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OT - The mustache shaped bridge

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Mr. Ovation
Posted 2013-01-06 4:27 PM (#463904)
Subject: OT - The mustache shaped bridge


Joined:
December 2001
Posts: 7247

Location: The Great Pacific Northwest		What's with the "mustache" shaped bridges. I admit to not knowing much about vintage acoustics, but this seems like a theme on many, and one that must have an interesting back story.

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Darkbar
Posted 2013-01-06 5:27 PM (#463909 - in reply to #463904)
Subject: Re: OT - The mustache shaped bridge



Joined:
January 2009
Posts: 4536

Location: Flahdaw		Personally, I hate 'em.
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Damon67
Posted 2013-01-07 1:32 AM (#463931 - in reply to #463904)
Subject: Re: OT - The mustache shaped bridge



Joined:
December 2006
Posts: 6996

Location: Jet City		They were only made in November
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moody, p.i.
Posted 2013-01-07 12:56 PM (#463965 - in reply to #463904)
Subject: Re: OT - The mustache shaped bridge


Joined:
March 2002
Posts: 15682

Location: SoCal		Are you talking about the bridges on J200's?
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Mr. Ovation
Posted 2013-01-07 2:53 PM (#463968 - in reply to #463965)
Subject: Re: OT - The mustache shaped bridge


Joined:
December 2001
Posts: 7247

Location: The Great Pacific Northwest
immoody - 2013-01-07 10:56 AM

Are you talking about the bridges on J200's?


If you search for photos (google) of mustache shaped bridges on acoustic guitars.. there are 100's. When I go to a guitar show... it seems like they were very popular prior to the 50's or thereabouts.. I could see one model doing it... but there are bunches of them and wondered if there was some interesting story of how it started. I can think of a lot of shapes that bridges resemble, and at first I thought it was just that they resembled a mustache... but then I noticed people actually refer to them as such.

Seems like one of those stories that should go.. "the guy that invented the first non-pin bridge had a huge mustache" or something like that.
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CanterburyStrings
Posted 2013-01-07 3:15 PM (#463969 - in reply to #463904)
Subject: Re: OT - The mustache shaped bridge


Joined:
March 2008
Posts: 2683

Location: Hot Springs, S.D.		Wasn't that a Gibson thing? They had those and the "batwing" bridges too. And the upsidedown looking ones too.
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Mark in Boise
Posted 2013-01-07 3:32 PM (#463971 - in reply to #463904)
Subject: Re: OT - The mustache shaped bridge


Joined:
March 2005
Posts: 12761

Location: Boise, Idaho		Mustache or moustache bridges have been around since the 1800s at least. That's what Google told me. Looks like it was partly frivolous, but partly to give some mass to the bridge and provide a couple of spots on the ends for pins to hold the bridge onto the face of the guitar.
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Darkbar
Posted 2013-01-07 4:06 PM (#463976 - in reply to #463904)
Subject: Re: OT - The mustache shaped bridge



Joined:
January 2009
Posts: 4536

Location: Flahdaw		A mustache bridge on a Daisy Rock guitar would be the first transvestite guitar...
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SOBeach
Posted 2013-01-09 10:12 AM (#464045 - in reply to #463904)
Subject: RE: OT - The mustache shaped bridge


Joined:
April 2010
Posts: 823

Location: sitting at my computer

Okay, here's a story...

 

In the mid 1800's there were two luthiers who had a friendly rivalry, always looking for ways to out do each other.  Alexander Luthierre from Lorraine, France and Diego Bigote de Mostacho from Malaga, Spain were both highly skilled and artistic craftsmen known for their flamboyant personas.  True to his family's namesake Diego had a very prominent mustache that was black, bushy and wide with long curled ends.  One day he got the idea to mimic its shape with his guitar bridges as a type of personal insignia or makers-mark.  The unique bridges made his guitars immediately distinguishable from all the other luthier's guitars, including Alexander's. 

 

Not to be out done by his rival, Alexander came up with an idea for his own mark.  He shaved his already balding head completely clean and began making his guitar headstocks with broad, rounded tops to match. His new appearance soon gained him recognition and the nickname...   "Lex"  Luthierre!   

 

 

 

 

Yup, that whole story was nothin' but a great big slice of phony baloney.  I couldn't find any actual backstory...  so I made one up!


 

Gotcha! 

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