- Q: Will your bridges sound different then the
bridge I'm using now?
- A: Yes. All bridges sound different and so will
these. Keep in mind, the beauty of tone and sound is extremely
subjective, what I like you might think really sucks or vice versa.
- Q: How's the sound compare with or without the
ebony top?
- A: Depends on the wood. Some I prefer plain, others
I prefer with the ebony top. For some woods the ebony top is needed to
keep the strings from slicing up the bridge.
- Q: How come your bridges look so thin compared with
most others?
- A: I use woods denser than maple so I don't need to
make them look like a two by four. A thinner bridges will transmit the
string vibrations more freely to the tone ring and the skinnier legs
make for a smaller foot print on the banjo's head so there's a much less
of an opportunity for my bridges to mute/deaden string vibrations. Also,
because the top also is thinner, there's much less of a chance for
strings to buzz.
- Q: Tried any different woods?
- A: Yup, all kinds of them. Keep in mind, all of my
bridges are totally custom so I can do them up out of any wood you want.
I recently did a solid ebony one that sounded quite beatiful actually.
Hard to describe, but it took on some of the properties of a
muted-bridge without sacrificing too much on the high notes. Another one
I made this weekend (Jan. 2001) was out of some weird wood, totally blew
my mind so far I haven't heard anything sound this loud and this good.
- Q: Do you use old wood that's been "seasoned" by
having music flow through it in previous incarnations, like some that
are made from old fiddle parts or pianos or something?
- A: No, I don't. What if whomever played it got bad
notes stuck in it by screwing up Cripple Creek time after time, or
playing it out of tune all the time... I'm pretty sceptical about that
sorta thing actually, but hey, it might not be impossible...
- Q: Does the sound my bridge gives me improve with
age?
- A: See above... More like it that after a few years
of banjoing you're playing got a lot better and you can put more feel
into getting your own sound. If Earl picks up my banjo and plays it,
he'll sound like Earl and as much as I would like to, I simply never
will.
- Q: How long do bridges last?
- A: If you move them around a lot the wood at the
string slots might chip and your string start buzzing. Could be they
might crack, or sag in the middle after a while because let's face it,
there's a huge amount of pressure on them (especially with the tail
piece cranked down low) so you should really consider them a consumable
item like strings and carrying a spare sure couldn't hurt. Normally
speaking though they should last you many years.
- Q: I've been told taller bridges are louder and
have a better tone, that true?
- A: Yes and No. If you're talking about weirdly
short bridges, less than 1/2 inch, this can easily be true. For bridges
in the normal range, 1/2 inch to 11/16 inch, no, there is no difference
in volume when going taller. When you increase the height of the bridge
the angle of the strings where they make contact gets steeper which
results in more string pressure on the bridge. Three variables at play
here: bridge height, tail piece pressure and head tension. The ideal
overal pressure/tension gets you the maximum sound. If the increased
bridge height made your banjo sound louder it means that your banjo was
not tweaked to the max in the first place, simple as that.
- Q: How long does it take you to make one of your
bridges?
- A: Usually about two to three days.
- Q: After I put one of your bridges on my banjo and
it turns out I really hate it, how long will they last in my fireplace?
- A: Depending on the efficiency of your fireplace,
the rate of caloric accelleration, the oxygen levels at your
geographical location and elevation, and if you remembered to first
detach the banjo, approximately 7.3 seconds.
- Q: If I bring, or ship you, my banjo, could you
measure the sweet spots for me?
- A: Of course. It would actually be better because
then I can "sweeten" it more accurately without needing to round off the
millimeters. Depending where you are, shipping a banjo back and forth
could be quite expensive and could easily cost a lot more than what I
charge for a bridge. You can drop me an email to
make an appointment to come see me with your banjo. I live in
Hamilton, Ontario - about half way between Toronto, ON and Buffalo, NY,
only about one hour in either direction. Can I do it while you wait? No
guarantees but I might be able to. If you really do want to ship me your
banjo, you need to email me before hand because there's not always
somebody here to receive it.
- Q: I've heard some bridges mute the sound and the
whole thing sounds muffled
- A: Usually the result of improper slotting. In rare
cases one kind of bridge just doesn't get along with some banjo and I
have no idea why that is. No prob though, just send it back.
- Q: My banjo is a no-frill inexpensive jobbie,
what's my chances of me getting a better sound?
- A: A budget banjo will typically give you a budget
sound. Sometimes they're finnicky and don't like to be tinkered with.
Most of them however, love my bridges and reward you by kicking up the
volume a notch or two besides sounding a lot sparkier.
- Q: Do you promise, or claim, that your bridges will
be louder than the one I got?
- A: I don't know what you got now, could be you have
a killer bridge already. Maybe too much truth in advertising but no I
can't, and I won't, promise you that. Mind you, I gave being surprised
at louder volumes a long time ago...
- Q: What's your own personal favourite wood combo?
- A: I'm kinda partial to the mystery stuff although
the enigma is really cool too. Then of course, there's the teak jobbies
and the two-leggers really kick butt. Sigh, so many choices and my taste
does change from time to time...
- Q: So what about the "standard" ebony topped hard
maple?
- A: Yawn, so unspectacular... The woods I use manage
to liberate so much more sound from any banjo than the "tried and true"
maple ones that I'd feel guilty about offering them. Of course, maple is
available should you really insist. After all, I do custom work, so why
not. All in all though, there's a lot more sound to be enjoyed by
choosing anyone of the other woods I so much prefer working with so why
settle for less. Consider this: from time to time I invite people to
test drive some prototype bridges for me - they get to keep one or two
they really like and send back the rest of them. Without fail they
always return the maple jobbies...
- Q: How's about them drowned logs they fish up form
the bottom of Lake Superior?
- A: Pretty cool stuff for sure but to me there's not
that much difference between it and the regular hard maple. Sure's a lot
more expensive though...
- Q: What about topping it with something else
instead of ebony?
- A: By default I use ebony and African Blackwood but
there's a couple of others, yes you guessed it, mystery wood that sound
fabulous.
- Q: Your oil, or whatever, finish, that change the
sound at all?
- A: To be sure, we're not talking multiple layers of
sprayed laquer, or whatever, to build up a nice piano-like finish so you
basically end up with a hunk of plastic - we're talking one, and one
only, coat of oil finish on my bridges. With the right finish, properly
applied, most of it evaporates leaving less than five milligrams of
finish. A bridge can go up and down in weight by more than that with
changes in humidity levels or in grain structure differences from one
bridge to another even from the same slab of wood. In other words, it
makes no difference sound or tone wise whatsoever. The oil finish sure
makes them look nice, real nice, so there's no need to settle for the
unfinished furniture looks. In fact, the finish will prevent them from
starting to look grimy after all the picking over the years. By the way,
you don't need to re-oil it every so often. Of course, if you really
don't want an oil finish all you have to do is tell me and I won't put
it on.
- Q: I have this really neat hunk of wood stashed in
the basement, came off a pirates leg I inherited actually, could I mail
you that and you use that wood to make me a bridge?
- A: Arrgh matey, why not. Just be sure to let me
know you're sending it before hand and please make sure there's no
termites in it.
- Q: I used my computer to design the ultimate bridge
- if I send you the blueprint, can you make me one exactly like that?
- A: Keeping in mind I'm not a millwright, sure, I'll
make it totally to your specifications.
- Q: Your two-footed bridges, won't they sag in the
middle after a while?
- A: They probably will after a while but usually
won't show any sign of that for at least six months to one year, some
people have used them for a lot longer than that without any noticeable
sag. Besides, considering bridges are a consumable item and they're
reasonably priced that shouldn't really spoil your fun. Yup, they sure
sound great because there are only two spots on the head, instead of
three, where the soundwaves get interfered with.
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