Official Luthiers Forum!

Hi-

What are the finished bridge dimensions for the old style rectangular bridges on a L-00, J-35, J-45, etc. I think they are roughly 6" x 1" but what are the heights at the bass and treble sides? I want to make a Roy Smeck style 12 fret dread and need any and all info on the bridges.


Thanks guys!

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John Lewis
Wannabe builder owned by 2 crazy dachshunds

6" X 1" is good, If your shooting for 1/2" string height at the bridge, subtract .080/.100 saddle height, your off and running. My daughters 13 fret Nick Lucas I built her bridge height is 3/8 on the bass side 11/32 on the treble with .120" saddle showing between the D & G

I agree but think just a bit thinner is more what they actually measure. I would suggest 7mm at the middle, between D and G string. And it tapers from 6 up to 8. A straight edge riding on the frets should be 7mm above the top between the D and G.

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Ken

There's a discussion of 1930s Gibson bridge sizes, with detailed photos of vintage Gibson bridges being calipered, at the UMGF. The starting question of the thread was whether a particular J35 bridge was original.

(The Unofficial Martin Guitar Forum > The Vintage Corner > 1938 J35 on Ebay - Is this bridge original?)

From what I could gather, the best explanation seems that the blanks started out 6 X 1 and then the length and width were reduced a bit in the process of shaping and smoothing. Over the decades, it seems that most bridges have been shaved down a bit, making it difficult to be certain about original thickness.

The shape of the bridges, especially the rounding of the ends, is quite distinctive, and the photos show this really clearly.

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Tim Allen
"Never hurry, never rest."