Too many Bart Bridges to choose from?

There are so many different bridges available on these pages so I don't blame you if you are confused, especially when you consider that bridges can profoundly alter the sound you're used to. The thing to remember is that, fortunately, not all banjos are created equal. As well, most people have their own idea about what sounds good, especially when playing in different styles or when playing different types of music. It's reasonable to expect that a Don Reno fan has substantially different sound and tone requirements than someone looking for plunk on an openback clawhammer banjo. For that reason it makes a lot of sense to dig a little deeper and to consider custom tailoring your sound requirements instead of settling for a one-fits-all mass produced bridge.
After a lot of trial and error experiments I've narrowed down the selection of woods pretty good and came up with some rules of thumb. First, any of the bridges I make will sound really nice on any banjo so you really cannot make a wrong choice. Second, some wood combinations are more likely to get you the ultimate sound & tone then others.

Of course, personal preferences vary from player to player, from instrument to instrument and there always are exceptions, but here's some pretty solid clues that'll help you select the most suitable bridge for YOUR banjo and YOUR style of playing.

One thing to keep in mind though, there is a practical height range when it comes to quality sound and/or tone: anything shorter than a 1/2" or taller than 3/4" and well, basically it'll be a thingie that holds up the strings - functional, but sound and tone wise you shouldn't expect optimum performance as there's either too little, or too much, mass for getting quality sound. For optimum sound you should try to set up your banjo so it can use a bridge in the range of 1/2" to 11/16". Three finger bluegrass pickers might even want to limit that range to 9/16" ~ 11/16".

Bridge Wood: Mystery, no topping Clean/clear sound, excellent volume. Great for clawhammer or toning down overly bright sounding banjos - *the* bridge for Odes/Omes. Especially suitable for old-time yet remarkably clear for 3 finger style
Mystery, topped All around favourite, can't go wrong with this one. Awesome for hard driving bluegrass, fabulous volume & sustain. Terrific volume on the 4th string yet clear as a bell on the other strings. High-end Mastertone style banjos love this one.

Scruggs/Reno/Melodic style

Banjos with 12 inch, or larger, rims - A weight to get rid of the tubby tone

Teak, topped A tad louder and brighter than enigma, arch tops love this one but may be a tad too bright for flat tops. They're also a great choice for lower volume banjos, or entry level to medium price range, like Goodtimes etc., some Gibsons (teak not recommended for Stellings) Stanley style, especially with mystery topping
Topping wood Ebony Great neutral tone For strings of all gauges
African Blackwood A little more melodious than ebony. Hard driving sound but sweeter for slower melodies This wood is harder than ebony
Other woods available These would be mostly for cosmetic changes Bloodwood with it's red colour looks really cool
Specialty bridges Archie Designed for archtop (raised head) banjos. Expect a lot a additional horsepower on budget and medium price range flat head banjos Amazing hard driving clarity all over and especially up the neck. Great and powerful bottom end on archtops (A or B wight does not apply)
Dark Star Superb tonal clariry and enhanced sustain. If strong melody/melodious playing is your thing than a Dark Star is where it's at  Especially suitable for recording sessions and banjos that have too little sustain or too fast a decay Woodies (wooden rim banjos) really come alive with an amazing presence that's been hiding all this time (A or B weight does not apply)
Bridge Weight A Regular weight, excellent volume and tonal balance  Ideal for most banjos with thin skins (mylar, kevlar, frosted, smooth). High end banjos for especially for dynamic sound range, low end & medium banjos for sparkle & volume
B A little heavier, a bit beefier sound For banjos equiped with thicker heads: fyberskin, thick calf/goat skin (thin real skin counts as a thin head). Wilwood banjos love these B weights.

String spacing

5 string banjos

42 mm "Standard" used to for most mass produced bridges (distance between the 1st and 5th string) If you have a came-with-the-banjo bridge this is most likely what you have
44 mm Makes it easier for a lot of people to play cleaner and faster ("Crowe") Great for both 3 finger and clawhammer styles
46 mm Prefered by many for clawhammer A bit on the wide side for 3 finger
48 mm Some clawhammer players like it this wide Not my preference for 3 finger style but then there's Baucom...
50 mm Standard on Stealth banjos Careful: strings will spill over board on many standard width necks and intonation issues could easily crop up 
 
Consider too that you might want to get an seperate bridge for the various styles of music you play. If you do a lot of hard driving bluegrass but want to get a real sweet tone for some slower stuff - what's to stop you from swapping your bridge for the occasion since doing so only takes a couple of seconds...

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