The Guitar Gallery Forums - The Guitar Legacy of Matsumoku

All of my guitars (including my Japanese models) have Gibson/tune-o-matic style bridges and tailpieces. However, many '70s/'80s Matsumoku and other Japanese instruments have single-piece string-through-body bridge/tailpiece combos.....most notably the Westone, Skylark, and Washburn Wing series (which they call the "Harmonic Lock" bridge). Many Telecasters also use something similar.

Is there a discernable advantage to this style of bridge vs. the tune-o-matic style?

I've heard some people say that it improves resonance, because the string ball ends are anchored (via ferrules) directly to the body. But I'm skeptical that this alone would make much of a difference since the vast majority of the string's vibrations would be transmitted to the bridge saddles, thus leaving very little vibrational energy beyond the saddles to the strings' anchor points.

What I *could* see as a factor is that the break angle over the saddles is much steeper (close to 90 degrees). In theory, this would result in greater downward binding pressure on the saddles themselves. As a result (theoretically), due to the rigidity of the bridge/saddle structure, less energy would be lost and the strings would vibrate longer (thus improving sustain).

But is this the case in real life? Does anyone here notice a difference in sustain or sound quality between these two bridge types?

(For the record, I used to have a Washburn with the Harmonic Lock bridge - but it was so long ago that I don't remember how it affected the sound.)

I'm certain there are MANY schools of thought on this subject, I'll go ahead and stir the pot. . .
As far as sustain, I don't believe it makes enough difference to notice.
I also believe too much on the break angle will only damage the saddles.

Let the "discussion" commence. . .

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Quality service since 3:00 last Tuesday

I think this is likely the case.

Consider a tremolo system such as on a Strat. The string path is similar except they terminate in the sustain block rather than the guitar body. And that definitely resonates, the bigger mass the better!

This would seem to support the string thru argument, but as with all things YMMV. I have a variety of configurations and for me they all sound good, even the surface mounts.

I guess it comes down to what sort of music you are playing, what tone you're after, how loud you are, etc.

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"A little song, a little dance. A little seltzer down your pants." -Chuckles the Clown
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Then you must not like those Aria Cardinal/CS models with the pointy saddles and lots of break angle. Send any you have to me and I'll take care of them...

-Steve W.

Hey, you wanna talk string break angles?
How about the wrap around tail stop/bridge models like Gibson LP Junior? A full 180°!

_________________
"A little song, a little dance. A little seltzer down your pants." -Chuckles the Clown
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Or, how about a Bigsby vibrato? You get wrap around and movement.

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"A little song, a little dance. A little seltzer down your pants." -Chuckles the Clown
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You're correct, I don't. I'm not going to say break angle is 100% of their problem HOWEVER, if you do happen to find some in decent shape, you'll probably be able to tell which saddle was in which position by the string indentions. I believe I have one complete CS bridge left. I have two CS project bodies and may go with aftermarket bridge on both. I'd rather have a dependable gig worthy instrument than one that is 100% original.

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Quality service since 3:00 last Tuesday

I do see some advantages to this type of bridge/tailpiece. One is that it can work with necks/fretboards of various radii, since the height of each individual string saddle is adjustable. Another is that it gives you very fine adjustability WRT the intonation/action of each string. (If just one string was buzzing on a fret, you would need to raise only that string's individual saddle without affecting the action of the other strings).

One of the disadvantages, however, is that adjusting the overall action height would be quite tedious. You would need to adjust 12 individual allen screws (2 per saddle), and would need to be very careful not to change the radius in the process.

And regarding sustain/resonance: it seems to me that, owing to the laws of physics, increasing one would mean decreasing the other.

What I mean is: if more vibrational energy is transmitted from the string to the guitar's wooden body, that would mean less vibrational energy remaining on the string itself (since the wood, being less rigid than the metal tailpiece, absorbs the vibrations). Furthermore, while performing, the guitar's body is typically in contact with your abdomen, which absorbs yet more of the vibration.

In contrast, if the strings are firmly anchored on a single-piece bridge/tailpiece assembly made out of stiff metal, most of the energy is deflected back onto the string rather than being absorbed/diffused across the body.

Personally, I very rarely need a guitar to sustain indefinitely; I like a little bit of natural resonance. However, in real life, with the instrument plugged in an amped up, I'm betting most people wouldn't hear a real difference.

100%

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Quality service since 3:00 last Tuesday

That's true of just about anything to do with any discussion about anything to do with guitars!

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"A little song, a little dance. A little seltzer down your pants." -Chuckles the Clown
Guitars: https://legend.barryeames.com
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