Official Luthiers Forum!

If you use a pinless bridge do you still need a bridge plate? I know that part of the function of the bridge plate is to keep the ball ends from pulling through. On a pin bridge when the srings pass through the to the bridge plate it transfers some of the stress away from the bridge to top glue joint. For those of you using pinless bridges, do you use bridge screws to reinforce that glue joint? I did a search about this subject and only came up with a discusion about ukes and clasicals.

The bridge plate is more than just an anchor for pins. It also serves to resist the dreaded bridge hump. All that string tension can eventually lift the top and cause a hump behind the bridge. It also serves- along with the x-brace- to resist the twisting caused by the strings. If you use a pinless bridge, you don't have to worry as much about grain orientation (i.e. if the grain is quartered and parallel to the pins it might split).

I always use a bridge plate. I have used spruce once at the recommendation of Sergei de Jonge. Since then, I have mainly used hard maple- flatsawn. I do not use an sort of screw in my bridges. A good tight joint will do just fine.

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