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I had a vision for this 18" archtop. It included a wider bridge base ala the late great Jimmy D'Aquisto.
Matt was generous enough to craft the most gorgeous new bridge out of African Ebony. The bridge not only fit my vision to a "t" but upon first installation the bridge fit just fine without making any adjustments. Action is as spot on as it was with the smaller original traditional bridge.
Thank you to Matt Cushman for helping to make my guitar vision a reality. And also a big thanks to Joe D for the referral!
Last edited by 2bornot2bop; 03-03-2018 at 08:42 PM.
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03-03-2018 08:25 PM
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Oh man, 2B.
That is just lovely!
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Hey that bridge looks very familiar!
you know, Ive been thinking about this a lot. I think a big guitar works well with a big bridge base. I honestly believe the larger base stabilizes the top. My HJS 18 has never played or sounded better. I only wish that Matt Cushman made pickups!
nice going 2b. Your guitar takes a back seat to no other guitar!
Joe D
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It's a spectacular guitar! Was the volume enhanced by the change to a larger bridge?
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You are really homing in on your vision, 2B! Kudos to you, Matt, and Joe!
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Looks fantastic 2Born! How does Matt get the bridge-base contour done accurately without the guitar in hand? He must have some kind of a standard template he uses?
Also, the way the CC pickup fitted is into the pickguard looks awesome!
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Is that a VV pickup, or a Lollar? How do you like it on he 18"? I have a SD Benedetto B6 in my Wu, and it's a great pickup, but I'm wondering if a VV HCC might be worth trying. I have one, but it will be some effort to swap pickups in two guitars, and I don't know if it would be worth the effort. That is a beautiful guitar, and the bridge looks like it belongs there.
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Thanks for the referral bro. Without you sharing your posts I'd not have known. Matt is the real deal! RE this bridge on 18's - Go big or go home, that's 2b's motto!
Originally Posted by Max405
The guitar sounds more refined and feels even more responsive. I'd prefer a version of this bridge on all of my 17" acoustics too. Yes, I do observe a slight increase in volume as much as TI GB14 flat's can provide. Originally Posted by AlohaJoe
Pretty simple, I shipped him my original bridge. I didn't anticipate Matt nailing the contour of the original bridge as well as he did, but HE DID! Originally Posted by helios
Yes, a VV CC. I'd planned to install a DeArmond 1100, but I changed my mind and opted for this pickup - I enjoy the pickup so much that I can't imagine ever using a different floater...and I've owned most of them - Barto 5j, Bene, KA PAF, etc, etc,... Originally Posted by sgosnell
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nice...fits the aesthetics of the guitar wonderfully...looks like some prime ebony as well
is it any wonder it helps to make the guitar sound great too?!!
good work & fine choices made all around!
enjoy
cheers
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thank you sir! The late great Patrick Amato got me hooked on African Ebony bridges. When Matt said he recently got a fresh supply in, my first thought was Patrick must be smilin', and lookin' out for us forumites STILL! Originally Posted by neatomic
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Yes,2b both you and Patrick Amato, persuaded, me to obtain African Blackwood bridges Originally Posted by 2bornot2bop
thank you sir! The late great Patrick Amato got me hooked on African Ebony bridges. When Matt said he recently got a fresh supply in, my first thought was Patrick must be smilin', and lookin' out for us forumites STILL!
when I first joined this forum. I still have them in situ, on my 2013 L5CES, and 2008
L4CES, there is no comparison with TOM bridges. They produce a mellow tone. stay in
tune, with perfect intonation. On your recommendations, Bill Gagnon made both for
me with only the measurements of the TOMs , over a weekend, sent pics and despatched
them in double quick time, despite his dear wife undergoing major surgery at the time.
Good to hear that Matt Cushman is now producing them.
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Looks very like my Elferink bridge. Excellent! Your guitar still looks gorgeous. No dings on it yet?
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There are differing perspectives on choice of bridge woods. Some say aside from hardness to withstand the pressure and abrasion from the strings, it is just the density (weight) of the wood that matters. Others say that damping properties in the woods matter.
I have archtops with Gaboon Ebony bridges (and tailpieces as well) and African Blackwood as well. African Blackwood is the densest choice but has very low damping whereas Gaboon Ebony can also be a somewhat dense wood (> ABW) but has high damping of sound. You can hear a tonal shift when changing out a bridge using different woods (same with bridge fit and tailpiece down pressure angle). Whether you prefer what happens is somewhat subjective from guitar to guitar and player to player.
You can see that Brazilian and Indian Rosewoods are FAR less dense and are lower damping woods. On average, East Indian Rosewood is much softer as well from a wear perspective. Classical guitars favor BRW due to its lighter density and high hardness (strings have finite amount of energy).
---Name(s)---------------Density (lb ft/^3)-----Hardness (lbf)-----Stiffness (lbf/in^2)--
African Blackwood----————--79-----------------3,670------------2,603,000-----
Gaboon Ebony--------——-------60-----------------3,080-----------2,449,000——-
Macassar Ebony-------——------70------------------3,220-----------2,515,000--—
Brazilian Rosewood------—------52------------------2,790---——---2,020,000——-
East Indian Rosewood-------—---52------------——---2,440----—-—--1,668,000——-
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That is one lovely guitar. A joy to behold. Must be heaven to play!
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Your very welcome 2B, your guitar looks great! I think a wider bridge is perfect on your guitar. I plan on making a few of these bridges and trying them out on my own guitars. The ebony I used is most likely Gabon ebony also known asGaboon Ebony, African Ebony, Black Ebony, Mgiriti, Msindi, Omernowa, Kanran, Nyareti, Kukuo, and Gaboon.
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Yes, JGF now has another resource. JGF rules! Originally Posted by silverfoxx
It does. Yes, dings compliments of my Boxer Originally Posted by Rob MacKillop
Thanks Mark, it absolutely is, and it's my go to acoustic. Originally Posted by MarkRhodes
Originally Posted by Matt Cushman
Great news Matt! I can't wait to hear your feedback on them.
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2B,
You mean you got a dog and you haven't posted a pictorial yet ?? Like they say here, NO PICS IT DIDN"T HAPPEN...
Cough them up man !!!!
Big
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Lol! I've been blessed to share a pair of boxers as companions for 13 years. Once you're loved by a pair of boxers no other companion will do. Originally Posted by BigMikeinNJ
Humphrey, a fawn
Maynard, a brindle
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You lucky guy 2B. The ONLY thing I miss about being in New Jersey are all my guys - all of them in new Forever Homes, a couple I still get updates on from their new parents. I did enable some adoptions here in Illinois and help my ex give her critters the best care... Having cats or dogs man is really good for a person. Cats calm people, dogs get you out and that's a good thing. Someday I'm gonna need a service dog and I don't want that to happen - but when I need one I'll be glad for the company. Living in this condo is really great, except for the very strictly enforced no animal policy.
Congrats 2B, they are gorgeous dogs.
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Thank you BM! You've got a big heart, and the forum is lucky to have your example of how to live! And yes, the critters keep you movin'. They give you that look, and you know okay, it's time to GO! Originally Posted by BigMikeinNJ
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A big puppy in the house is a great alarm system too!
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My rescued friends I’m helping
Ron,
Fifi,
Kitt (my former cat)
and Bullwinkle
They all go to see my former vet Dr. Anna on Thursday to get whatever they need...
Sorry for the thread jack, I love these guys a lot. Kitt is 12 now and may have congestive heart failure building, I'm gonna be dropping a lot of money on her care, I'm hoping Lasik will postpone it a while. Dr. Anna took two of my other cats and I've been sending her and the staff at 4Paws regular 2 pound boxes of Fannie May since I moved two years ago. They're the Best...
Last edited by BigMikeinNJ; 03-04-2018 at 11:56 PM.
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Any of you guys have this problem?
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Yep!
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Seriously, I can’t leave an open guitar case anywhere.
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