Hardtail bridge

Posted by Don Bear on February 21, 2017 at 2:32am

If I put a hardtail bridge on my guitar will it still give an acceptable sound when played unplugged?  Or should I just consider that it is an amp only guitar.

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Replies

  • darryl kernaghan March 2, 2017 at 3:35am

    Don, just my 2c, but if your hard tail is a top loader, it is also the string anchor, meaning it has to be mounted pretty soundly to withstand string tension, so generally they are mounted well to the rear of the box, reducing the amount of string vibration transfer to the soundboard, meaning they are made for, and better suited to a solid body electric. Having said all that, with a bit of design/engineering skill, the box top can be beefed up from the bridge to the tail enough to withstand the string tension, and still get good soundboard flex, just a matter of balancing how much minimum extra you need to be secure and maintain soundboard flex

  • Slow Blues Dani & Ol' Grey Bear February 21, 2017 at 2:47am
    You know what, Don, I've never thought of it like that before. I don't know either. My instinct is that you should still get some semblance of volume out of it but I can't say for sure. My own personal experience of hardtail bridges haven't been good ones. I tend to avoid them like the plague on my own builds. I'm still really inexperienced at making guitars with many builds and less than a handful of successes under my belt but give me a threaded rod or bone bridge any day!

    Hope someone comes along with the answer you asked for. Oh, and best of luck with your build!
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