Correct Placement of the Bridge on an Archtop Guitar
Many music genres use guitars for sustaining a melody or harmony. In particular, jazz music uses archtop guitars in both electric and acoustic forms. This six-string guitar resembles a basic guitar structure, but has a movable, or floating, bridge. Over time, this bridge will shift positions, resulting in an altered guitar tone. Correct bridge placement will ensure a quality jazz guitar tone.
Other People Are Reading
-
Bridge Features
-
The archtop bridge holds the six strings up and away from the instrument's body. The bridge resides near the guitar's tailpiece with only the strings' tension holding the part to the guitar. The strings' lengths stretch over the bridge, allowing vibrations to move through the strings and across the instrument, producing sound. The bridge can be adjusted in height by turning two screws that lift either the left or right side up in small intervals.
Placement
-
The archtop guitar owner must use her musical ear for determining the correct bridge placement. The guitarist should strum the guitar while holding the 12th fret. The twelfth fret is one of the closest ridges along the fingerboard to the bridge, generating a musical note. The guitarist should also listen to the harmonic, or open, 12th fret sound. The floating bridge should be moved downward, toward the tailpiece, if the two 12fth fret notes sound sharp compared to one another. A flat note comparison between the two sounds signifies that the bridge should move closer to the neck, or fingerboard.
-
Height Adjustment
-
The bridge's height should be relatively level to the guitar's flat body surface. The guitarist can use the 12th fret process again for determining the best sound output while the bridge's height is adjusted. Slowly adjust each side in an alternating pattern. This slow and precise adjustment process will prevent any accidental stretching of the strings from excessive height changes.
Considerations
-
The archtop guitar's strings may need to be loosened a bit during bridge placement adjustment. However, a professional musical instrument technician may be needed if the bridge placement procedure fails to generate the desired sound. Many components contribute to an archtop guitar's sound. Another part may be warped or misaligned, causing poor sound quality.
-
