Matt Cushman Ebony Bridge

**skykomishone** · 12-26-2018, 05:11 PM

Matt Cushman Ebony Bridge, a Christmas gift from my son, for my L5P to replace the gold ABR-1 TOM. All I can say is amazing. But, I'm going to say a little more. The guitar sounds more woody, warmer, and richer. The TOM tone was bright and chimey. The difference is really apparent to me. The L5P, I acquired from Vinny, and it is a stunning instrument to begin with, and the ebony really hits the spot for me. It's only been on the guitar for an hour or so, since I was able to pick it up from the post office this morning, fresh from Great Falls, MT. Matt, you're awesome! Thanks again!
Matt Cushman Ebony Bridge-bridge-jpg

**citizenk74** · 12-26-2018, 05:27 PM

Matt Cushman does fine, fine work. Enjoy that beauty!

**BigMikeinNJ** · 12-26-2018, 06:05 PM

Wow that’s amazing

**Gitfiddler** · 12-26-2018, 08:03 PM

I've never considered a guitar's wooden bridge 'sexy', but that Cushman is one SEXY ebony bridge!!

**neatomic** · 12-26-2018, 09:40 PM

bravo matt c...once again.. forum's lucky to have a craftsman of his skill level and understanding on board to help out those who need it!!...he'll customize what you ask for, and make it look & sound great and work properly..what more can one ask?!!

cheers

**vinnyv1k** · 12-26-2018, 10:42 PM

Sweet bridge. Matt is the man.

**Woody Sound** · 12-27-2018, 09:57 AM

Is the base still the original?

**skykomishone** · 12-27-2018, 11:31 AM

Yes. Original Base!

**Woody Sound** · 12-27-2018, 12:04 PM

Originally Posted by skykomishone

Yes. Original Base!

Yeah, that's the way to do it.

**lawson-stone** · 12-27-2018, 12:12 PM

How did you actually process this? How did he know how to carve the saddle? This looks like a very interesting project and I might be interested in one of those myself.

**Max405** · 12-27-2018, 01:58 PM

Sky, Great post. Matt is a pretty special dude. His talent is underestimated. He can do so much more.
But its nice that he gets the credibility that he deserves.
Its only been a short time that you've had the bridge on the guitar. Give it time and there will be nuances that you prefer in both setups. And now, you've turned an already stellar guitar into a dual threat! The differences will be subtle. But because you are an excellent player with a great ear, you will pick them out.
One thing, if I may.. I would absolutely trust him to remake the base too. The benefit is, the unit he makes will adjust better than any bridge unit available. Even with the down pressure of the strings at full tune, my bridges adjust like a fine micrometer.

Great post.
Joe D.

**Cunamara** · 12-27-2018, 02:30 PM

Lawson, I don't know how skykomishone did it but I had Matt make me a bridge top for an odd set of string gauges by intonating it with a cheap TOM and sending that to him as the pattern. The wooden bridge he sent back to me was perfect. (I should note that the bridge base and the whole guitar was made by Matt, too, and it's good enough that I haven't bought another archtop in 12 years. Quite a money saver!).

**Max405** · 12-27-2018, 05:54 PM

So in other words, Matt is like the GAS-X of guitar makers..

**skykomishone** · 12-27-2018, 08:58 PM

Originally Posted by lawson-stone

How did you actually process this? How did he know how to carve the saddle? This looks like a very interesting project and I might be interested in one of those myself.

I asked Matt about making an impression, since I didn't have a spare intonated ABR-1 to send, and didn't want to send the original and not be able to play my favorite guitar for the evening concert series, especially during the Solstice pagan celebration and Christmas, so I took very careful measurements with a digital micrometer, and used tracing paper and pencil. Ultimately, I measured the individual string length and spacing, as well as the base post hole spacing, diameter, and post size. If I were to do it again, I'd buy a cheapo ABR-1 that fits the base, intonate it and send it. It worked out, and I'm very happy!

Originally Posted by Max405

Sky, Great post. Matt is a pretty special dude. His talent is underestimated. He can do so much more.
But its nice that he gets the credibility that he deserves.
Its only been a short time that you've had the bridge on the guitar. Give it time and there will be nuances that you prefer in both setups. And now, you've turned an already stellar guitar into a dual threat! The differences will be subtle. But because you are an excellent player with a great ear, you will pick them out.
One thing, if I may.. I would absolutely trust him to remake the base too. The benefit is, the unit he makes will adjust better than any bridge unit available. Even with the down pressure of the strings at full tune, my bridges adjust like a fine micrometer.

Great post.
Joe D.

Thanks Joe! "Excellent Player with a Great Ear". I love it. I've been called a lot of things, but that's pretty special. You're awesome Brother! Regarding the base, I'll think about that. The one that Gibson made fits like a pair of jeans that were painted on a stunning beauty, if you know what I mean! No unfilled gaps.

**Matt Cushman** · 12-28-2018, 09:42 AM

Originally Posted by skykomishone

Matt Cushman Ebony Bridge, a Christmas gift from my son, for my L5P to replace the gold ABR-1 TOM. All I can say is amazing. But, I'm going to say a little more. The guitar sounds more woody, warmer, and richer. The TOM tone was bright and chimey. The difference is really apparent to me. The L5P, I acquired from Vinny, and it is a stunning instrument to begin with, and the ebony really hits the spot for me. It's only been on the guitar for an hour or so, since I was able to pick it up from the post office this morning, fresh from Great Falls, MT. Matt, you're awesome! Thanks again!
Matt Cushman Ebony Bridge-bridge-jpg

Thanks skykomishone! I'm glad that your saddle mated up with your base so nicely. It seems a lighter saddle with no moving parts is the way to.

Originally Posted by citizenk74

Matt Cushman does fine, fine work. Enjoy that beauty!

Thanks K! I always appreciate your kindly comments!

Originally Posted by BigMikeinNJ

Wow that’s amazing

Thanks Mike! I'm happy you like her looks.

Originally Posted by Gitfiddler

I've never considered a guitar's wooden bridge 'sexy', but that Cushman is one SEXY ebony bridge!!

Thanks Gitfiddler! It isn't often I see my name and the word sexy in the same sentence.

Originally Posted by neatomic

bravo matt c...once again.. forum's lucky to have a craftsman of his skill level and understanding on board to help out those who need it!!...he'll customize what you ask for, and make it look & sound great and work properly..what more can one ask?!!

cheers

Thanks neatomic! I enjoy the variety that comes with each new challenge that comes along.

Originally Posted by vinnyv1k

Sweet bridge. Matt is the man.

Thanks Vinny! I'm very pleased that you like her.

Originally Posted by lawson-stone

How did you actually process this? How did he know how to carve the saddle? This looks like a very interesting project and I might be interested in one of those myself.

Hi Lawson. You can send me a saddle to copy or you can take a few measurements for me it is your choice.

Originally Posted by Max405

Sky, Great post. Matt is a pretty special dude. His talent is underestimated. He can do so much more.
But its nice that he gets the credibility that he deserves.
Its only been a short time that you've had the bridge on the guitar. Give it time and there will be nuances that you prefer in both setups. And now, you've turned an already stellar guitar into a dual threat! The differences will be subtle. But because you are an excellent player with a great ear, you will pick them out.
One thing, if I may.. I would absolutely trust him to remake the base too. The benefit is, the unit he makes will adjust better than any bridge unit available. Even with the down pressure of the strings at full tune, my bridges adjust like a fine micrometer.

Great post.
Joe D.

Thanks Joe! You mentioned adjusting your bridge before. The thumbwheels on your bridge are a wee bit smaller than most as they are intended for a mandolin bridge. That may be part of why they can be adjusted a bit more easily.

Originally Posted by Cunamara

Lawson, I don't know how skykomishone did it but I had Matt make me a bridge top for an odd set of string gauges by intonating it with a cheap TOM and sending that to him as the pattern. The wooden bridge he sent back to me was perfect. (I should note that the bridge base and the whole guitar was made by Matt, too, and it's good enough that I haven't bought another archtop in 12 years. Quite a money saver!).

Thanks Cunamara! It is always a pleasure to read comments from a happy customer.

**lawson-stone** · 12-28-2018, 10:31 AM

Originally Posted by Matt Cushman

...

Thanks Cunamara! It is always a pleasure to read comments from a happy customer.

From my observation, you seem to have quite a lot of them! I'm pondering the bridge thing. A little tapped out cash-wise right now, but a saddle for my L5ces might be fun.

**joe2758** · 12-28-2018, 10:33 AM

can anyone confirm or deny a real change in sound? I have a 175 with TOM. I like the IDEA of it; I like a "woody" tone (i think? lol)

**Cunamara** · 12-28-2018, 11:13 AM

There was definitely a difference on my guitar between the TOM and the ebony bridges. The TOM had more twang and a harder edged attack and more sustain as well. It was not a bad sound, just not what I was looking for. The ebony bridge seems to result in a softer attack compared to the TOM with metal saddles, less pronounced overtones and a bit less sustain although not "thunky."

Matt also made me a rosewood bridge top at my request, as I believed that would be warmer/softer still but the opposite was true- bright, crisp and overtone-y like a flattop. I was surprised. One difference was that the rosewood top weighed much less than the ebony top (Matt had noted the mass on the undersides of the bridges). In my discussions with him about this, he noted that he thought the mass of the bridge top made a significant difference in sound. In terms of physics that makes some sense as mass is going to affect resonant frequency as will hardness, etc.

**joe2758** · 12-28-2018, 11:15 AM

thanks!!

**skykomishone** · 12-28-2018, 11:29 AM

Originally Posted by joe2758

can anyone confirm or deny a real change in sound? I have a 175 with TOM. I like the IDEA of it; I like a "woody" tone (i think? lol)

Yes, I'm certain that there is a change. It's definitely warmer, less 'chimey' and bright, not that it was anything bad before, it's different. Also, it's a big acoustic archtop, which might be more responsive than a '175, but my '175's both have rosewood bridges and I've not done a compare, so I wouldn't know. I think the L5P definitely sounds different, and I'm certain it's not my imagination. I play acoustically, almost always with the L5P, and have not plugged in with the new bridge. I'll let you know if that makes much of a difference.

Also, We have thousands of members on the forum, all with an opinion, and much has been written about changing out a metal TOM for ebony or other wooden bridge, so you can read for hours if you're interested. Just do a search.