Treble, not "table."

Would be difficult to say if someone worked on it at home but if it has a brand name the name would be facing the neck if like the majority of bridge makers.

Bobby

...I've heard/read that it was an attempt to reduce the pick striking the banjo head, but ... ??

Some clawhammer bridges were made like that, with a hump to raise the 5th string.

quote:

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Originally posted by gatorslayer

I have an old bridge that is higher on one end, apparently an attempt at compensation. Can someone please tell me if the high side is the table or bass side?

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Hi Ben,

It's hard to tell without a picture; please post a pic.  Wide slots indicate bass strings and narrow slots indicate smaller strings.  

Two reasonable answers: 

 - place the high side of the bridge at the 5th drone or 4th bass string

 - get a new one because, that one's funky.  

Slanted tops used to be common. I believe it's either a form of compensation or a way to be sure the thicker 4th string has room to vibrate. I also suspect it was a way to provide low action on cheap banjos under the strings beginning players were most likely to play in the upper frets. Whatever the reason for it, place it as Kam says.

Looking at a steel string guitar saddle, the bass side is higher than the treble, and the saddle slants from 6th string to 1st string.  On guitar, the strings range from about .013 1st string to .056 6th string (1 to 4 ratio), and the 6th string needs more room to vibrate -- higher action height.

As Old Hickory says, slanted banjo bridges used to be common.  But the banjo string ratios are smaller so these days we generally set the action height to the same for all strings.

Maybe slanted banjo bridges were an innovative idea at the time, but nowadays a solution for a perceived problem that no longer exists.   Still necessary for guitars, however.

Do you mean that the top of the bridge is straight but sloping? The higher side is undoubtedly for the bass side (unless the banjo it was originally on had some wild neck warping/twisting the owner was trying to compensate for). I've used -- meaning, bought and then modified -- slanted bridges on a "classic" setup (zero neck angle, ultra-light nylon strings) to bring down the action slightly toward the treble side. It makes for a marginal improvement but is by no means necessary.

A picture would sure clarify the issue...

If your bridge looks similar to the one on the picture that Owen posted then the high side needs to be at the 5th streng side.

Nothing to do with compensation. It was made this way to make it easier to pluck the 5th string with the thumb while playing the clawhammer/frailing style.

No, it's gradual

quote:

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Originally posted by Old Hickory

Slanted tops used to be common. I believe it's either a form of compensation or a way to be sure the thicker 4th string has room to vibrate. I also suspect it was a way to provide low action on cheap banjos under the strings beginning players were most likely to play in the upper frets. Whatever the reason for it, place it as Kam says.

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New Gibson banjos in the late '60s/early ''70s had a slope in the ebony cap making the 5th and 4th strings higher than the rest.

quote:

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Originally posted by Bart Veerman

If your bridge looks similar to the one on the picture that Owen posted then the high side needs to be at the 5th streng side.

Nothing to do with compensation. It was made this way to make it easier to pluck the 5th string with the thumb while playing the clawhammer/frailing style.

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Exactly.

...or, notice right side end of fretboard - higher that left "up" side that's tilting down.

So, unskilled at FB alignment or establishing planer position - or, restricted from "twisting" neck a bit - so jacked up the bridge on the FB low side to compensate for 4-5 lower strings. A TikTok hack to fix buzzing. (??)7

quote:

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Originally posted by gatorslayer

No, it's gradual

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This bridge is quite old and simply has sagged in the middle over the years, very common and nothing to worry, or brag, about.

Joel Hooks may have some insight about this.

Sorry, I'm pretty ignorant about steel string banjos.

Mike Halloran is correct. I found this Gibson in pieces in a pawn shop in New Orleans in the 1980's. I had the neck (original was cracked) replaced. The comment about the FB is interesting since the FB isn't in the picture that I sent, and appears perfectly aligned on inspection. Bart is correct that it is sagging in the middle, but I certainly had no thought about bragging about anything. I had it in the case, and decided I wanted a little higher action than the 5/8" Stelling bridge I had on it allowed, so, since this one was a bit taller, I used it. Actually sounds pretty good despite the sagging. This is my "beater" as I normally play my Ome Juggernaut II from 1983, or my 1979 (I think) Stelling Bellflower. In a month I will no longer be working out of town, so probably time to trim the collection.