge.com/br-archie.htm Don't forget though, I am retired and no longer make/sell bridges. By all means, do check out my website as there's all kinds of stuff about bridges that quite a few people have used as a "how-to" study guide over the years.

Julio B - Posted - 08/15/2024:  22:39:13

I recently acquired a David Wadsworth bridge: Padawk chassis,ebony top. It is the best bridge I've tried on my RB75; my style 4 works best with David's maple bridge. Every banjo is unique.

euler357 - Posted - 08/16/2024:  03:24:46

The ones in the test that I linked to are all exactly the same dimensions but do have varying weights due to differences in wood density. 

euler357 - Posted - 08/16/2024:  03:43:21

quote:

---

Originally posted by Julio B

I recently acquired a David Wadsworth bridge: Padawk chassis,ebony top. It is the best bridge I've tried on my RB75; my style 4 works best with David's maple bridge. Every banjo is unique.

---

I agree that every banjo is unique and there is no universally "best" sounding bridge.  I've probably given out 150+ bridges to 10+ people with dozens of banjos asking opinions about them over the past 6months. From this, I have figured out what is usually bad and which wood and weight choices that people usually gravitate to.  I'd recommend that players try as many as possible and figure out what is best for them and their banjo.  Some of the critical attributes from what I see are: having a perfect glue joint between the ebony and main wood, using a decent glue (I am now using 222gram hot hide glue), having the slots cut accurately and not deep/wedge shaped, making sure the wood is dry and stable (roasting fixes this), and having a reasonable weight for what sound you want (1.9grams for brightee to about 2.8grams for warmer/darker).

Also, a good percentage of banjos that I put bridges on get other stuff corrected at the same time which helps the sound immensely.  These are usually head tension, nut slot issues, loose brackets/tailpiece, loose neck connection, etc. 

Edited by - euler357 on 08/16/2024 03:47:22

euler357 - Posted - 08/16/2024:  04:08:43

quote:

---

Originally posted by euler357

quote:

---

Originally posted by Julio B

I recently acquired a David Wadsworth bridge: Padawk chassis,ebony top. It is the best bridge I've tried on my RB75; my style 4 works best with David's maple bridge. Every banjo is unique.

---

I agree that every banjo is unique and there is no universally "best" sounding bridge.  I've probably given out 150+ bridges to 10+ people with dozens of banjos asking opinions about them over the past 6months. From this, I have figured out what is usually bad and which wood and weight choices that people usually gravitate to.  I'd recommend that players try as many as possible and figure out what is best for them and their banjo.  Some of the critical attributes from what I see are: having a perfect glue joint between the ebony and main wood, using a decent glue (I am now using 222gram hot hide glue), having the slots cut accurately and not deep/wedge shaped, making sure the wood is dry and stable (roasting fixes this), and having a reasonable weight for what sound you want (1.9grams for brighter to about 2.8grams for warmer/darker).

Also, a good percentage of banjos that I put bridges on get other stuff corrected at the same time which helps the sound immensely.  These are usually head tension, nut slot issues, loose brackets/tailpiece, loose neck connection, etc. 

---

banjowannabe - Posted - 08/16/2024:  04:49:46

Even though I've never made a bridge, I'd like to throw in the fact that there's a lot of variation within each species of wood. The speed of growth of a tree changes density and grain patterns. Temperature and moisture patterns all effect the quality of wood from one region to the next. I suspect maple tends to meet good bridge-building characteristics under a number of different growing conditions. Just like ebony tends to be most consistent for a top material. I'm a little surprised that Padauk and Purpleheart work - that would look real sharp on my gold plated Deering Calico. Might send me down another rabbit hole.

steve davis - Posted - 08/16/2024:  05:50:55

I've topped bridges with padauk,purple and green heart.

euler357 - Posted - 08/16/2024:  07:44:29

The padauk isn't bad but is dense so it tends to be heavier / darker sounding when used for the main wood.  When I use it for the main wood, I make them with larger cutouts to compensate.  The purple heart will turn brown over time though.  Never got any greenheart to try.

I'm planning to have an all domestic version of my bridges that uses persimmon instead of ebony for the tops.  I believe that Persimmon is the only wood in the evening family that is native to North America.  I've got a stash from a local downed tree about 10 years ago. 

I think that the lighter persimmon top with the dark roasted walnut will look sharp and def be different from others.

Edited by - euler357 on 08/16/2024 07:45:54

euler357 - Posted - 08/16/2024:  07:59:45

quote:

---

Originally posted by banjowannabe

Even though I've never made a bridge, I'd like to throw in the fact that there's a lot of variation within each species of wood. The speed of growth of a tree changes density and grain patterns. Temperature and moisture patterns all effect the quality of wood from one region to the next. I suspect maple tends to meet good bridge-building characteristics under a number of different growing conditions. Just like ebony tends to be most consistent for a top material. I'm a little surprised that Padauk and Purpleheart work - that would look real sharp on my gold plated Deering Calico. Might send me down another rabbit hole.

I'm seeing about 5% variation in weight with wood from the same board.  Its up to 20% difference for Hard maples.  This is a lot of the reason why many mass produced bridges aren't great - they don't have a maker looking at this level or compensating for it in individual bridges. 

Wood selection is very important - I reject about 75% of the wood that I get for bridges and use it for other things.

Here is me unloading from a trip to a local sawmill (he uses reclaimed wood) and my box of bridge blanks.

 

djj7 - Posted - 08/16/2024:  09:14:32

Maple seems to be a time tested, popular choice. But has anyone tried red maple?

euler357 - Posted - 08/16/2024:  09:40:44

quote:

---

Originally posted by djj7

Maple seems to be a time tested, popular choice. But has anyone tried red maple?

---

Yes, I've tried many maples (acer sp.).  The red and silver maples are similar.  Both worked well.  Since I have a  choice, I've been using hard (sugar) Maple.  I've tried sycamore too which is similar to the soft maples.

steve davis - Posted - 08/20/2024:  09:27:23

My main bridge stock came from the Sullivan Banjo Co. about 10 years ago.
I bought 25 bd/ft of torrified maple from them.
This is a life-time supply for my work.I still keep a good amount of old,furniture maple from 70-100 year old chairs and desks.
One of my carpenter friends found a stash of sycamore in a 125 year old house attic that he was renovating.
He sends me 3x3 sticks of it when I'm in need.

BTuno - Posted - 08/21/2024:  08:33:44

I have been using manzanita (Arctostaphylos) for bridges lately, Its the same hardness as maple, but a bit more dense (growth rings are closer). What I like best is its lustrous color and glow. I can't hear much difference from a maple bridge.

Patrick1962 - Posted - 08/21/2024:  17:51:12

Bruce-Duuude! Those are pretty!! Nice craftsmanship bro!

lazyarcher - Posted - 08/22/2024:  07:25:25

When I was making Beaver Bridges in quantity, and now for the ones I make at request, I did and still use recovered sunken maple from Timeless Timber but they dont seem to be in business anymore. I have a pretty good stock for now. Sunken maple is very unique, and Ive found its more consistent piece to piece than regular maple. Bridges can have a bit more mass to weight ratio I believe because of the dried structure so a 2.2 gram bridge can give you a brighter tone without being thin. I top all my bridges with African blackwood..a bit denser grain than ebony and I have a great source for lots.

DRL777 - Posted - 08/22/2024:  07:35:06

quote:

---

Originally posted by djj7

Maple seems to be a time tested, popular choice. But has anyone tried red maple?

---

Tim Purcell makes a fantastic red maple bridge roasted or not. Roasted red seems to be a bit more mellow to my ears.

He's on the forum here.

Edited by - DRL777 on 08/22/2024 07:35:16