SJ-200 Bridge Observation & Question

[duluthdan]

Somewhere in the back of my brain I know that there are j-200s with four ribbon bridge, and two ribbon bridge. But until BK posted a pic to illustrate "silking" I had never paid attention or noticed the differences.

 

Here's what I think I see:

4 Ribbon bridge has a bit more distance between the bridge pins and the saddle.

4 Ribbon bridge pin layout is radiused in relation to the saddle.

4 Ribbon plastic pins don't have near the classy appearance as BK's custom jobs.

Haven't peeked under the hood yet - are the bridgeplates on these similar, or does the radiused pin layou also alter the plate shape?

 

i am not concerned at all about any of this BTW. Its just that my lame brain, even though knowing there were twos and fours, never observed any difference. I will not lose sleep. I know that some of you must have noticed these differences in the past. BTW, my SJ-200 is a 2002 Standard.

 

[BigKahune]

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In the past there have been a couple of discussions about this and the geometry differences it causes - might've been before you joined. You're spot on with your observations, although I don't recall discussing the bridge plate before. Some would also point out that the longer distance between the saddle and the pins on a 4 ribbon bridge makes for more obtuse break angles - and for that reason some would rather have the 2 ribbon version. But, I don't recall anyone saying they could actually hear a difference in the sound/tone/volume when A/B testing. Another thing you sometimes see on 4 ribbon bridges is a bit of ramping wear occurring on the E strings, A string, and B string pin holes (likely because of the longer saddle to pin distance and lower break angle). Do I see a bit of that on the high E string in the pic you posted?

 

 

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[Hall]

:) Dan, those aren't plastic pins on your instrument, they are "vintage catalin"!

 

Steve

[bobouz]

Personally, I prefer the two ribbon (or no ribbon as on the J100) to minimize the distance between the pinholes & saddle, and increase the break angle - particularly on the treble strings.

 

But it still comes down to assessing each instrument on it's own merits. If it tone is satisfying and the neck angle allows you to achieve your ideal setup for playability purposes, all is good!

[GDC]

I agree with Bob.

[ritchie69]

Dan, the four ribbon bridge on my J-200 have, more or less, the same break-over angle as yours...it reminds me a discussion on AGF, where some renowned luthiers claimed that 15/20 degrees of break over angle is plenty and a greater angle will not improve the tone.