A hypothetical question: flattop mando with pin bridge?

[Tate Ferguson]

I can see that an archtop f-hole mandolin is directly analogous to an archtop guitar: arched top, floating bridge, string attachment at the tailpiece. But the analogy breaks down when it comes to a flattop mandolin, as you still have the floating bridge and tailpiece string attachment.

Has anyone, to the knowledge of this forum, built a flattop mandolin just like a flattop guitar, with a pin bridge, or other direct string connection to a bridge that is glued to the top? I would think that the top of this hypothetical mandolin would be less likely to sink, than on flattop mandolins I've owned and heard of; the string tension would be pulling up, not pushing down.

Obviously such a bridge would be a tiny, high-precision component; maybe this precludes such an instrument being attempted.

Thanks from this semi-ignoramus, for any replies.

[Davey]

I haven't played these but they have a good reputation. I've wondered about this too.

http://www.folkmandolin.co.uk

[Jim Garber]

Ovation mandolins are made like their guitars with fixed bridges.

[Jess L.]

Well I'm no expert but I'd go nuts without being able to adjust intonation as I see fit for different string gauges etc. Seems like the shorter the scale length, the more critical it is to have the bridge saddle in just the right spot.

The beauty of the floating bridge is that you can scoot it back a little if the strings are fretting too sharp, no expensive luthier visit required.

I don't even know how intonation/saddle adjustments would be accomplished on a fixed-bridge mandolin, if the saddle is narrow there wouldn't be much room to work with. I guess you'd be stuck with however it shipped from the builder, and hope that it never required any further intonation adjustments? Unless there's some magical way to install adjustable saddles like on strat-style electric guitars or something (and not mess up the acoustic tone).

---
Full disclosure:
Longtime easily-intonatable-bridge addict - fiddles, banjos, mandolin-family instruments, archtop guitars etc, and the last few years now Strat-style electric (the ultimate in ease of adjustment).

[Beanzy]

Have a look on here, there are many styles which came & went in the history of the mandolin
Atlas of Plucked Instruments

These are a couple I got some decent pics of at the V&A storerooms



Quite a few luthiers still make them to order.

[DavidKOS]

I have played several mandolin with flat tops and pin bridges.

Some sounded OK, most were unremarkable. the regular flat-top designs are fine, nothing to be gained by borrowing from folk guitar construction.

[derbex]

Like these? http://www.folkmandolin.co.uk/instruments/index.htm

I have an OM that gets compliments.

[bruce.b]

I would think a pin bridge would be significantly more likely to distort the top, and therefore require stronger bracing than a floating bridge with tailpiece. What it might get you is a different tone, more like a guitar with a pin bridge.

[fscotte]

It would sound more like a small guitar tuned like a mando. The top responds differently when you change how the force of the bridge is applied. One pulls on the top, the other pushes on the top.

[sebastiaan56]

I built and have been playing this configuration for a while now. It works well and has a punchy sound that is bigger than a nylon string guitar. I expect it would work well with metal strings as well. This is x braced with the legs of the bridge over the wings of the X.