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The banjo reviews database is here to help educate people before they purchase an instrument. Of course, this is not meant to be a substitute for playing the instrument yourself!
7199 reviews in the archive.
Where Purchased: Bart's Website banjobridge.com
This review is for a 9/ 16" , A weight, three leg, ebony topped, mystery wood bridge with 46mm spacing. It is installed on a Gold Tone BC 350 with a Renaissance head and medium gauge steel strings.
First off, dealing with Bart was a pleasure. He responded to emails in a timely manner and answered all my questions regarding what bridge would work best with my banjo.
After choosing my desired specs and sending payment via the Paypal link on the site, Bart emailed saying the bridge was en-route and it arrived from Canada to central IL in less than a week. The bridge was packed in a bubble wrap envelope including a small insert with some basic bridge info, installation instructions, and specs.
The bridge itself is quite nice and the attention to detail is obvious. It is hand signed by Bart and is marked on the bottom of the feet for proper orientation. There are no rough edges anywhere and the string slots are flawless.
I have tried two other bridges on this banjo; the stock ebony topped maple, and a Gary Sosebee ebony topped select maple, both in 44mm spacing. Bart's bridge is significantly smaller in size compared to the two previous ones, but there is absolutely no shortage of tone or volume. The banjo sounded pretty damn good with the other bridges, but now it just has more "pop" and the note separation is more distinct throughout the handful of tunings I use, even when capoed and spiked. I would describe the overall sound as full and balanced.
I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Bart to anyone looking for a bridge. Everything about the experience was top notch. A fantastic product backed up by great communication/ advice and timely shipping/ delivery. 10s across the board.
Bart's website is also a great resource for banjo information in general; worth checking out even if you're not in the market for a bridge.
Overall Rating: 10
