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  #1  
Old 12-05-2019, 03:01 PM
upsidedown upsidedown is offline
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Default L50 Bridge ..

My newly acquired L50 has a slotted bridge, but I don't know if it was made that way or if the slots are the result of 70 years of erosion-by-strings.

I'm curious because the G string is a bit buzzy, and that slot -coincidentally or not - seems the deepest.
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Old 12-05-2019, 06:12 PM
Steve DeRosa Steve DeRosa is offline
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Quick solution: StewMac sells archtop replacement bridges for around $20 a pop - pick one up, have it slotted to your specs (FYI you can play with string spacing a little bit, without the E strings going off the edge of the fingerboard), and keep the original in the case pocket for future resale purposes...
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Old 12-06-2019, 09:11 AM
mr. beaumont mr. beaumont is offline
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An archtop bridge would have slots...some may have deepened (or been deepened) over time...it very likely could be the reason that string is buzzing a bit.

Steve's comment is spot on.

Out of curiousity, buzzing open or fretted notes or both.
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Old 12-06-2019, 12:35 PM
upsidedown upsidedown is offline
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Thank you for the suggestion. I'll give that a try.

Jeff, the buzz is when fretted or open. I did put a slightly fatter G string on there and it's slightly improved. Still, I'd like to see how it sounds with the new bridge.

Edit: however, the unslotted rosewood bridge available at StewMac is not continuous at the base (as the original is). I'll look elsewhere.

Last edited by upsidedown; 12-06-2019 at 12:41 PM.
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Old 12-06-2019, 01:36 PM
MC5C MC5C is offline
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Just change the bridge topper, copy what is there, match the post spacing. Or just adjust the topper you have, reduce it's height so that notches are less, or even flush, and start over.
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Old 12-06-2019, 02:49 PM
upsidedown upsidedown is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MC5C View Post
Just change the bridge topper, copy what is there, match the post spacing. Or just adjust the topper you have, reduce it's height so that notches are less, or even flush, and start over.
Thanks.

I thought of that too, and it's kind of hard to measure with bridge in place, but mine comes up about 2 mm short of dead center of Stew's specs.
Option B might be right.


BTW, I have no way of knowing whether or not mine is original. Exhibits A and B below, for anyone who might wish to weigh in:



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Old 12-09-2019, 04:36 AM
Howard Emerson Howard Emerson is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by upsidedown View Post
Thanks.

I thought of that too, and it's kind of hard to measure with bridge in place, but mine comes up about 2 mm short of dead center of Stew's specs.
Option B might be right.


BTW, I have no way of knowing whether or not mine is original. Exhibits A and B below, for anyone who might wish to weigh in:



Absolutely original equipment.

I'd find a scrap rosewood bridge. The top or the bottom section will do as it doesn't matter. Then take the 3rd string out of the slot, and file a decent size V notch.

Then take a scrap of rosewood from the donor bridge section, and glue it in with Crazy glue. After that it's a matter of sanding the scrap down until it's flush, and then re-slot the section.

Grain direction, of course, should be maintained so as to avoid string groove wear & tear.

It appears from the pictures that if you were to 'rock' a short straightedge on the strings just in front of the bridge that it would NOT touch the G string because it's out of the 'radius plane'.

This is not rocket science, and requires a modicum of skill and tools.

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Howard Emerson
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Old 12-10-2019, 11:58 AM
upsidedown upsidedown is offline
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Thanks Howard. My local guy recommends same.
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