Adjustable Bridges?

[littlekatie]

Hi everyone. Starting to play concerto repertoire more regularly now and finding that my strings are a little high. I was wondering about those adjustable bridges, the ones with the little metal bits that you use to adjust the bridge height. My yamaha silent bass came with one and it's great but my teacher says that it's possible I will lost some of the (massive) sound my bass produces at the moment if I lower my existing bridge, but that having metal as part of the bridge itself isn't too great either. Now I'm really confused! Does anyone have a strong (or medium!) opinion on these, have you got one, has it taken the edge off your sound, etc. I should stress that I'm not a soloist really, much more of a chamber or orchestral player, but the repertoire I'm learning is mostly solo. Also how much do they cost for buying and setup combined (from a decent luthier!)? Answers in GBP would be great...Thanks muchly, Katie

[Bruce Lindfield]

Look here :

http://www.contrabass.co.uk/bridgeadjusters.htm

[Thomas Stone]

where abouts in london are you based Katie?

The luthier I use has adjusters custom made for him. I'll PM you cost details.

I used to have adjusters, but I'm not bothering having them put on my new bridge. This is purely for cosmetic reasons.

They are very useful for exactly the purpose you describe, Ie changing the string height for different types of music.

I doubt my bass fluctuates in string height throughout the year as much as some do on the other side of the pond, but your bass may exhibit greater seasonal changes.
If so adjusters also enable you to maintain the same string height year round.


I doubt you'll really notice any difference in the sound after you have them fitted, but if you did and if it really bothered you a new bridge isn't very expensive in the grand scheme of things.

I say go for it.

[Bruce Lindfield]

Originally Posted by littlekatie

my teacher says that it's possible I will lost some of the (massive) sound my bass produces at the moment if I lower my existing bridge...

I think it's well-known - even in Jazz circles - lower the action and you lose volume and the tone changes dramatically. Raise the action and you get more volume and a bassier sound?

I would trust your teacher!

[Thomas Stone]

Well bruce is right, Lower height strings exert less pressure which doesn't drive the bass so well. but how much are you considering lowering the strings by?
I doubt it would even be 2mm.

If it means the difference between struggling to be able to practice something, or being able to seriously work on a piece, but with slightly less volume I know which I'd go for.

You can always increase the height of the strings by a half turn of the adjuster wheel each fortnight and build up the strength slowly.
Before you know it you'd be back to where you started.

Or if you want to know your bass is sounding its best don't modify your current bridge and have a new one fitted with adjusters. For performances you could put the old one back on.

One of my teachers is very anti adjusters. The other uses them.
Just don't be putting them on your baroque bass

[arnoldschnitzer]

Originally Posted by Thomas Stone

Well bruce is right, Lower height strings exert less pressure which doesn't drive the bass so well.

Some basses work better with less pressure. Ideally, raise and lower your strings until you find a height that combines good tone with comfortable playability. This is a major benefit of bridge adjusters. I have had situations where I installed adjusters into a solid bridge and felt the sound was improved.

[Bethelbass1]

My bass has ebony adjusters which, though a little more expensive, are easier to turn. I don't know if the wood factors in to the transmission of string vibration but it might. They also look really cool.

[robobass]

I think that you should definitely get adjusters. You are a younger player, and have a new bass, so being able to experiment and find out what string height makes your instrument sound best, and what is most comfortable for you to play should take priority over purist issues about solid bridges, which are just that. Where I live, adjusters are totally taboo. But, although everyone is sure they kill the sound, no one has ever tried them!
Robobass

[littlekatie]

Thanks for the responses guys!
I like the idea of ebony adjusters a lot. I think it's just the fact that adjusters are 'metal' that bothers my teacher. To be fair he's not against them, he just doesn't use them himself.
I have toyed with the idea of just asking my college luthier to lower my strings by a mm or so just to see how I like them. My bass has a huge huge sound and I'm playing with a really great bow so 'loss of sound' isn't bothering me too much.
Where do you get ebony adjusters from? Are they available in the UK?
I'm at the RCM in South Kensington but live over near Canary Wharf. Have bass, will travel! I do need to sort this out because I'm quite small for a bass player and physical issues getting in the way isn't ideal.

[Thomas Stone]

look here:

these look great, however I'm not sure if the ebony disc is fixed or if it revolves on the threaded lignum post.
If the disc is fixed the thread needs to be cut into the bridge, which means sourcing the correct tap. probably best to order these (or similar) through a luthier rather than turn up with a set and be told the thread is uncommon and that the luthier has better things to do with his/her time than track down an obscure tap.

[Martin Sheridan]

I have had some professional bass players tell me they think the aluminum adjusters give the bridge a better sound than the ebony ones. Also, there are some out there that look like wood but they are made with some kind of composite compound; glue and saw dust?
As a maker and player I think that playability is really important. You don't want to hurt yourself possibly permanently with a bad set up.
Also, your fingerboard may not be planed properly...too much scoop in the board can make you think your strings are too high when in fact there is too much relief in the board causing your fingers to have to exert a lot more pressure on the strings to get out the sound. So, I'd check that out too.
Gary Karr once told me that he thought adjusters hurt the sound of a bass, but then he had a bass made where the neck was attached to metal adjusters to raise and lower it!
It seems like this would have a lot more sound robbing qualities than tiny metal or wood bridge adjusters.