- 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. Like I
said, the perception of sound quality is
extremely personal.
-
- 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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