Broken bridge

[TomSauter]

I put on a set of evah pirazzi weichs today, and about a minute into the first tune of my gig the bridge broke in half...sounded like a gunshot. I had bridge adjusters and the bridge feet are fine--is it possible to save a few bucks when i get it repaired by having the repairman use the feet that are already fit to my bass with a new bridge? The repair guy I'm going to said no, but he always tries to get me to spend as much money as possible

[timobee4]

It's the nature of the beast! Might as well get a new bridge cut, no point farting around with the old feet, it will end up costing you the same.

Originally Posted by TomSauter

he always tries to get me to spend as much money as possible

[T-Bird]

Hi.

Originally Posted by timobee4

It's the nature of the beast! Might as well get a new bridge cut, no point farting around with the old feet, it will end up costing you the same.

This.

Originally Posted by TomSauter

The repair guy I'm going to said no, but he always tries to get me to spend as much money as possible

That's hard to believe, but You do always have the option to take your business elsewhere if the price isn't to your liking.

Regards
Sam

[JoeyNaeger]

What you are asking is a pain at best. Is your broken bridge a despiau or an aubert or something that can be easily found? If not, the different shape that every bridge has will cause your feet to sit on the top differently than they do with your old bridge. This means the feet will have to be refit anyway. Most of the cost of a new bridge is labor and such a repair will only be more difficult to do. That means more labor and more cost to you. A new, properly fit bridge is a good investment.

[PaulCannon]

Originally Posted by JoeyNaeger

What you are asking is a pain at best. Is your broken bridge a despiau or an aubert or something that can be easily found? If not, the different shape that every bridge has will cause your feet to sit on the top differently than they do with your old bridge. This means the feet will have to be refit anyway. Most of the cost of a new bridge is labor and such a repair will only be more difficult to do. That means more labor and more cost to you. A new, properly fit bridge is a good investment.

Yep.

There is not a single good reason to re-use the old feet. You could, however, save a little cash (maybe $15) if you keep the old adjusters.

[Schoolhouse]

Ideally, the bridge is fit to the bass, it's marked out for drilling and cutting, the holes are drilled, tapped, and then cut apart. This process assures that everything lines up. Re-using the old feet makes this alignment more difficult. Some compensate for mis-alignment by making the holes for the unthreaded end oversize, this causes lot's of problems including loss of tone. IMO, it's not worth the effort and cost to re-use parts of an old bridge. Tom

[ethnotime]

Man my bridge snapped in half at a rehearsal this past Xmas eve. Fortunately I had my electric to cover the rest of the gig but is that ever a drag! I too had regular Evahs on that bass for about a week or so. i was wondering if it was the strings because this happened on a kay bass which is pretty solid and I've never heard of a bridge snapping. Anyway it happened on my spare bass and I was annoyed too that I had to get a new bridge since it's not cheap. I thought of sanding my own bridge but that's probably more trouble than it's worth. I'm paying off some credit card debt and once that eases then I'll get a new bridge.
Are bridges that prone to breaking? I was so freaked out (it makes a gunshot-like sound as the op said) that I'm considering buying a new bridge for my good and keeping the current one as a spare. Means I have to get TWO bridges.

[T-Bird]

Hi.

Originally Posted by ethnotime

Are bridges that prone to breaking?

This is something I'd like to know as well.

I'm as far a way from being a pro as one can be, but from an engineering standpoint (BEng Mech ) I can't understand how a well made bridge can snap in half. Sure, the couple I have cut would probably make any luthier shrugger in disbelief, but judging solely by the instructions and pics, they aren't THAT thick.

So any insight from You more seasoned players and/or luthiers.

Regards
Sam

[james condino]

I broke a bridge in half during the second set of the first gig on a three gig New year's eve a couple of years ago. A cheap bottle of superglue back stage and ten minutes using two hands as a clamping device, and I strung it back up for the next two gigs. 'Worked fine for the next six weeks before I got a nice new fancy bridge....

Don't shortchange yourself; get a nice new complete bridge installed. I've NEVER seen anyone walk away from a good luthier's shop shaking their heads, telling everyone, " Damn! I've gotta take off this nice new bridge and string my bass back up with that old broken piece of junk that I was using....".


j.

[Cody Sisk]

Originally Posted by ethnotime

Are bridges that prone to breaking?

Bridges are always temporary fixtures. It's a part that needs to be replaced regularly. Remember that most bridges are raw wood, under an extreme amount of pressure, and are quite thin. Given that the wood fibers are horizontal on most bridges, the warpage that's inherent to regular use further weakens it. When you change a variable such as strings, you're increasing the risk of breakage. Evah's, for example, are pretty high tension in comparison to most. When a brittle, old bridge is subjected to the immediate excessive flexing of putting on new strings, compounded with the natural trace oils and moisture that are no longer present, it has a large probability of breaking.

Regular checks on the forward warping can extend the life of a bridge. It's also up for debate whether sealing a bridge with shellac or linseed oil will prolong the life but does this hurt the sound? I won't go into detail on that, there are plenty of threads here discussing those issues..

As expensive as the notion can be, regular replacement of the bridge is another preventative measure to sudden breakage. It's hard to determine the interval for this. Ultimately it's an individual's preference. An added benefit of regular bridge replacement is the optimization of your bass's sound. I find most of my customers surprised as to how much better their bass sounds after a fresh setup. The decay over a long period of time isn't really noticeable till it is corrected.

[Eric Hochberg]

Prone to breaking? Maybe, but I've been using the same bridge with adjusters for 35 years and it's straight as an arrow and working fine.

[gerry grable]

I'm with you, Eric. Until recently, I've always installed my own bridges. It's tedious but not brain surgery. I have had them warp but never break in half. Cheap bridges? Probably. But I didn't have the bread at the time to run to a luthier.
RE TomSauter: I'd be more concerned about damage to the bass top than the replacement of a bridge.

[Jake deVilliers]

With DBs I see more broken necks than broken bridges, with violins its the other way around.

[Cody Sisk]

Originally Posted by Jake deVilliers

With DBs I see more broken necks than broken bridges, with violins its the other way around.

This is true in my shop as well. The point I was making is that if you took Eric's 35-year-old bridge and put it on a bass that isn't setup, you'd have to keep a hawk eye on the bridge to make sure it doesn't pull forward as you tension the strings. Even the slightest bend forward could snap his bridge due to its age. I've seen this happen quite often as I have schools in the area that have bridges that old on them. Though if careful attention to this is made and he were to successfully get the strings fully-tensioned, there's nothing to say that his bridge wouldn't last another 35 years..

[Eric Hochberg]

So you think I am taking an extra risk by continuing to use this old bridge?

[Jake deVilliers]

Originally Posted by Eric Hochberg

So you think I am taking an extra risk by continuing to use this old bridge?

You're probably asking Cody, but I don't think you need to worry about your bridge. As long as you're keeping it upright and seated properly it will be fine. School basses live very difficult lives - I don't think the bridges break simply because of age!

[Cody Sisk]

Originally Posted by DallasStrings

As expensive as the notion can be, regular replacement of the bridge is another preventative measure to sudden breakage. It's hard to determine the interval for this. Ultimately it's an individual's preference.

Quoting myself for emphasis. Why does everyone on this forum have to deal in absolutes? Eric my post was to help the OP understand why his bridge might have broken and to illustrate the trends that I've seen through experience in the matter. Yes I'm saying that without careful consideration, your bridge could snap easier than a new bridge when the setup is messed with. No I'm not saying that it's unsafe to keep on there.

Gooooooooooosfrabah... goooooosfrabah...

[Cody Sisk]

Originally Posted by Jake deVilliers

You're probably asking Cody, but I don't think you need to worry about your bridge. As long as you're keeping it upright and seated properly it will be fine. School basses live very difficult lives

+1

[Eric Hochberg]

Originally Posted by DallasStrings

Bridges are always temporary fixtures. It's a part that needs to be replaced regularly.

Originally Posted by DallasStrings

Why does everyone on this forum have to deal in absolutes?

[Cody Sisk]

Funny, but I doubt you'll ever see a 150 year-old bass with the original bridge on it..