Jump to content
Maestronet Forums

Recommended Posts

Posted

Recommendation: Take it to a reputable luthier who knows how to cut bridges well, and let them select the blank.

Take a look at pictures of well cut bridges to compare to yours. Sorry to say, but yours looks like it was installed at a Music Store.

 

Posted

I don't think there's anything wrong with the blank but it appears the bare minimum was done in fitting it.  Feet look like they are fitted fairly well, except a tiny bit of the back corner on the bass side.  Feet look too thick especially on the inner side.  The bottom between the feet is left straight where normally it would be carved into a slight arch.  The back looks rough, perhaps the luthier didn't want to lose the Aubert logo so did no smoothing of the wood on that side.   The decorative notches on the 'knees' could be extended for aesthetic looks.  

just my opinion,  I'm an amateur builder.  

Posted
23 minutes ago, GeorgeH said:

Recommendation: Take it to a reputable luthier who knows how to cut bridges well, and let them select the blank.

Take a look at pictures of well cut bridges to compare to yours. Sorry to say, but yours looks like it was installed at a Music Store.

 

 

22 minutes ago, MikeC said:

I don't think there's anything wrong with the blank but it appears the bare minimum was done in fitting it.  Feet look like they are fitted fairly well, except a tiny bit of the back corner on the bass side.  Feet look too thick especially on the inner side.  The bottom between the feet is left straight where normally it would be carved into a slight arch.  The back looks rough, perhaps the luthier didn't want to lose the Aubert logo so did no smoothing of the wood on that side.   The decorative notches on the 'knees' could be extended for aesthetic looks.  

just my opinion,  I'm an amateur builder.  

So it’s a undecorated cutted bridge?

does it affect the sound? I’m more of a violinist than a luthier myself, so performance is the key for me.

do I have to pay for new, even better blank for another respected luthier to carve my bridge?

I feel like when crossing strings in ysaye 3 it feels disconnected from each string, and the G and E is a bit too low (pressing strings is slightly annoying)

Posted
1 hour ago, Guido said:

Here are some rather thin feet (and legs) for comparison.

IMG_3905.JPG

My experience, while limited to 8 years, leads me to feel that those ankles and feet are much too thin for an appropriate balance of performance and longevity. 

Posted
56 minutes ago, hnryhouuu said:

 

So it’s a undecorated cutted bridge?

does it affect the sound? I’m more of a violinist than a luthier myself, so performance is the key for me.

do I have to pay for new, even better blank for another respected luthier to carve my bridge?

I feel like when crossing strings in ysaye 3 it feels disconnected from each string, and the G and E is a bit too low (pressing strings is slightly annoying)

While the quality of the bridge blank is important, it can't be guaranteed by a stamp. I don't even preserve the stamp on bridges I cut, I find it tacky. Sorting through piles of bridges from deluxe down to no. 5s, you will find (if you know what to look/listen for) good bridges amongst all of them, and lousy ones too. The point being that some deluxes just... suck, despite being stamped "deluxe". 

I get that people want some kind of guarantee, especially when they don't know how to personally select the best. But in a world of marketing bs, there are no guarantees. You can only hope to trust the good judgment of people who know what they're doing. 

What's more important in how well a bridge functions is how well it fits and how well it has been optimized by a competent luthier. If they can do that well, they can also probably select the best blank for the job. So find a shop you trust and leave it in their capable hands. 

Posted
2 hours ago, JacksonMaberry said:

While the quality of the bridge blank is important, it can't be guaranteed by a stamp. I don't even preserve the stamp on bridges I cut, I find it tacky. Sorting through piles of bridges from deluxe down to no. 5s, you will find (if you know what to look/listen for) good bridges amongst all of them, and lousy ones too. The point being that some deluxes just... suck, despite being stamped "deluxe".

Agreed. To me, this appears to be a genuine Aubert Deluxe bridge, carved in such a way as to leave a lot of mass. I don't think anyone here has any way of knowing, from our side of the screen, whether or not leaving a lot of mass was done deliberately, to achieve a certain sonic outcome.

Posted

When you take it to the luthier, get the string action checked to be sure they are not too high from the fingerboard.

If you're happy with the tone and the action is fine, then you don't have to do anything. It is just a very inelegantly cut and fitted bridge.

Posted
41 minutes ago, GeorgeH said:

If you're happy with the tone and the action is fine, then you don't have to do anything. It is just a very inelegantly cut and fitted bridge.

Considering the differences between Beare bridges of the early last century, and Wurlitzer bridges, what is considered to be an elegant bridge can be different things to different high-level people in the trade, right?

Posted
2 minutes ago, David Burgess said:

Considering the differences between Beare bridges of the early last century, and Wurlitzer bridges, what is considered to be an elegant bridge can be different things to different high-level people in the trade, right?

That seems fair. There is a staggering variety across shops and time. The only thing I would call non negotiable in that case is the fit of the feet

Posted
45 minutes ago, David Burgess said:

Considering the differences between Beare bridges of the early last century, and Wurlitzer bridges, what is considered to be an elegant bridge can be different things to different high-level people in the trade, right?

Of course. You can even enter your bridge in a competition judged by "high-level people in the trade," and also buy a coffee table book with pictures of elegant bridges to impress your friends and family.

I kinda doubt this bridge would place very high in that competition, but I could always be wrong about that.

Posted
9 hours ago, JacksonMaberry said:

My experience, while limited to 8 years, leads me to feel that those ankles and feet are much too thin for an appropriate balance of performance and longevity. 

I find longevity never seems an issue at the feet. This one is about 100 years old and going strong :-)

But I don't cut them quite so petite either. Just posted to illustrate the other end of the spectrum vs the OP.

Posted
5 hours ago, Guido said:

And here are some more tiny feet and angles that have survived 100 years.

IMG_3931.JPG

If you look at the shape of the bottom of the feet, you can see that this came from a violin which had indentations on the top under the feet (they do not follow the curvature of a normal arching). The poor load distribution of these thin feet, even if they weren't the single cause of the indentations, would have exacerbated this.

Posted
38 minutes ago, David Burgess said:

If you look at the shape of the bottom of the feet, you can see that this came from a violin which had indentations on the top under the feet (they do not follow the curvature of a normal arching). The poor load distribution of these thin feet, even if they weren't the single cause of the indentations, would have exacerbated this.

Does the bridge of mine have indentations?

Posted
On 9/13/2023 at 5:43 AM, hnryhouuu said:

authentic aubert deluxe

I have never really paid attention to bridges because I have always let my luthier, who I trust, to take care of selection, carving, fitting, etc.  

Does it matter whether the bridge is "authentic"?  Serious question.

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.


×
×
  • Create New...