Acoustics with Adjustable Bridges

[danglybanger]

... So I have two acoustics with them, like the sound of both of them, enjoy the tweakability. By adjustable I mean one saddle, little metal screws on either side to set the height. Now start disagreeing with me

One of them is a cheap, $80 axe which possibly, out of the box, was among the best playing/sounding acoustics I'd ever encountered... Which is why I bought it when I really didn't need it Generic brand, ebonized rosewood board, but (apparently, from looking inside the thing and realizing that the grain pattern is the same inside and out) solid top, back and sides, and light as a feather. So the adjustable bridge at least doesn't hold it back...

The other is an ancient, 70s Takamine, which I used to hate because it sounded too... round and brittle, not open or chimey at all, felt like it had way too much string tension and was hard as hell to play/bend... (also I still hate the neck shape, but that's another story).

Took a screwdriver to the adjustable bridge to adjust the action downward (!), which reduced the string tension... and just completely opened up the tone and improved the feel... It almost sounds better than my $80 thing, I really can't decide... I'd had the action jacked up because the frets were so worn, now I'm just living with a few bad frets til I can have them leveled, and enjoying the looser, more open feel/tone.

Now I'm sure that the adjustable bridge doesn't automatically make a guitar not sound like ****, as I've played plenty of great axes (like my dad's new Takamine... or ANYONE else's acoustic lol) which don't have them... But it seems to be easier for the novice to then make it NOT sound that way should an axe be so equipped (most novices won't chance filing down the saddle, or buying a replacement), and it definitely doesn't seem to break your tone at any rate. Or at least mine.

But... experiences with it? Haters? I suppose I won't know for sure til I replace either of the bridges with fixed...

But I don't want to. And that's almost what matters

 

[AcousticSmash]

Re: Acoustics with Adjustable Bridges

Yes, Godin makes an acoustic hollowbody with two adjustable screw on the bridge, it is a nice guitar once it is setup properly. The 5th Avenue model sounds really nice though and is the only one I have ever encountered with the adjustable bridge (nice for slide guitar playing).

http://www.godinguitars.com/godinpress5thave.html

 

[Bludave]

Re: Acoustics with Adjustable Bridges

Adjustable bridges historically belong on electric guitars. I remember years back playing either a Gibson J200 or a Dove that had an adjustable bridge on it. It just sounded terrible. The builder who reworked it routed out all the metal and removed the screws. Filled the slot with a piece of ebony or RW (it was used to match the bridge and I don't recall what the bridge material was) cut a new Ivory saddle and nut for it and bingo a great sounding guitar. You could hear the sound trying to get out of the box. No sound transfer from bridge to the top with all those seams and breaks in the wood.

 

[ES350]

Re: Acoustics with Adjustable Bridges

I've heard really good Gibsons with adjustable bridges, but some of the late 60's-70's ones just sounded terrible. Just depends on the guitar; typical for acoustics.

 

[shawnr]

Re: Acoustics with Adjustable Bridges

Most of the time, I cut the saddle slot out of an acoustic bridge and fit it in place of the adjustable bridge setup, press fit so the owner can put it back to stock if they sell it.

I've worked on a couple of older Gibsons that had HUGE brass inserts fit to the top, plus those wonderful ceramic bridge saddles--makes you wonder what Gibson's designers were thinking.

Which is not to say ALL adjustables are bad--some of the old Japanese Epis sound pretty good if you replace the plastic saddle with bone.