LUTHERIE

Step 13: The Bridge

 

The last structural component needed for our concert uke is the bridge. There are many ways to fashion this very important piece and, like the shape of the peghead, heel, and volute, it is an important stylistic element as well as a functional one. I chose to make my bridge simple and traditional: It will be a slot-type, where the string is knotted at the end and run through individual slots at the rear of the bridge before passing over the saddle and on over the fingerboard to the nut. I didn't like the little piece of Indian Rosewood that came with my materials kit - too thin and too short to slot easily - so I headed to WoodCraft to look for another piece. Instead, I found an absolutely beautiful piece of Bubinga (Didelotia africana) that was just the right size at 3/8" thick x 3" wide and 2' long.. It is perfectly quartersawn and has that great irridescent "bee's wing" figuring that is unique to Bubinga. This wood is becoming a popular, less expensive alternative to East India Rosewood as a back and side material and has a very nice tone. Being similar to Rosewood in both texture and color, this will be a great match for my rosewood fingerboard.

The wood bin at WoodCraft is a great place to find pieces for small instrument parts such as brudges, fingerboards, peghead veneers, etc. In fact, one could make an entire soprano or concert-sized ukulele from the pieces available in the wood bin. I have already purchased a piece of African Padauk (Pterocarpus soyauxii) there that I intend to use for the back and sides of my next concert uke, as well as some nice black ebony for a fingerboard and bridge.

Because my piece of this fine wood was 2' long, I decided to go ahead and make several bridge blanks at once. I would slot for the strings and for the saddle while the piece was still long and then cut it up into individual blanks.

 

 

After cutting a 13/16" strip off my 3" wide piece, I set up my tablesaw with a thin-kerf rip blade and cut the slot for the string ends down the center of the strip edge. My blade makes a nominal 1/8" wide cut and I set it to cut about 3/16" deep.

I then layed the strip on its wider side and cut a slot for the saddle about 1/3 of the way from what would be the edge closest to the soundhole.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I cut the strip into eight 2 3/4" pieces. This whole operation took about 30 minutes. A good, sharp, thin-kerf blade is a must here. Get a good one. It doesn't pay to scrimp here. Of course, you can also do all of this with a hand saw and a 1/8" chisel.

 

 

 

 

 

Here's the bridge sitting on our uke. I will round the corners and give it sloped shoulders before attaching it. The slots that determine the string spacing have to be cut, and the bridge will be glued down after the finish is applied. Why then? Well there are several schools of thought on this subject The Spanish method has us finishing the body after gluing down the bridge, and both receiving the same level of finish, while most steel-stringed instruments finish the body first and glue the pre-finished bridge on later. I will again follow Cumpianno's example and finish the uke first, then carefully mark off and scrape away the finish where the bridge will be attached. This insures that the finish on the top will not look like it was "painted around" the bridge. As with most factory guitars, I will finish the bridge with a flatter finish before I install it, providing a contrast to the glossier body.