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Posts: 3736
Location: Sunshine State, Australia | Why is it that ALL electric guitars, cheap and expensive, have adjustable bridges and nearly all acoustic guitars, cheap and expensive, have fixed bridges? |
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January 2009
Posts: 4535
Location: Flahdaw | Electric guitars have magnetic pickups |
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August 2012
Posts: 17
Location: Auckland, New Zealand | Presumably the fixed bridge transmits vibrations from the strings through to the soundboard and body of the acoustic guitar better than an adjustable bridge would. The efficient transmission of sound through the bridge isn't an issue with electric guitars because the pickup detects the string vibration.
Just a guess though. |
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August 2002
Posts: 8307
Location: Tennessee | My Danelectro DC59 does not have an adjustable bridge. |
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December 2006
Posts: 6996
Location: Jet City | stonebobbo - 2012-08-21 5:58 PM My Danelectro DC59 does not have an adjustable bridge. Nor does my Doubleneck Mosrite |
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August 2005
Posts: 3736
Location: Sunshine State, Australia | OK, so not ALL electric guitars have adjustable bridges.
But my point is, why do they 'generally' need adjustable bridges on electrics but not on acoustics? |
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Posts: 72
Location: UK | I suppose one of the reasons is the intonation needs to be spot-on (therefore adjustable) on electrics as they are played more often high on the neck? |
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Posts: 823
Location: sitting at my computer | muzza - 2012-08-22 1:39 AM ... my point is, why do they 'generally' need adjustable bridges on electrics but not on acoustics? interesting question (imho) one of them "things that make ya go hmmm..." So far from what I've read, seems it isn't that they don't "need" 'em, but that they adversely affect the acoustic sound. Apparently it has been tried in the past (Tune-o-matic bridge) but reviewers claim that it "killed the tone". (?)
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January 2006
Posts: 5881
Location: Colorado Rocky Mountains | Two of my electric archtops, both jazz models, do not have adjustable bridges other than to raise or lower the bridge as a unit. I've never really focused on the question since I don't typically have issues with intonation and, therefore, any need to make adjustments at the bridge. I think in over 50 years of playing, I've had to adjust for intonation only twice, both on used guitars just after purchase. It seems that this is one area where the manufacturers have it well sorted out. |
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Posts: 11840
Location: closely held secret |
If you could have an adjustable bridge on an acoustic (that didn't adversely affect the tone), wouldn't you want one?
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April 2011
Posts: 97
Location: Marlton, NJ | I often wish acoustic guitars had adjustable bridges. I'm very thorough in getting the intonation well adjusted on all my electrics. I use the 5th-17th fret method to adjust the intonation and I use a strobe tuner for accuracy. I've rarely encountered a new or used guitar that doesn't benefit from having it's intonation adjusted.
With acoustic guitars, I just "take what I get" since adjusting intonation by shaping the nut is a real pain in the arse. Compensated nuts works pretty well unless you use strings different than what is expected; for example, when tuning my guitar in NST, the intonation on the .059" string tuned to C is very bad on most acoustics.
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May 2008
Posts: 1559
Location: Indiana | The RMC pickup system used by Godin on it's Multiac guitars is fully adjustable. Each string, up/down, fore/aft. It's available separately by it's designer, Richard McClish at www.rmcpickup.com and can be retrofitted on any acoustic bridge with a standard 1/8 inch slot. It's a great sounding system as well. |
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December 2004
Posts: 1673
Location: SoCal | Jonmark, I have an early Multiac Nylon. The six saddle/elements are installed in a straight slot. The newer Multiacs have a compensated arrangement, but since each saddle/element is in a slot, how is fore/aft adjustment accomplished? |
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December 2004
Posts: 1673
Location: SoCal | boltonb - 2012-08-22 9:10 AM Two of my electric archtops, both jazz models, do not have adjustable bridges other than to raise or lower the bridge as a unit. Brad, My archtops have moveable bridges, just sitting on the top held in place by the downward force of the strings. The saddles are compensated and the bridges have height adjusters on each side. At string-change time, all the strings come off, as does the bridge, and the whole guitar gets a spa treatment. I reset the location of the bridge by installing/intonating the E strings. |
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May 2008
Posts: 1559
Location: Indiana | Hi Bruce. I never needed to adjust my Multiac... was considering putting the RMC pickup on a CV-68. I was told by a guitar tech that the upper part of the saddle could move fore and aft above the slot. Unfortunately, since you asked, I can't find anything to support that claim and was likely passing on bad information. I'll keep looking but mean time, ignore me.
Hope all is well with you these days. |
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May 2008
Posts: 1559
Location: Indiana | Got a reply from Mr. McClish and I was wrong about the fore/aft adjustment of the RMC PU saddles. Sorry for the mis-information. |
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Bridge query
