View Full Version : Cumberland Acoustic bridge on Eastman 305
Had a Cumberland Acoustic bridge fitted to my Eastman 305 a few days ago, and it was well worth it. Does it make it a $10,000 mandolin? Nope. Did the bridge (and/or the bridge fitting) make it a better Eastman? Most definitely - sustain is better, sound is smoother (?), more balanced between strings and notes and more subtle, response at low volume is better, dynamics are better. Is it louder? Dunno, but the 305 isn't quiet to start with. It's all round nicer to play (and it was OK out of the box), for a relatively small additional spend. Of course, I don't know whether the bridge on its own did this, or the fitting, or both, so results may or may not be replicable.
Johnny60
May-28-2021, 7:26am
Just out of interest - who did the fitting work for you? Or did you do it yourself?
A guitar and mandolin builder called Cas Davey who lives in Redruth, Cornwall UK did the work. He said it's not uncommon for OE mandolin bridges to sink into the finish a bit, which can complicate the job. Fortunately the finish on the Eastman 305 is quite thin, and the OE bridge has a very slightly larger footprint than the new bridge, so that wasn't a great issue.
Rob Roy
May-28-2021, 10:39am
Great write up on the changes you notice with the Cumberland bridge- Thanks for sharing.
soliver
May-28-2021, 11:06am
I'm a fan of CA bridges! Steve sent me one for an instrument I had in the past as well as one for my first build which I finished a while back and it did a great job on both instruments!
Good to hear how well it worked for you on your Eastman!
Jairo Ramos
May-28-2021, 12:12pm
Since I have a 305 too, I take this post to ask a question.
My plans are to buy a cumberland bridge - I understand it must have a 12-inch radius, but I'm not sure when it comes to size. Which one should I choose, the standard, the tall boy or the low boy? Should the base be full contact or standard?
I'm sure these questions will be answered on the cumberland site, but I would like to hear opinions from users. Greetings!
Mine is standard height, I guess if you measure your OE one, Cumberland would advise which model fits best. The base is standard format, although the arch between the feet is quite small on mine once fitted. A luthier, or Cumberland, might better advise on the probable effect of a full contact (ie no arch between the feet) bridge, I don't know what that does.