Reproduction bridge for teens a-3

[Old Jawbone]

Hi everyone,

I've got a 1914 Gibson A-3 that's all original, great condition, sounds very nice, but the playability is not great due to a high action. I'm reluctant to shorten the bridge in case the repair goes wrong and it becomes unusable, so I'd like to find a replacement that I can tailor to my preferences. Does anyone know of a source for reproductions of this style of bridge? The instrument still has the pickguard, so it needs the little hole to accommodate the pin that inserts into the bridge.

Thanks for your help.

Mark

[Paul Hostetter]

Not hard to make. You mean one like this?

http://www.lutherie.net/gibson.non-adjustable.bridge2.jpg

[BlueMountain]

I can understand your not wanting to mess with the original. If you have the original, it is VERY easy to make another one. Just get a piece of ebony (or something else--I have an Ajr with an original maple bridge stained black--and trace around it with a scribe, cut it out with a coping saw, sand down to the scribed line, mark the intonation with a pencil, file to the marks with a file, then a bit of sanding. Took me about a half hour. Worked perfectly. You can do it. Then to make it shorter, just scribe another line, using the original as your template, and file to it. Or you can take it off the top. And if you like it, just use it and keep the original in the case.

[Old Jawbone]

Yeah, I'm sure it's not to hard to make one (or have someone else make it for me, since I don't really have any woodworking tools) but thought I'd check to see if anyone was selling them first before having one made.

[Paul Hostetter]

I know of no one selling them, and in any case, it would still need to be fitted to the top. There must be someone up in your neck of the woods who can do this for you.

[HHansen]

A 1914 bridge should be a slot routed top with adjustable saddles. #The one piece came shortly after (about mid 1916 I think). #These aren't too hard to make either, though they do take a bit more engineering. #I made a batch a few weeks ago (picture below). #Whatever the case, if you take it to someone who knows what they're doing, there should be no problem with cutting the bottom of the original down to a comfortable height. #Once you get them where you want them, they don't tend to move around too much. #If you do need to raise the action, you can shim the bottom fairly easily. #All of the cutting and fitting that would need to be done to fit a replacement would be the same as lowering the original.