Cigar Box Guitar hardtail bridges, new and improved installation. An end to rattling saddle misery!
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- Опубліковано 2 лис 2020
- We've used these adjustable "hardtail" bridges for a long time, and make our own in stainless steel as an alternative to the mass market Chinese ones. They can be prone to rattles, especially if the saddles are set on the low side, but follow our installation video for an improved way of fitting them. By using through body stringing there's a much more solid connection to the guitar, and there's much more direct pressure transferred from
the strings to the saddles, greatly reducing the possibility of rattling and sideways movement.
It takes a little more effort to install using the string through method, but we feel the results are well worth it.
www.chickenbonejohn.com/
Hello John, I always learn something valuable from all your videos. Your manner of teaching is very clear. Thank you, sir.
13mm is always best John must agree.
I tell you chicken bone I really appreciate this information as always you give very valuable information that I can’t get from anywhere else I am a cigarbox guitar builder but I’ve never used a fixed tail or Hardtail and I’m scared to death of it not installing it but if it working correctly and having the right height on the strings I really want to make sure I get it right and I think a lot of the content that you put out is very helpful I really appreciate it and I’m gonna watch it a couple of times to make sure that I don’t miss anything
You'll be fine with a floater, these things are a mutha to tune!
I mean, at least the Chinese one is.
Check my other videos - this one is really important to make sure you get the bridge mounted in exactly the right position as regards both intonation and action (string height). It's not difficult technically, but it does require attention to detail and accuracy, so if a big hammer its your tool of choice, this is probably not the best guitar bridge for you. ua-cam.com/video/FB4b1X00vXQ/v-deo.html
Great explanation. I'll try this setup on the CBG I'm building. Thanks for the Videos.
Really good info............I will be buying my bridges from you in future.
Very Well Done! FR
I'm liking the 13mm spacing,.. Used in conjunction with a Dual Hot rail pickup, they won't give any spacing compromises as would be found with a normal 4 pole pickup. The 10mm spacing of the Chinese ones are tight. When will you have some back in stock?
Thanks for another great video! Could you do a video on basic layouts for a CBG? For example should the bridge be centered top to bottom for optimum sound? I notice your bridges are placed almost all the way to the back of the box, does this have an impact or do you just place it where it is most esthetically pleasing? Same with pickups, close to bridge, under where you strum, close to where the neck enters the box? My builds so far have only been focused on making them look "cool" but I really want to make great sounding guitars too. Thanks!
The position of these "hardtail" bridges has little if any effect on the sound, as they are always screwed to a solid centre block, so effectively it's a solid body guitar. As for the position of the pickup, that does make a big difference - nearer the bridge for more treble and a cutting tone, nearer the neck for a more full and mellow tone.
Interesting.
Could the string ferrules be mounted into the rear face of the neck instead of into the rear face of the body?
Then the strings would not pass through the space below the neck inside the body.
And for hinged cigar boxes, you could flip open the back when the strings are strung. (Am I correct about this last one?)
There's really no point in doing that, it makes everything more complicated as you'd have to drill out the back to load the strings and you couldn't easily do that with the adjustable neck system. It's much simpler to do what we do and put a continuous packer from neck to tail in the back of the box.
@@ChickenboneJohn Yeah. I called that off. I anchor my strings above the body. Cheers!
I bought a hard tail with my first cigar box kit. I couldn’t get it in the right location, so I gave up and put on the hinge/ floating bridge. How can I make the hardtail in the correct position on my next kit?
Check this other video. ua-cam.com/video/FB4b1X00vXQ/v-deo.html
Great video, but I was wondering about how the bridge was mounted. When you do the string through mounting, do you just glue a solid block directly under the bridge? The bridge is mounted to the block and string holes drilled through it? Thanks!
Yes, you need the guitar to be solid front to back where the bridge is fixed.
@@chickenbonejohn714 Thanks!
Hi John, this looks good. With 13mm between strings can a 40 mm wide fretboard work or do one need 45mm? 3 strings.
We use 35mm wide fretboards for 3 stringsd, 42mm for 4 string.
I do not see these on your site. Do you no longer have your stamped steel ones?
Back in stock now- we've just put some together.www.chickenbonejohn.com/products/hardtail-3-4-string-adjustable-bridge?_pos=1&_sid=ad35fa44c&_ss=r
Hi John, are these suitable for nylon Ukulele strings? I'm looking at making a uke from a licence plate and bolt on neck.
These are for steel strings. To make a uke, you really need a very light construction fir the top and the bridge to get any sort of volume from them, so such a heavy bridge screwed to a centre block would result in virtually no acoustic volume at all.
Thanks for the information John.
Have just ordered some bits from you John. When will these bridges be back in stock ?
We've got a few in stock- sorry I'd let them run out on the online shop, but they are back up now (stainless steel).
@@chickenbonejohn714 Hi John, Can I add one to the order I have just placed (3 string) onto order number 8716
Is it necessary to use a neck angle with these bridges john?
The whole idea of neck angle seems to be totally misunderstood by people making cigar box guitars. It's much easier and more accurate to drop the neck in parallel to the top of the box, just like Fender do on their bolt on neck guitars, you just have to get the height of the fretboard right. Having said that, we like to couple these adjustable bridges with an adjustable angle neck, but that is another level of sophistication and difficulty. Check my video where I discuss neck angle: ua-cam.com/video/Bb2YnBoZZDI/v-deo.html
@@ChickenboneJohn well, afaia, after doing a bit more reading, the neck angle isn't required unless you're using a tall bridge like that of an archtop for example, in order to bring the strings closer to the neck. And in the case of a standard fender style hard tail, while not mandatory, the neck angle can increase the downward force (not sure this is the right term) or body to string contact, resulting in more resonance. But in order to introduce the angle, the neck would need to be slightly lower in its slot.
I do like the idea of an adjustable neck angle though..