The last thread on this subject peeked my interest, and I ordered a Snuffy Smith compression compensated bridge. I now own both the Deering Smile bridge, and the SS-CC bridge.

The Smile bridge is a good bridge. I’ve been using them since they came out. One is 9 years old, and hasn't sagged even a fraction of a millimeter. Its tone is balanced and clean. It doesn’t sound any better than a quality flat bridge, but I can’t play well on a saggy bridge, and when I’m digging for middle strings, the high d string screams. The smile bridge solves that, and why I’ve been using them on all my banjos. I can go from my Telecaster (I play it a lot) to a TRUELY flat bridge banjo no problem, but the saggy bridges messes me up. Deering accomplishes this by conforming the shape of the feet (middle foot longer), to match the depression in the head, under string pressure. Another bonus, is that my Mikes Mute makes 100% contact with the flat top, and works superb.

The SS-CC bridge is a great bridge. I’m having a hard time wrapping my brain around its design, but that’s also why I got one. I just had to try it. It works by radiusing the top of the bridge, and making the middle foot slightly shorter. The bridge settles into the head under pressure, and the radiused top compensates for any sag. The tone is very balanced, and crisply clean. Having removed the Smile and installed the SS on the same banjo, the first thing I notice is the pluck, schlock, pop, attack, snap, or whatever you call the instant you hit the string, is very strong. After that, maybe a little more sustain. And overall more crisp. That’s where I’m at, at a couple hours of play. Another thing I really like, is that a small portion of the radius remains, with string tension, and my fingers LOVE this, and playing clean is effortless. The middle strings action might be a little higher, but is unnoticeable while fretting and playing. But this also leads to the only negative I’ve found, and that’s that my Mikes Mute doesn’t sit squarely on the top, and doesn’t work well. But… the ultimate mute work ok, so no problem there.

As for picking a favorite, I can’t yet. But I can say the SS will probably be on my favorite banjo for years. The Smile is a bit more tame, but that's a good thing on the right banjo. And a word about quality. The Smile bridge is definitely mass machine produced. Nothing wrong with that, I have three of them, and they are identical. The SS bridge is a piece of art, and has a look and feel of being made by human hands, polished a bit, and all the edges and corners are smoothed. Costs were $45 for the Smile and $58 for the SS. Small price to pay for years and years of making music

Deering Smile bridge, Snuffy Smith Compression Compensated bridge

 

Edited by - Dean T on 09/23/2026 15:03:31