CF Guitar with bolt-on bridge?

[ChunkyB]

My favorite guitar, which I've had since high school is a Yamaha CPX15-W. It is a great guitar, even after all the abuse I've given it. One time, I played an outdoor concert in June back in high school and then threw the guitar in my car for a few hours in the afternoon while I went around to see other bands and what not. It probably got up to 130 degrees in the car. The neck ended up cracking slightly where the headstock meets the neck. I took it in to a tech and he glued it up and redid the setup. It didn't end up affecting much of anything.

At any rate, the guitar has a bolt-on bridge. I'm guessing if it didn't, the bridge would have pulled off completely. As it is, the bridge is just fine. I don't know how a bolt-on bridge affects tone, and I'm sure everyone will tell me how awful it makes it sound, but the thread about heat affecting CF guitars got me thinking.

One of the big selling points on CF guitars is how they're impervious to the elements. It seems like someone could really make a splash if they made one with a bolt-on bridge that could withstand even higher temperatures. I may be wrong, but it seems like the bridge glue point is sort of the weak point, temperature wise, on current CF guitars.

Thoughts?

[mchalebk]

I'm no expert, but I believe the issue people have with bolt on bridges is the extra weight involved.

For what it's worth, I think Emerald guitars don't have glued on bridges; pretty sure it's an integral part of the top of the guitar, so you'd never have to worry about the bridge pulling up.

[benderman57]

For what it's worth I don't think there is a huge problem with Bridges coming unglued on carbon guitars. I'm sure there has been some of this but still probably way less than any wooden guitar. I have owned probably 10 different Carbon guitars from early CA's & Rainsongs 6 & 12 strings to a newer Peavey Cargo in the last 8 years and had them in all kinds of extreme conditions and they have all came through with flying colors with no signs of the bridges lifting.

That being said I always hope that current production is always being looked at in ways to make them as solid as possible.

Just my 2 cents

[Jim K]

My understanding is that: (i) RainSong's bridges are both glued and bolted on; and (ii) Emerald's bridges are part of the original carbon matrix as it is cooked and cured, so the bridge is part of the top and not glued or bolted.

[ChunkyB]

It sounds like I can chalk this up to my own ignorance. I guess they're all way ahead of me.

I felt the same way that the issues with bridges lifting are probably rare on CF guitars, even in extreme conditions.

[Doubleneck]

Interesting I did not know that about Emerald.

[jonfields45]

Over the years I've read of 3 CAs with lifted bridges (0 for the other manufacturers). Given CA's limited production, not as low as I would like. I think their issue has probably been surface contamination, not a design or materials problem. Jon

Make that 4, just read about another on MacNichol's forum...

[mchalebk]

4 out of 4 CA guitars surveyed at my house have no issues...

[ac]

Emerald managed to find an entirely different way to build the bridge as part of the body. For it to separate for any reason other than a buzz saw is impossible.