L-00 Blues King Bridge Question

[northcntryblues]

Hi all,

 

Attached is a picture of the bridge on my 2011 L-00 Blues King. I noticed that the bridge is sloped from the bass end downward toward the treble end. Most bridges I've seen are straight across. Why is the bridge sloped like this, and is this a common Gibson thing?

[j45nick]

It's normal. The taper increases the break angle over the saddle for the treble strings, which would otherwise have a flatter break angle due to the angled saddle.

 

Somewhere along the way (maybe around 1940 or so?) this feature was dropped. Sort of a shame, because it seems like a sound idea.

 

Here's a shot of a similar bridge on my L-OO Legend. If you look closely, you can see there's a lot more height of exposed saddle on the treble side, and the break angle of the strings is pretty similar all the way from the low E to the high E.

 

[BluesKing777]

It's normal. The taper increases the break angle over the saddle for the treble strings, which would otherwise have a flatter break angle due to the angled saddle.

 

Somewhere along the way (maybe around 1940 or so?) this feature was dropped. Sort of a shame, because it seems like a sound idea.

 

Here's a shot of a similar bridge on my L-OO Legend. If you look closely, you can see there's a lot more height of exposed saddle on the treble side, and the break angle of the strings is pretty similar all the way from the low E to the high E

 

 

 

 

Either that or they made a dreadful mistake!

 

Mine split horizontally when I tried some weird tuning - what a horrible noise amplified through the guitar box - tech glued it and it still holds.....

 

 

BluesKing777.

[j45nick]

Either that or they made a dreadful mistake!

 

Mine split horizontally when I tried some weird tuning - what a horrible noise amplified through the guitar box - tech glued it and it still holds.....

 

 

BluesKing777.

 

 

Next time you experiment with Nashville tuning, remember to switch to lighter-gauge strings.....

[BluesKing777]

Next time you experiment with Nashville tuning, remember to switch to lighter-gauge strings.....

 

 

 

Yep, they can keep that tuning in Nashville!

 

It is not much good for a solo guitarist anyway.

 

 

 

BluesKing777.

[Lars68]

The slope with its increased wood mass on the bass end is also there to support the saddle and keeping it from bending, or splitting the bridge. There is a lot of force and pull from the bass strings in this area.

 

Lars

[j45nick]

The slope with its increased wood mass on the bass end is also there to support the saddle and keeping it from bending, or splitting the bridge. There is a lot of force and pull from the bass strings in this area.

 

Lars

 

 

To be clear, I'm not positive Gibson was thinking about break angle when they did the bridge design, but it's a fortunate benefit, even if it was done for other reasons. With a severe break angle, there is a lot of bending moment on the saddle, as you point out.

[northcntryblues]

Thanks for everyone's replies/input. One further question - if the bridge is sloped downward from bass to treble instead of flat across, why doesn't that create higher string relief (action) on the bass strings vs. the treble strings?

 

btw, have I mentioned that I LOVE my guitar lately?

[j45nick]

One further question - if the bridge is sloped downward from bass to treble instead of flat across, why doesn't that create higher string relief (action) on the bass strings vs. the treble strings?

 

 

The saddle isn't sloped: only the bridge is sloped. The bottom of the slot for the saddle in the bridge is nominally parallel to the top. The top of the saddle is nominally crowned to the radius of the fretboard. This keeps the string height similar across the strings (although it is not identical for every string).

[northcntryblues]

The saddle isn't sloped: only the bridge is sloped. The bottom of the slot for the saddle in the bridge is nominally parallel to the top. The top of the saddle is nominally crowned to the radius of the fretboard. This keeps the string height similar across the strings (although it is not identical for every string).

 

Duh. Why didn't I think of that.

 

Thanks!

[Rambler]

Is the arch on vintage Gibson's one of the reasons they do not need neck resets that Martins, which presume a flat soundboard (?) do? Wonder if that holds true for newer models.

[j45nick]

Is the arch on vintage Gibson's one of the reasons they do not need neck resets that Martins, which presume a flat soundboard (?) do? Wonder if that holds true for newer models.

 

 

I would say the adjustable truss rod has also been key to Gibson's success. I'm not sure when Martin adopted the adjustable truss rod. I also wonder if the "detailed" Martin Authentic series guitars (1937-1941 specs) have an adjustable truss rod or not.

 

I've had neck re-sets on two of my Gibsons, by the way. Both are vintage guitars (1968 or earlier). I've seen plenty of other vintage Gibsons in serious need of a neck re-set, so they aren't bullet-proof in that regard, although perhaps less vulnerable than vintage Martins in that regard.