How to Make a Tailpiece & Floating Bridge for a Mandolin
There are two main methods of creating a mechanism to attach strings to a fretted instrument: the tailpiece method and the peg method. The disadvantage to the peg method is that the tension from the strings is constantly pulling at the bridge assembly, and may cause the glue to fail. The tailpiece method distributes the tension against the edge of the instrument's body. The tension from the strings then serves to fasten the bridge in place, pressing down on the top of the mandolin, rather than pulling up at it. The tailpiece method, which is the method that violin makers use on their instruments, provides for a simple and durable solution.
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Instructions
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1
Create a base plate for the mandolin. Cut a piece of brass to the desired shape, without bending the metal. Mark out the bend point, where the brass will fit over the edge of the body. Drill 8 holes in one half of the base plate, evenly spaced but staggered, and one 1/4-inch hole in the other side. Bend the tailpiece at a 90 degree angle and test it on the mandolin to ensure it fits snugly.
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2
Cut your pegs. You can use a plain brass rod, or you can use machine screws. Ensure they are not too large for the loop ends in the mandolin strings. A diameter of about 3mm should be sufficient. If you have doubts, bring a set of mandolin strings to the hardware store where you buy your machine screws or rods and test them.
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3
Using a hacksaw or other metal-cutting blade, cut your pegs to the desired height: Approximately 3/8ths of an inch. Insert them into the holes cut in your tailpiece and weld or superglue them flush to the underside of the tailpiece.
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4
Cut the basic shape of the bridge itself from a solid piece of hard wood, such as ebony. This wood should be very hard, since it will bear the brunt of the string tension. It should be able to withstand the cutting action of the strings grinding into the wood.
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5
Put a piece of sandpaper on top of the actual mandolin top. Gently scrape the bridge against the sandpaper, switching to a finer and finer grit as you go. Through the sanding process, you will gradually lower the bridge until you reach the bridge height you want. This sanding will fit the bottom of the mandolin bridge to the contours of the mandolin top itself, ensuring the best possible transferrence of string vibration to the instrument's body and the best possible tone. Stop and test how the mandolin plays every once in a while. If you cut the bridge too low, you may cause the strings to start to buzz against the frets.
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6
String up the outer strings of the mandolin parallel to the edges of the neck and mark off where they cross the bridge with a pencil. Then use a needle file to carve out the notches for these strings in the bridge. Angle the notches backwards, slightly, towards the tailpiece, so that the strings have a very clear point at which they break toward the tailpiece. Then, fill in the rest of the notches, leaving about 7 to 8mm between each course of two strings, and leaving about 1 mm between each of the two strings in a course.
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