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Revolutionary bass guitar bridge - what do you think?

#61
It looks really great, and it's a quite unique concept and definitely a very interesting idea you got there, however this:
Bassbeater said:
View attachment 3122989
Interesting. I still think the witness point area is pretty large and undefined as well as differently sized for each string gauge because there is no defined edge. That witness point will get larger with wear over time also. A big hurdle you'll have is that it can't be easily retrofitted or swapped. Surface mount bridges are pretty easy to upgrade or change out. This requires extensive modifications.
Thanks for sharing your ideas.
Good luck!
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Especially regarding the concern about the complicated and quite comprehensive installment procedure it would require.

Also this:
sissy kathy said:
You have some terms confused in your OP, action is set from the back. It can be intonated from the front. Much better. Still it doesn't appear very practical to me. String tension MAY hold the bridge down, but if you want high action what keeps the bridge elevated? Further several of the builders here state that one of the most important functions of a bridge is a solid connection between the body and the bridge. Your design offers very little of that.
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From an aesthetic point of view your bridge design is no short of amazing, and from that point of view I'd consider it a huge improvement over most more traditional bridge designs, but for me, and I dare claim most other musicians, aesthetics is about last priority, ranking way bellow tone and functionality.

And your design just doesn't really deliver in those two latter, for most more important, aspects.

Though I seriously hope all this negative critique you have been getting in this thread doesn't discourage you to continue innovating, cause you clearly have got some very unique and interesting ideas to offer.
 
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#62
I think 'form follows function' can result in a type of beauty. Most guitar bridges are not sculptural artworks but almost no-one is bothered and prefer a simple, functional, but also visually acceptable design.
How beautiful your designs are is irrelevant if their functionality is compromised by the seemingly clear priority of looking like artistic sculptures.

The Torpedo design has at least 2 problems at first look:

The break angle over the saddle is too shallow and can't be made large enough without sacrificing your aesthetic concept (which shouldn't have priority anyway).
The saddle is floating above the guitar with no direct contact below it, it is supported by a cantilever.
Downforce under a saddle is (or should be) large, using a cantilever creates a less rigid support that creates unnecessarily high stresses in the components due to the leverage of the cantilever. Your vertical post should be under the saddle, but again, this sacrifices the aesthetic concept, but again, that shouldn't have priority.

I think your designs are far too imbalanced in favour of aesthetic concepts over functionality, simplicity, efficiency, mechanics and good engineering. They will likely result in a worse tone or no improvement, at extreme cost.
But, i do appreciate the attempts at innovation in the incredibly stagnant rock-fashion-dominated world of mainstream guitar design.
 
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#64
Installation of a very particular bridge like this is never going to be easy or even desirable on some high value instruments, but as an integral part of a new, modern, Ritter type of aesthetic, I think it could be very cool.

I wish you well with your design but as ready-to-embrace new designs as most bass players are (compared to their gu!t@r playing brethren) I think reinventing the wheel when there are already adequate, more immediately adjustable alternatives already well established in existence may prove too much of a marketing hurdle. The very modern look might not be desirable on old, classic, vintage styles of bass.

I personally prefer 'modular hardware' on my basses. This way, if I wish to try or change out pickups, scratchplates or bridges they are a simple drop-in replacement and I don't need to worry about making permanent, expensive modifications.

All IMHO etc. etc.
 
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#65
I seriously hope all this negative critique you have been getting in this thread doesn't discourage you to continue innovating, cause you clearly have got some very unique and interesting ideas to offer.

From an aesthetic point of view your bridge design is no short of amazing, and from that point of view I'd consider it a huge improvement over most more traditional bridge designs, but for me, and I dare claim most other musicians, aesthetics is about last priority, ranking way bellow tone and functionality.

And your design just doesn't really deliver in those two latter, for most more important, aspects.
 
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#66
Bruce Johnson said:
I suggest that you should search out and directly contact high-end custom builders. Talk to Jens Ritter. Guys like that are likely to be your best customers. Your main selling point for these bridges is that they are visually stunning. Builders who are primarily building their instruments as expensive art pieces are always looking for exotic looking hardware to work with their designs. And they'll usually be willing to spend the money for exotic hardware....as long as it's beautiful and high quality, and the function is okay.

Those guys are your market. Sell your bridges to builders, rather than as an aftermarket item for retail-level bass owners. Custom hardware adds a lot of $ value to a bass, and most builders don't get into much of their own metal work.

You're trying to make the argument that your bridges have technical/functional advantages, but that's a hard sell. It's going to be tough getting guys to buy your bridge to put on their Fender, for functional reasons. A few home-customizers and kit builders might be interested, but most of them are driven by cheap price.
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Thanks, yes that would exactly be my goal!
 
#67
JohnArnson said:
I seriously hope all this negative critique you have been getting in this thread doesn't discourage you to continue innovating, cause you clearly have got some very unique and interesting ideas to offer.

From an aesthetic point of view your bridge design is no short of amazing, and from that point of view I'd consider it a huge improvement over most more traditional bridge designs, but for me, and I dare claim most other musicians, aesthetics is about last priority, ranking way bellow tone and functionality.

And your design just doesn't really deliver in those two latter, for most more important, aspects.
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Thanks for the positive note!
Well you haven't heard the bridge's tone yet, so it would be hard to judge from a few pictures I would say ;-)
It would surprise me if musicians would not care at all about the aesthetics of their instruments since typically utmost care is taken in the design and finish of musical instruments. The only piece which typically lacks a stunning design is the bridge in my opinion ;-)
This design will be easy to tune and to replace strings. There are no saddles and small screws which typically detune over time due to vibrations. I do not see much reason to question functionality I would say actually.
 
#69
Metal_Maniac said:
Hey guys!

I am a product designer and passionate bass player. Some years ago I designed a bass guitar bridge. I think the bridge is a highly overlooked part of the bass which traditionally little care has been given in terms of aesthetical design; screws and bolts are clearly visible. It is mainly a functional part of the instrument.

I am really curious as to what you think of this design. You can see it here:
Torpedo bass guitar bridge

These are single string units. Holes are to be drilled into the body and parts are to be mounted into the body. The action is then to be set from the back of the instrument. This is to be done by a luthier I guess. The intonation (string length) can also be set by turning a set screw inside the torpedo.
The string spacing cannot be set.
The design should be a true eye catcher on stage ;-)

What do you think of this design and how much would you be willing to pay for it in case you would like to have your bass equipped with it?


I am currently thinking of bringing this product and a number of other bass guitar bridge designs onto the market, so this is the reason I ask ;-)

Thanks in advance!
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Hi,
Trying to resurrect this thread cause nobody takes in consideration one of the most important thing I consider: how the strings are coupled with the body. All variations saw it regards mass and adjustments and seems nobody have care how string vibration are affected by reactance of body resonance. Few years ago I did an experiment with one of my basses and removed the classic Fender bridge and replaced with a simple saddle made from different materials (aluminium, plastic, wood). The differences was huge. So huge as I can think even a thick layer of urethane finish layer under a p bridge can do a big diference for the same bridge mounted over a thin lacquer finish. Except the fact maybe a huge metal mass will cancel all the diferences for most of frequency range.Just my 2 cents
This was a simple platform for experiment, not complicated mechanisms:
 
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#70
In this day and age of "light weight" bass guitars (under 8 lbs).................shouldn't the goal be a bass bridge that's around 70 to 100 grams (2.5 to 3.5 oz)?

I like these bridges..............

Carl-Thompson-Tribute-Rainbow-Bass-Guitar%C2%A0-Les-Claypool.jpg
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#71
Turnaround said:
My immediate concern was the break angle over the witness point, which looks too shallow for my liking.
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This is what my first thought was too, also curious as to how to adjust it. I have no interest in a bridge that requires a luthier or special tools to adjust. I also don't understand how this would be an improvement over things that already exist on the market.

also that would look very out of place on a lot of instruments IMO
 
#76
This is something I definitely think worth to try: cut the base of the bridge as a frame and insert four patches made from rest of cutted scrap. It can be made dimensional to fit perfectly into the frame to avoid any sides movement. Drill some small prints in each patch in respect with the distance of saddles screwed pins, as well the saddle cannot slip over. In this way each strings will be individual coupled with the body through those small patches. The string energy will be less transferred through bridge but more into the bass body , and also the strings will interact less one to another cause now there are not coupled through metall bridge mass.
This is one of mine ideas, never try it but think it worth. You.ll be sure every string have intimate direct contact with the guitar body for optimal transfer. That is not guarantee in case of a bridge which can float over due to plane surfaces imperfections at points of contact with the body. Also the strings are by far more decoupled one to another.

20191211_162757.jpg


The contact patches can be made from large variety of materials as can be used as real effective filters, eg brass, aluminium , plastics , carbon, bones. Different sets of patches will different tailor over harmonics reponse, so you can play with. Simple!
 
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