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Split bridge?

Posted by Ryan Lansing on September 8, 2012 at 3:25pm in Building Secrets, Tips, Advice, Discussion

So I was sitting here writing a question about intonation and making a mandolin-style compensated bridge for my stick dulcimer when I had one of those "that's just crazy enough to work" moments. I have a piece of walnut that's halfway to being a finished bridge and I was trying to figure out a way to individually intonate (intone?) each string. I think I may just cut it into three pieces and let each string have its own floating bridge. Has anybody else tried this? Got any advice or stories of success or failure?

This build is only my second and it sounds a thousand times better than I expected. My first one plays pretty well but kind of sounds like crap. I guess the improvement can be attributed to some combination of learning from mistakes, spending infinite hours reading cbnation's how-to forums, and pure dumb luck.

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Replies

  • Huntz Meyer September 11, 2012 at 7:05am

    http://www.cigarboxnation.com/forum/topics/adjustable-bridge

    I did a couple then realized it wasn't worth the effort.  A regular floating bridge, angled, with a reasonable action height and intonation is fine.

    Huntz

  • wormil September 8, 2012 at 9:23pm

    Is it an exceptionally short scale or something? You shouldn't have any problems with intonation on a 3 string with a floating bridge. 

    • Ryan Lansing > wormil September 10, 2012 at 11:16pm

      25.5" scale. I ended up fixing the problem by lowering the overall nut height, and then going a littler lower than that on the low D. I guess the action was high enough to throw the intonation off.

      Still curious about the split bridge thing. Sort of a poor man's tune-o-matic. At roughly what scale length does it become necessary to have some compensation at the bridge? 

      • wormil > Ryan Lansing September 10, 2012 at 11:32pm

        I really don't know but apparently somewhere around mandolin scale, 14". Since ukuleles don't have them I imagine it is exaggerated by the number of strings. I had to switch out the bridge and nut on my first build several times before getting it just right.

        • The Phrygian Kid > wormil September 11, 2012 at 5:08am
          Uke's don't need it cos there is substantially less difference in diameter between the light and heavy strings.. Classical guitars don't need sod all either. It's not about scale length, it's about the fatness of the strings, a longer neck will in fact née it less rather than more because as the scale shortens intonation becomes more critical not less. Good luck with your Bridge of many pieces :)
          • wormil > The Phrygian Kid September 11, 2012 at 12:31pm

            Interesting thanks.

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