bridge position

[NickA]

Took my bridge off to fix its adjusters....and forgot to mark where it had been.  Experimentation time!

 

The usual rule is, I think, to align the middle of the bridge with the f-hole notches... But that sounded rather soft and dull, warm but unexciting. Recalled that on my cello, it's harder to play but has a better tone with the bridge shifted down towards the tail piece ...but that made my bass sound softer and duller.

 

Moving the bridge nearer the fingerboard brightened the tone and improved the attack... Also a bit harsh and "boxy".  So back a bit and now it sounds better than ever.

 

Are there any useful rules about where the bridge should go and what effect different placements have on the sound ?... or is every bass different and it's just a matter of experimentation?

[Hellzero]

Looks like you've found already the sweet spot which is around the f-hole notches. 😉

[Beer of the Bass]

I suspect the difference you hear when shifting a bridge backwards or forwards slightly is the change in the relative position of the soundpost qnd the bridge foot. If you move it by 5mm, say, that's going to be a barely noticeable change in scale length, but a significant change in the gap between bridge and soundpost. 

[bassace]

And the string heights will alter.

[Bloopdad1]

Ahh.... Setups... (rabbit hole alert!) 

So for what it's worth, most luthiers draw a line between the F hole notches and have the bridge feet centered on the line. 

This is the bass setup datum point. 

Then the fun starts.. . 

For a tighter brighter sound the sound post is moved slightly closer to the the bridge foot. 

For a bassy sound it's moved away (towards the tail piece) 

For a more warmer sound it's moved towards the treble F hole (away from the bass bar). 

And for a more mid focused projection sound towards the bass bar. 

A sound post will be trimmed and it's height adjusted for each move. Plus it may only need moving a couple of mm each way. 

But the bridge always stays on its datum point. 

(unless you have an unusual bass with non standard dimensions). 

You can get adjustable posts these days which can be useful (but are quite expensive). 

The you switch to very low tension strings and you have to start again! 

[NickA]

Excellent advice. thanks.

 

From which it would appear that the sound post position on neither my bass nor my cello are completely optimal...however, bridge movements are simple on a cello and viable on a bass, but sound post adjustments are something I dare not attempt ( despite owning the " special tool" ).

 

Meanwhile enjoying the new improved sound of my bass.