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). 

This is obviously not "gospel" each bass and setup can be very different but the above is a good rough starting point for soundpost positions. Plus it's different for pizz players to orchestral.

Ultimately a decent setup is the difference between a good Luthier and a superb Luthier! 

 

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

 

 

Edited Thursday at 20:36 by Bloopdad1
Additional comment and spelling.. 😁

[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.

 

Update: first jazz session with moved bridge and a pickup... not sure, it's gone rather dark; nice round sound but lacks attack and definition.  Probably need to move the pickup around to find a new sweet spot ( it's a realist sound clip = very tweakable)

Edited Wednesday at 22:21 by NickA

[Staggering on]

Interested in this because I dropped my bass (Shen SB100 ply) off in Toronto for some bridge work and maybe some fingerboard dressing. The luthier thinks that the dull sound is probably due to several problems but will check the sound post first, he thinks it is too tight and won't allow the top to vibrate properly. He was a Shen dealer and was surprised at the dull sound considering that the bass was strung with 2 year old Spiro mittels, I'll report after I get it back next week.

[Staggering on]

The problem was the sound post, it was way too tight and choking the bass. The bridge also had some problems but he did some creative woodworking on one leg and set it up so the adjusters work properly. I had asked him to check the bridge position and he decided to leave it in the same place. Bass plays a lot better both arco and pizz and is louder with a better sound, strings (Spiros) are roughly 5,6,7,8 mm but I may change that a bit, gotta love adjusters. All in all money well spent but a bit tired today after a 9 hour 800km round trip yesterday into the craziness of Toronto's traffic, happy to get back up north where things are much quieter. 

[Burns-bass]

1 hour ago, Staggering on said:

The problem was the sound post, it was way too tight and choking the bass. The bridge also had some problems but he did some creative woodworking on one leg and set it up so the adjusters work properly. I had asked him to check the bridge position and he decided to leave it in the same place. Bass plays a lot better both arco and pizz and is louder with a better sound, strings (Spiros) are roughly 5,6,7,8 mm but I may change that a bit, gotta love adjusters. All in all money well spent but a bit tired today after a 9 hour 800km round trip yesterday into the craziness of Toronto's traffic, happy to get back up north where things are much quieter. 

800km is insane.

 

knowing my luck I’d have left my keys and have to drive back.

 

Glad the bass is sorted. I alway love the feeling when your bass has been set up and playing well.

[Staggering on]

57 minutes ago, Burns-bass said:

800km is insane.

 

knowing my luck I’d have left my keys and have to drive back.

 

Glad the bass is sorted. I alway love the feeling when your bass has been set up and playing well.

 

Maybe not insane but definitely a bit nutty even in a big place like Canada. Of course you have to be somewhat crazy to play DB and owning two of them and an EUB might be verging on insanity, but it is soooo much fun when things are going right.

Certainly agree with your last sentence, it just makes you want to play and play and play....😊