Out of these 3 bridges, which one is the best?

[ViolinAnanda]

Online shop dealer sent me pictures of 3 Milo Stamm Royal bridges to choose from. Based on looking on medullary rays which one is the best in your opinion and why? Or maybe none is quite good enough?

 

[David Burgess]

I pick number 4.

[FiddleDoug]

I'd say no significant difference. Buy all three, or even a dozen, to make up for the waste of time that you put the dealer through. Who's going to be cutting/fitting the bridge? If it's not someone who knows what they are doing, it really doesn't matter.

[Wood Butcher]

32 minutes ago, ViolinAnanda said:

maybe none is quite good enough?

 

Good enough for what?

While you can’t make a good bridge from a bad blank, the blank is only part of the story.

It matters more to have someone cut a bridge who is highly skilled and experienced. Even with the best bridge blank in the world, the end result could be bad, or average at best, if it’s not fitted by someone who knows what they are doing.

This seems a kind of fruitless exercise.

[ViolinAnanda]

2 hours ago, FiddleDoug said:

I'd say no significant difference. Buy all three, or even a dozen, to make up for the waste of time that you put the dealer through. Who's going to be cutting/fitting the bridge? If it's not someone who knows what they are doing, it really doesn't matter.

2 hours ago, Wood Butcher said:

It matters more to have someone cut a bridge who is highly skilled and experienced. Even with the best bridge blank in the world, the end result could be bad, or average at best, if it’s not fitted by someone who knows what they are doing.

This seems a kind of fruitless exercise.

No worries. The photos were sent by employee, they are often bored and whenever there is finally something to do they are grateful . My japanese uncle Sutoradibari knows how to sharpen katana and cut some wood, with a little bit of his help it'll be all fine  . 

I guess all 3 bridges seem to be normal by the answers I got  here. I was hoping though everyone would say to choose number 3 as the face side has longest rays of all and I heared that it can matter a lot. Even though it's hard to see long rays on side photos as the photo focus is bad but I assume if the face side has long rays then the thin sides will also have long rays more or less.

2 hours ago, David Burgess said:

I pick number 4.

 What I am also worried is that I might be buying too high quality bridge for my Klaus Heffler No.500 violin. How can I know that without first buying and testing?

Luthier Edgar Russ says on his website https://www.violincellomaker.com/blogs/masters-secrets/how-to-choose-the-perfect-bridge - "You can understand that if you would put a deluxe bridge on a low grade instrument it would actually amplify this sharp focus sound which probably is not the great solution (and not the best to hear). "

I once carved Milo Stamm Royal on my previous $120 chinese violin and I got that harsh sharp focus that sounded very bad. I hope that with Klaus Heffler No.500 that is 10-20 times more expensive, the $40 Royal version will not be too sharp for it's grade. The Fiddlershop is selling Klaus Hefflers violins with Despiau Three Tree bridges which is of similar price as Milo Stamm Royal and on their youtube recording their violins sounded nice. I hope that Despiau Three Tree and Milo Stamm Royal are of the same stiffness. But Despiau bridges are not available in my location so I have to choose Milo Stamm. For Klaus Heffler No.500 violin would you rather choose $40 Royal version or $20 Premium version bridge that might be slightly softer but I might risk that I will not get full potential out of violin?

[Davide Sora]

I would take the one with the highest pitch when dropped on a hard surface as best. Then I would use all the others anyway. I'd risk the n3, but who knows

[FiddleDoug]

3 hours ago, ViolinAnanda said:

. For Klaus Heffler No.500 violin would you rather choose $40 Royal version or $20 Premium version bridge that might be slightly softer but I might risk that I will not get full potential out of violin?

Ok, here's a test for you. Buy, cut, and fit three of each, and see which works best for your instrument. One of each wouldn't be adequate as you might not be repeatable enough in your fitting/cutting to ensure that it's not something that your technique is causing. Let us know your results.

[Evan Smith]

7 hours ago, David Burgess said:

I pick number 4.

Gonna get your feet wet !

That's the bridge to nowhere man.

[Andreas Preuss]

I sorted my bridge stock by weight and made also the the dropping test for the pitch. I’d choose the bridges according to the desired sound. I was asking my supplier always to send me only bridges of the quality ‘maille contrasté. 
 

it’s not only the direction of the medullar rays which counts but also grain density and evenness. 

[ViolinAnanda]

13 hours ago, Davide Sora said:

I would take the one with the highest pitch when dropped on a hard surface as best. Then I would use all the others anyway. I'd risk the n3, but who knows

 

5 hours ago, Andreas Preuss said:

I sorted my bridge stock by weight and made also the the dropping test for the pitch. I’d choose the bridges according to the desired sound. I was asking my supplier always to send me only bridges of the quality ‘maille contrasté. 
 

it’s not only the direction of the medullar rays which counts but also grain density and evenness. 

Thank you, that's the answers I was needing!

12 hours ago, FiddleDoug said:

Ok, here's a test for you. Buy, cut, and fit three of each, and see which works best for your instrument. One of each wouldn't be adequate as you might not be repeatable enough in your fitting/cutting to ensure that it's not something that your technique is causing. Let us know your results.

When I carved long time ago $40 Milo Stamm Royal on $120 chinese violin and it sounded too sharp and harsh, I carved later in the same exact way $10 Milo Stamm Standard and this time it sounded beautiful. Later in Royal version experimentally I even tried to carve out more of the wood in the waist and feet that It was recommended or just make it gradually thinner in different places and It always was giving too sharp sound due to more stiff material that gave too much undesired punch into low quality top plate that was not able to translate into beautiful sound. It was just too high quality bridge for low grade violin like Luthier Edgar Russ mentioned on his website, nothing could be done to make it sound good.

[Mr. Bean]

I just buy bridges by the dozen!

[Davide Sora]

1 hour ago, ViolinAnanda said:

 

Thank you, that's the answers I was needing!

When I carved long time ago $40 Milo Stamm Royal on $120 chinese violin and it sounded too sharp and harsh, I carved later in the same exact way $10 Milo Stamm Standard and this time it sounded beautiful. Later in Royal version experimentally I even tried to carve out more of the wood in the waist and feet that It was recommended or just make it gradually thinner in different places and It always was giving too sharp sound due to more stiff material that gave too much undesired punch into low quality top plate that was not able to translate into beautiful sound. It was just too high quality bridge for low grade violin like Luthier Edgar Russ mentioned on his website, nothing could be done to make it sound good.

A soft bridge, or even a heavy one, can help eliminate some harshness from an overly harsh violin. High-quality bridge blanks usually have the opposite characteristics (normally more desirable).

[Evan Smith]

I honestly think you should be able to do anything that is needed on any violin with any of those bridges. Bridges are very sensitive to minor changes. No matter how stiff the bridge, you should be able to mellow out the harshest of instruments. Placing too much weight on bridges for the outcome will probably end in disappointment. For a long time every bridge I cut sounded different on the same fiddle, and that was after training under a master set up Dude with a capital D. They would say go cut a hundred, then come talk to me grasshopper. Now, every bridge sounds exactly the same if I desire, and designed to compliment any fiddle as I desire.

There is a realm of proper stiffness and weight for a bridge. If they are so soft that they will produce only a soft mellow sound then they are too soft and will not enjoy a long life, they will fail early. They will filter out things,,, but? In this instance I am not concerned with what someone else says about it. I know what works and can demonstrate it at will. You could have some one show you how to properly match a bridge acoustically to the instrument.

The Idea that picking out bridges from a known supplier by photos is beyond understanding.

As is the problem with the internet, if you were here I could easily take any of, or all three, and prove my point, ah but alas, I am speaking into the black void of who knows what and where.

[jezzupe]

I've got 2 bridges for sale, one in NYC the other in SF, shipping could be an issue

[Violadamore]

5 hours ago, jezzupe said:

I've got 2 bridges for sale, one in NYC the other in SF, shipping could be an issue

Swap ya for a portal in a basement somewhere near Colorado Springs.  Access could be an issue. 

[David Burgess]

56 minutes ago, Violadamore said:

Swap ya for a portal in a basement somewhere near Colorado Springs.  Access could be an issue. 

Golly-darn, thats got to be the biggest feather duster ah've ever seen!

[jezzupe]

1 hour ago, David Burgess said:

Golly-darn, thats got to be the biggest feather duster ah've ever seen!

That thar's one of them jumbo sized french tickler thngy's...I think....what the hell is that Viola'd

[Violadamore]

25 minutes ago, jezzupe said:

That thar's one of them jumbo sized french tickler thngy's...I think....what the hell is that Viola'd

That's a stargate when you first turn it on.  Unfortunately, they are fictional, up through the last UAP report to Congress, anyway.  Check back again next week....    

 

 

[ViolinAnanda]

18 hours ago, Violadamore said:

That's a stargate when you first turn it on.  Unfortunately, they are fictional, up through the last UAP report to Congress, anyway.  Check back again next week....    

 

 

That's how I got my first $120 chinese violin with special delivery from China,  it was delivered wet though but drying it for 1 minute in microwave did the job.

 

[jezzupe]

18 hours ago, Violadamore said:

That's a stargate when you first turn it on.  Unfortunately, they are fictional, up through the last UAP report to Congress, anyway.  Check back again next week....    

 

 

Fictional? you expect me to trade you the Brooklyn Bridge AND the GG bridge for a fictional Stargate? why I never

[jezzupe]

15 minutes ago, ViolinAnanda said:

That's how I got my first $120 chinese violin with special delivery from China,  it was delivered wet though but drying it for 1 minute in microwave did the job.

 

Just don't put it in the dishwasher

[Aston4]

On 3/19/2024 at 4:56 PM, Violadamore said:

Swap ya for a portal in a basement somewhere near Colorado Springs.  Access could be an issue. 

delete this

[Marty Kasprzyk]

On 3/19/2024 at 10:34 AM, Davide Sora said:

A soft bridge, or even a heavy one, can help eliminate some harshness from an overly harsh violin. High-quality bridge blanks usually have the opposite characteristics (normally more desirable).

Joseph Curtin optimizes his bridges for his own instruments and his "Ultralight" violin (https://josephcurtinstudios.com/instruments/ultralight/) has a tiny weight that can be added to the bridge to change the sound character and output. His simple bridge design  might indicate he was trying to achieve a certain (minimum?) weight to achieve a maximum loudness.

This may suggest that every instrument can have its own optimum bridge  (resonance frequency, impedance,weight, stiffness, damping and who knows what else) that could be some how found.

 

 

[Davide Sora]

1 hour ago, Marty Kasprzyk said:

This may suggest that every instrument can have its own optimum bridge  (resonance frequency, impedance,weight, stiffness, damping and who knows what else) that could be some how found

For sure.