Maple Bridge

[cntrlmn]

I recently purchased a rock maple one piece non adjustable bridge for my Weber Bitterroot (maple upgraded back and sides) mandolin that I will be shaping to fit my mando top and cutting down for the correct string height. Just wanted to know if any one has had this done and if so did it give you noticeably better tone.

[arbarnhart]

Check this out:

maple bridge page (http://www.murphymethod.com/redbridge.html)

[steve in tampa]

I've got an F9 in the shop being fitted with a Red Henry bridge right now. Should be out by the end of the week. I bought it directly from Red Henry after attending one of his workshops.

[cntrlmn]

Please keep me updated on how you like the new bridge. I got mine from a local mandolin bulder Tourtellotte Handcrafted Instruments located in Birmingham,AL.His website is www.mandolinbridge.com

[Fretbear]

I fitted and used a Tourtellotte bridge for #awhile, and even did some recording with it, and while it definitely works, I am now back to ebony. The most positive thing that I can say about it was that it seemed to blur the hard distinction some between the F-hole and round hole mandolin sound. On an F-5 it gave the treble strings more of an oval-hole sound (less biting than usual) but without the "tubbiness" that the bass strings can sometimes have on a round hole.

[mikeyes]

I've got several mandolins with Red Henry bridges on them including a Dave Dart OM. All mandolins are not made the same and Red is now selling bridges specifically for your instrument. In other words if you have an F5 he will sell you one bridge and if you have an oval hole Weber you will get another. The differences lie in the wood and this choice is the result of a lot of work and experience on Red's part. Each mandolin will probably respond to a well designed bridge, but like banjos there are some bridges better for that instrument and some worse.

For example, Red has made 500 bridges (maybe more) and experimented with all sorts of woods and shapes. His main test instrument is Randy Wood #1 (although he uses several others including RW#3) but he continues to use an old design on that instrument when he plays because that particular bridge gives RW#1 the best sound. So making a statement based on one case is probably not valid.

When Dave Dart sent me my instrument, he made 5 bridges for me to try out including a traditional ebony one. I tried them all, gave each bridge a week to prove itself and finally settled on one. Then I went through the process again just to be sure. I chose the same bridge the second time around. A lot of it is subjective, but I can say that a maple bridge made my RW A5/50 conversion much louder and the tone was much more to my liking.

The Red Henry bridges are not that expensive and he is very available on the net. If you are interested in trying one, I suggest going ahead. Fitting one is not that hard if you are handy, I saw Red fit one in about 20 minutes (of course he has some experience) and he has a nice set on instructions that go with the bridge.

They make a difference most of the time.

[ashemando]

Made a big difference on a Weber I had and little to no difference on my Parsons . Both were f styles both well built
by excellent builders. Who knows why? I think it is trial and error for these bridges. By the way-talk to Red, he is very personable and accessible.

[MikeB]

My own experience was less than great. I bought the same bridge you did. It was loud, but quite harsh, to my ears. I put mine on my 1920 Gibson A. After about three days, I went back to adjustable ebony. MUCH sweeter, with more sustain.

I'm not saying don't do this, just sharing my experience. Good luck....???

[cntrlmn]

Thanks for all of the input. I sounds like the idea is to try the bridge and see if it works for my mandolin. I let yall know how it turns out.

[peter.coombe]

My experience is similar to MikeB. #I have played around with various woods and came back to Ebony. #Verne Brekke made me a special Maple bridge so I could compare bridges that were absolutely identical except for the wood. #Result was the Maple bridge was louder, but brighter and harsher. #My 1st second and 3rd choices for bridge wood is Ebony, Ebony and Ebony. #I think Red is onto something as far as bridge design is concerned, but I don't like the sound of Maple in a bridge. #I now use a modified Ebony Brekke that uses some of the principles of Red's bridges. #More info is on my My Webpage (http://www.petercoombe.com/jaamim4.html)

[steve in tampa]

I'm having a Weber Bitterroot being built with mahogany back and sides and a cedar top, and a maple Brekke bridge. Hope to get it at the end of this month, or early August.

My F9 being fitted with the Red Henry bridge mentioned earlier got delayed until next week.

[peter.coombe]

Well good luck Steve. My experience is that on every single mandolin I have tried, I prefer the sound of Ebony. The difference in sound between the Maple bridge Verne made for me and the modified Ebony Brekke bridges I now use is not small. Mahogany and Cedar will give you a darker sounding instrument, and the Maple bridge will brighten it up, but why use Cedar and Mahogany in the first place if you are going to brighten it up with a Maple bridge, and probably loose tone in the process?

[steve in tampa]

Nothing ventured, nothing gained. The thought of brightening a dark and woody tone with a maple bridge intrigues me. Sounds like a win/win situation. Worse case scenario is I replace the bridge.:laugh:

[pickinpete]

Peter
You said most of the mandolins you have tried the henry bridge on, sound better with ebony than maple. I believe most (but not all) of us are talking traditional f5 wood design. Have the mandolins you tried the henry bridge on been with the other wood choices you often use in your mandolins or traditional maple and spruce? I believe wood choice will make a huge difference in what kind of bridge the mandolin likes. would you agree?

[steve in tampa]

Just got my F9 back with a Red Henry bridge installed.

Overall it seems a bit louder and brighter, and the volume and sustain in the upper registers is very noticably more pronounced.

I have another F9 to compare it to, and will solicit opinions from some other players tonight.

The luthier that fitted it was very pleased with the results.

[peter.coombe]

The bridges I tried were all on my mandolins. Spruce tops, but not Maple backs. Maple is a bit brighter sounding than the woods I tend to use, so I would be very very surprised if the results would have been any different. In fact I would expect the difference to be even more obvious, and that has been confirmed by some of my colleagues who have tries a Maple bridge. Bright back with bright bridge -> even brighter. One of my mandolins did benefit from a Maple bridge, but that particular instrument had a King Billy top and sounded somewhat unbalanced with the Ebony bridge (strong bass, weak treble). It is possible darker sounding mandolins may benefit.

[steve in tampa]

Last night my mandolin playing friend was not in attendance, but a local ukelele was. I let him play the mando and he was very impressed. I got on stage and played in to a microphone with less effort at getting too close to it. I really like how the increase in the mids and highs helps the overall sustain, or perception of. This was a very dark and loud sounding instrument before, and the added brightness is a good thing for it. I don't think it would be the best for my other F9.

Peter, I would be interested in one of your ebony bridges.

[peter.coombe]

I am happy to do the modifications (for a small fee), but you will need to buy the bridge yourself and mail it to me. #The reason for this is that the Brekke bridges come in 3 different sizes, with 2 different size of saddle. #You need to order the size that will fit your mandolin, and I won't necessarily have the right size, particularly if your current bridge is high. #The other reason is the last batch of Brekke bridges took STE a rather long time to get them to me, so after this experience, I can no longer supply Brekke bridges for other mandolins. #You may be better off getting Vern Brekke to make it for you. #I don't know why they don't offer them as a standard option, but Vern was a bit reticent about doing the modifications originally because it was my invention. #As far as I am concerned, the modifications are in the public domain. #I have published the bridge paper in a journal, and it is on my web site, so anyone is free to do as they please. #Here is the link. (http://www.petercoombe.com/jaamim4.html)

[cntrlmn]

I have my maple bridge installed on my Bitterroot now and I like the results, it has more volume and the tone is different, I’m not sure if it’s better but I like the sound. Since I recently bought a Ratliff off of eBay and now that I have a backup mandolin I am considering sending the Bitterroot to Gianna violins for setup and see if there is a difference after I get it back.