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What do you guys think of this?


I wonder if this type of design would prevent the top caving in near the soundhole...

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Joe Breault
Merrimack, NH
Perpetual novice

The shear forces on this bridge are contained in a very small foot print which means the loads are higher per sq inch. looks like a bridge falure waiting to happen to me. It also has more rotating load which adds to the shear at the back endMichaelP39042.4971759259

to my way of thinking the strings wrapping as they do would create torsional forces which could, in conjuction with the small bridge footprint, be likely to lift the bridge or pull it off, belly the top and cause soundhole cave in.

Looks to me like 180lb of torque trying to rotate it off the top. But then, as my wife will tell you, I'm usually wrong.

Colin

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I don't believe in anything, I simply make use of a set of reasonable working hypotheses.

Scary to be sure!

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Lance@LuthiersForum.com

All the loads on this bridge are trying to rotate around this edge. to some degree all bridges do but the supporting foot print is so narrow that the loads carried per sq inch of the glue joint are huge in comparison to a conventional bridge. This design almost eliminated the downward force at the saddle That normally helps the reduce the rotating load. Man!!! dont stand at the peghead MichaelP39042.5149189815

Sure looks cool though, huh?

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Tickle your guitar daily, and it'll tickle you back.

Good looking bridge, but a little scary. A well designed bridgeplate under the top might help with the tortion.

Al

[QUOTE=A Peebels] Good looking bridge, but a little scary. A well designed bridgeplate under the top might help with the tortion.

Al[/QUOTE]

not unless it is bolted through to the plate because the first path of failure is the glue joint. Like I said the only way the bridge plate would help is if ti ties the birdge to the bridge plate. I suspect this may be the case would accound to the extra height.MichaelP39042.536412037

looks to me like it has more grabbing force on the bridge to pull it up, i wouldn't do it that way unless it had proven it's effectiveness with the test of time.

So, you think this would be a "accidentaly kill the pet" type of setup?

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Joe Breault
Merrimack, NH
Perpetual novice

I like the looks of it, but that sucker is gonna peel for sure, unless it's screwed on from underneath.

Ron

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OLD MAN formerly (and formally) known as:

Ron Wisdom

Somewhere in the middle of Arkansas......

A lot of thought went into a way to make a pin-less design different than other pin-less designs, but the thought did not include consideration for the dispersal of the shear loading. That is unless there is a pinning system between the bridge plate and the bridge. As others have said the mass is pretty high as well.MichaelP39042.5651041667

Joe,

Regardless of its problems, I really like the look of the bridge. Quite a few ukuleles have bridges without pins or ties. This photo is similar to what I use. In this case the nylon string is put though the hole and uses either a knot or bead to secure below the bridge plate. This makes for a nice clean look.


Philip

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aka konacat

If you think my playing is bad you should hear me sing!
Practice breeds confidence and confidence breeds competence. Unfortunately, I'm stuck in practice.

Can't really tell how wide (the dimension that runs parallel to the strings) it is by the photo, but I agree, it looks too narrow, with a long, skinny footprint and it appears quite high. However, I don't think the manner in which the strings are wrapped makes any difference. The loads at the footprint would be the same regardless.

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now known around here as Pat Foster
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http://www.patfosterguitars.com

The string windings appear to be separating at the back of the bridge where the wound strings go through. I wonder if they might separate and unravel there. Could be a hard design on strings, too.

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"Building guitars looks hard, but it's actually much harder than it looks." Tom Buck

Apparently this is from a Boaz guitar.   Here's a link to the full guitar: warning, sunburst on BRW

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Joe Breault
Merrimack, NH
Perpetual novice

well I will politely disagree if you follow the force of the string there is greater rotating force ( moment of inertia) imparted on this bridge than even an ovation style pin-less



A much grater proportion of the string loading is going into a rotational force on the front edge of the bridge.

And all these forces are acting at a higher location on the bridge which multiplies their effectMichaelP39042.6359606481

Looks a lot wider in the other shots in the link that Joe just posted. Here's one.



Looks OK to me now, as far as footprint size goes. Looks heavy. Has a sort of Van Linge/Hesh flavor to it, goes well with the classical/ss theme on the rest of the guitar.burbank39042.6411921296

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now known around here as Pat Foster
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http://www.patfosterguitars.com

To me looks like a lot of rotational force imparted upwards rather than a "pull" driving the plates.
I am sorry to join the ranks that disagree with this design but it does look like recipe for disaster...

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Peter M.
Cornerstone Guitars
http://www.cornerstoneukes.com

If I had to design a way to try and peel a bridge off the guitar in the least amount of time, this, to me, would be the way to do it.

I agree that this has to be secured to the bridge plate somehow. Maybe dowels at the corners? But then bridge removal would be a nightmare.

I can see where this would be a dream to use and change strings quickly at a live gig though. It does have sort of a 'funky factor' charm to it...

The idea does have merits, but I can't help but think that the design totally changes the way the strings pull on the bridge.

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