Cumberland Acoustic Bridge

**stratton7584** · Jul-23-2012, 2:50pm

This is probably a repeat post (I'm sure this has been talked about before) but I \ recently installed one of these bridges on my mando and it sounds AWESOME! Does anyone know why these are so much better?

**dcoventry** · Jul-23-2012, 2:53pm

Ah yes.

There is no try, only do CA, or not do CA.

Ancient Mando secret.

**Primarilywoodcharlie** · Jul-23-2012, 9:17pm

No Really. . .Why is it better?

**Tim Pike** · Jul-23-2012, 9:52pm

I have wondered the same thing. Is it worth the money?

**greg_tsam** · Jul-23-2012, 10:03pm

deja vu.

**OldSausage** · Jul-23-2012, 10:04pm

They do sound good, they really do. They are sturdy and well designed, and made by people who make an awful lot of them, that's probably why.

**dcoventry** · Jul-23-2012, 10:15pm

CA bridges are a "better mousetrap" so to speak. If you use the search function, there are many threads as examples. Also, many, if not most, highend luthiers use their bridges, and that is an accolade of sorts, to be sure.

dave

**Astro** · Jul-23-2012, 11:00pm

I've heard that the Weber Brekke bridge allows adjustment without having to loosen the strings. That seems like a nice eature. Is the Cumberland able to do that too ?

Are the Brekke and Cumberland both traditional thumbwheel design?

Which is better ?

I'm off to search and try to answer my own questions.

**dcoventry** · Jul-23-2012, 11:29pm

Originally Posted by Astro

I've heard that the Weber Brekke bridge allows adjustment without having to loosen the strings. That seems like a nice eature. Is the Cumberland able to do that too ?

Are the Brekke and Cumberland both traditional thumbwheel design?

Which is better ?

I'm off to search and try to answer my own questions.

Now these are perfect examples of calling and asking for answers. Both the Ca and Webers folks are just a hoot to talk with. you start about bridges and end up with wood choices, finishes, history.

**pickngrin** · Jul-23-2012, 11:41pm

Originally Posted by stratton7584

This is probably a repeat post (I'm sure this has been talked about before) but I \ recently installed one of these bridges on my mando and it sounds AWESOME! Does anyone know why these are so much better?

Ah, grasshopper. The mando-fu is strong within you. Now take this Blue Chip from my hand...

**Astro** · Jul-23-2012, 11:41pm

OK, I did a quick search here and think I got my answers.

Timely for me as I spent the whole night trying to sand down the foot of my bridge to improve contact. My fingers are soar and raw from trying freestyle from folded medium sandpaper. I think I made some improvement but its still not 100% contact. It seems to this newbie that these bridges should be fitted better at the factory. Its not really part of the set up and not a matter of preference. Its part of finishing the product.

**jackmalonis** · Jul-24-2012, 1:24am

So is it worth putting a CA on my epiphone, if I'm not sure if I'll be able to upgrade mandos for another couple months?

**greg_tsam** · Jul-24-2012, 1:41am

Originally Posted by pickngrin

Ah, grasshopper. The mando-fu is strong within you. Now take this Blue Chip from my hand...

**OldSausage** · Jul-24-2012, 7:30am

Originally Posted by jackmalonis

So is it worth putting a CA on my epiphone, if I'm not sure if I'll be able to upgrade mandos for another couple months?

It's probably not going to revolutionize your epiphone's tone. If you are going to upgrade in a couple of months, then it certainly isn't worth it. If you were going to be playing it for another year or more it might be worth the experiment, but bear in mind that it has to be fitted to your mando and the string slots cut right too so unless you're really good at doing that yourself add that work onto the cost. It could go some of the way to paying for a new mando, a better investment.

**Martin Jonas** · Jul-24-2012, 9:58am

Originally Posted by jackmalonis

So is it worth putting a CA on my epiphone, if I'm not sure if I'll be able to upgrade mandos for another couple months?

On an MM-20, probably not -- that's a laminate top and the CA bridge costs a third of what the mando costs, so it's a bit overkill. However, for what it's worth, fitting a CA bridge completely transformed my (solid top Japanese-made) Washburn M3SW, simply a vast improvement on the stock rosewood bridge. You don't need a top builders' instrument for the CA bridge to be a worthwhile upgrade.

Martin

**jackmalonis** · Jul-24-2012, 10:45am

Yeah I figured that would the response I'd get... Haha

It would have been more of a move to dull the ache of waiting for a decent instrument! Haha

**pjlama** · Jul-24-2012, 10:54am

Originally Posted by Astro

OK, I did a quick search here and think I got my answers.

Timely for me as I spent the whole night trying to sand down the foot of my bridge to improve contact. My fingers are soar and raw from trying freestyle from folded medium sandpaper. I think I made some improvement but its still not 100% contact. It seems to this newbie that these bridges should be fitted better at the factory. Its not really part of the set up and not a matter of preference. Its part of finishing the product.

Stew Mac makes a bridge fitting jig that works great. I got one a while back because I was fitting an bridge. I don't think they're too expensive.

**CES** · Jul-24-2012, 11:21am

Originally Posted by jackmalonis

Yeah I figured that would the response I'd get... Haha

It would have been more of a move to dull the ache of waiting for a decent instrument! Haha

I'll agree that a CA is probably overkill, but there are less expensive options that may give you some improvement. The rosewood bridge that came on my Kentucky 675-s, made the first year they moved to China and apparently before they ironed out the QC kinks, was a disaster. I eventually had to change it for structural issues and went with a Stew Mac ebony that I think cost 20 or 25 bucks. Local luthier intonated it and fit it to the top in about 3 minutes as part of some other setup work, and it made a tremendous difference. That said, there's only so much improvement that could be made to that mando.

If your current bridge is fitted well and intonates well, I'd roll with it until you upgrade (then, maybe, but a CA on the new mando!)...

**Folkmusician.com** · Jul-24-2012, 3:38pm

It seems to this newbie that these bridges should be fitted better at the factory. Its not really part of the set up and not a matter of preference. Its part of finishing the product.

This does fall under setup and is part of the Folkmusician setup. A good chunk of my life is spent re-fitting mandolin bridges.

I more than anyone, wish the factories could do a better job, but I don't see it happening. This really needs to be done at the dealer level for the best results.

We deal in a lot of violins as well. With violins, dealers are 100% expected to do extensive setup work. Most of the high-end violins come to dealers without setup. In this case it means all the fittings reside in a bag, no bridge, no sound post, a nut that has not been notched or filed down etc... It is quite a job.

**Astro** · Jul-24-2012, 4:03pm

I realize it needs be done as part of the set up but I don't think that is fair to the dealer. Its not technically a variable based on individual preference the way action is. Everyone wants a fitted bridge foot regardless of where they want the action. Everyone wants their tuners fitted tight and their frets seated. It should be expected as part of the build.

And, in this day and age there should be a machine that reads the contour of the soundboard convexity and carves the bridge foot to the curve of the complementary concavity needed for optimal contact. This is done all the time for less important things.

As a newbie, I found it very difficult to do this free hand. I got it better after 3 hours and soar fingers, but not good enough. I started chasing my tail. I'm sending to a luthier.

For any Newbies out there wondering which brand of the basic starters to get (Eastman vs Loar vs Kentucky), I give this advice: Forget which brand. Not important for a beginner. Any of the 3 are likely fine if they are good samples. Its Way more important to get a good set up from a reputable dealer than it is to decide which of the similar entry level instruments to get. The reality is that the manufacturer isn't going to do it.

I didn't mean to hijack this thread. But as others pointed out, replacing the bridge will require some delicate sanding/fitting. For these lower end models like my Eastman md305 (which I love), the fit of the bridge likely has more impact on tone than anything else (assuming they already have an all ebony bridge).

**dcoventry** · Jul-24-2012, 4:42pm

Originally Posted by jackmalonis

So is it worth putting a CA on my epiphone, if I'm not sure if I'll be able to upgrade mandos for another couple months?

Ok I've been thinking about this....terrible headache.

Get the CA bridge. Enjoy the beneficial aspects. Switch back to the old one when you sell. I THINK you can use the bridge again as the next fitting shouldn't eat up too much height of saddle base.

**jackmalonis** · Jul-24-2012, 6:29pm

Originally Posted by dcoventry

Ok I've been thinking about this....terrible headache.

Get the CA bridge. Enjoy the beneficial aspects. Switch back to the old one when you sell. I THINK you can use the bridge again as the next fitting shouldn't eat up too much height of saddle base.

First off: the headache? Tell me about it

Secondly, I'm seriously considering getting my next mandolin with wide nut/bridge spacing (and even if i dont buy one that comes with a wide nut, I'm thinking about customizing it that way anyhow)

so as painful as it is to listen to my mando in its current state, it might be more profitable to wait.

**stratton7584** · Jul-27-2012, 10:24am

No thanks pickngrin I have my own BC

! I love these bridges and I think its a great investment but like everyone said they do run about 60 bucks a piece! To me Its worth it!

**Willie** · Jul-27-2012, 10:44am

I bought two CA bridges and installed them on a Ratliff F model and one on a Kentucky KM-900 and they didn`t make any difference at all....Some builders use good bridges to start with and installing a CA one will not improve it a bit....BUT...One never knows until he tries it a finds out for himself...Now I have two to sell and will post them in the classifieds soon....I found that they are just about perfect on a mandolin that has an arch like many Gibsons have, not much sanding at all....I use a contour gauge to find the arc of the top and then mark the bridge bottom and scrape or sand it to that shape...A little hard to explain on here but it has always worked for me....Some people make fitting the bridge a complicated chore and it doesn`t have to be....

Willie