[mirwa]

Yes bridge plates and need for them, can be an interesting discussion, I am off the camp, you only need them large enough to prevent string ball damage to the underside of the top.

Large bridge plates can be utilised in the building process to reduce bridge rotation if that’s what you so desire.

However, bridge rotation is a necessary evil, too much and the bridge will pull of the top or distort the top, too little and the instrument sounds dead and lifeless.

When I personally experiment with new bracing ideas, I don’t close the box but have a temporary back installed, the tailblock and neck block are connected with a single steel bar during this process, I then string up and measure bridge rotation, if happy I remove internal bar and close the box, if unhappy I continue modifying braces and measure rotation again.

I have seen many guitars with top mount strings that have no bridgeplates at all and these play extremely well.


Steve