Pinless bridge

[Dave Bagwill]

I found this post from George Lowden Himself:


Hi Everyone,

I'm sorry for being a little silent for a while ..... pretty busy
really!

Regarding the design advantages / disadvantages of my pin-less bridge:

As David has said, the main downside could be that a pin-less bridge
will come off more easily than a pin bridge. But it is very important
to realise that given the same climatic conditions a pin bridge will
also lift off the soundboard at the back, the difference would be
that a pin-less bridge is likely to separate completely or nearly
so, ..... The way a pin bridge behaves under these same
circumstances is obviously less dramatic - but must nevertheless be
repaired the same way. Rarely does a bridge come off if the bridge is
kept from drying out too much, so be very careful to humidify the
guitar in dry periods - particularly if snow is on the ground, and
central heating is on.

The main advantages of a pin-less bridge are to do with the tone
characteristics. Because the rake angle taken by the strings over our
saddles is shallower than on a pin bridge, I am not so restricted by
structural considerations with the bracing / bridge interface. The
bracing can then be designed in such a way that it encourages a lot
of relatively complex oscillation modes, which in turn helps to give
the Lowden its particular tone.

All experienced guitar makers know that creating unplanned for stress
or tension in an instrument is not good for tone. The most critical
area of the guitar where tension should be avoided as much as
possible is the bridge and its joint to the soundboard. Any stress in
there is going to damp and restrict the guitar's tone, volume and
sustain. A pin-less bridge will be an 'easier' fit to the soundboard,
provided it has been fitted expertly.

This is a complex subject of course and so maybe someday I'll write a
book about my ideas of guitar design and construction.... but then it
might be too technical ..... I'd have to include some stories to
liven it up a little! Maybe someday

Cheers
George

[TonyinNYC]

Interesting read. Boosted my confidence Dave! Thanks!

[Dave Bagwill]

I asked Mr. Mottola for more specifics on his pinless bridge, and he was good enough to add some pix and text to his site as an aid in making one. Here is the link, updated as of today:

http://liutaiomottola.com/instruments/Ipomoea.htm

At the bottom of the page.

[ken cierp]

It seems that Ovation and Lowden have a much more elegant configuration for that big ditch in back of the saddle - I don't like the look of that feature $.02

[Dave Bagwill]

I'll check them out.
Thanks.

[Dave Bagwill]

Yeah, I'd looked at Lowden before and remembering not liking the wings as an aesthetic feature. In this pic, looks like a pretty big valley on his as well.

[Dave Bagwill]

Ovation/Adamas has a whole page of 'em.
http://www.ovationtribute.com/Bridges/O ... idges.html