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Adjustable Double bass bridge


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45 minutes ago, marvin spangles said:

Thanks but I live in Ireland and would be getting the Set up done here regards p

It doesn't need a setup if you've a bridge that already fits. You just need someone who is good working with wood/luthier to cut and fit the adjusters etc. 

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23 minutes ago, Happy Jack said:

Come to that, is there actually such a thing as a low quality adjustable DB bridge?

I would guess the ones on eBay for £25 to be as sturdy as a banana.

If it's of interest as comparison @marvin spangles, I got some quotes last year:

Thwaites had three grades of (fixed) bridge, £235-£375 fitted; adjusters were then an additional £200 fitted.

Bridgewood & Neitzert had four grades of bridges, £200-£350 fitted; adjusters were £70 + £75 for fitting.  Or they could fit the £70 adjusters to my existing bridge for £150 (I didn't completely understand why it's more work if I'm supplying the bridge: his words were "it's more fiddly").

 

Edited by jrixn1
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On 06/06/2021 at 16:51, Happy Jack said:

is there actually such a thing as a low quality adjustable DB bridge?

Certainly is.  Whether or not it makes a difference .. I don't have a clue.

 

On 06/06/2021 at 17:13, jrixn1 said:

Thwaites had three grades of (fixed) bridge, £235-£375 fitted; adjusters were then an additional £200 fitted.

Ouch!!! just OUCH.  That seems unreasonably expensive.  I was going to get an adjustable fitted to mine ... now (being somewhat unemployed) maybe I won't.

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  • 3 weeks later...
On 09/06/2021 at 20:27, NickA said:

Certainly is.  Whether or not it makes a difference .. I don't have a clue.

 

Ouch!!! just OUCH.  That seems unreasonably expensive.  I was going to get an adjustable fitted to mine ... now (being somewhat unemployed) maybe I won't.

Have you ever seen how much work goes into turning a blank into a proper, fitted bridge? Never mind the extra work to fit adjusters properly. To give you an idea how cheap luthiers are, an hour of the time of a "technician" at a Jaguar dealership hereabouts will cost you £200. Compare the skill levels....

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My new cello bridge cost £154 fitted ( no adjustors of course ) the blank was the best (despiau, grade A, C02) one they had in stock at £84, fitting £70 (an hour's and a bit work I guess). They didn't do all the fancy stuff of removing and shaping bits of the bridge blank that some people insist on.... but it fits the belly and the finger board curve perfectly; for a £10k istrument it's fine .. seemed a bit harsh at first but now played in nicely.  If I had a £100k cello I might be more fussy! 

The nearest equivalent despiau 4/4 DB bridge I found is £117, same price with adjusters pre fitted if you drop a few quality grades. Quite adequate for most us amateurs I'd imagine.

Admitted, if you want the finest grade A blank, custom carved, then fitted with the finest ebony adjusters, it's going to cost!

NB it's not the Jag technician you're paying for, it's the fancy show room, the massive tooling cost, an overweight management structure and the profit margin that heads off to India! 😉

Edited by NickA
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2 hours ago, NickA said:

My new cello bridge cost £154 fitted ( no adjustors of course ) the blank was the best (despiau, grade A, C02) one they had in stock at £84, fitting £70 (an hour's and a bit work I guess). They didn't do all the fancy stuff of removing and shaping bits of the bridge blank that some people insist on.... but it fits the belly and the finger board curve perfectly; for a £10k istrument it's fine .. seemed a bit harsh at first but now played in nicely.  If I had a £100k cello I might be more fussy! 

The nearest equivalent despiau 4/4 DB bridge I found is £117, same price with adjusters pre fitted if you drop a few quality grades. Quite adequate for most us amateurs I'd imagine.

Admitted, if you want the finest grade A blank, custom carved, then fitted with the finest ebony adjusters, it's going to cost!

NB it's not the Jag technician you're paying for, it's the fancy show room, the massive tooling cost, an overweight management structure and the profit margin that heads off to India! 😉

Well aware of that, I work there! But at the end of the day, what you're paying for matters far far less than how much you're paying!! My feeling is, given how often you need to change a bridge, paying a bit extra for the best blank and the best job is well worth it, if you can. Given how much some people spend chasing the "perfect" set of strings!!

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