The Guitar Gallery Forums - The Guitar Legacy of Matsumoku

Just to illustrate what I'm doing here - my initial introduction to Matsumoku instruments came about from the Aria SB Black n' Gold which I am in the process of building a replica of, with aspects of the SB-1000 and personal modifications added in. Since I learnt more about the wider SB range and the Matsumoku heritage I decided to go all the way and reproduce the original electronics and bridge hardware.

My first port of call is to reproduce the original SB wide-spacing bridge in brass. From measurements discussed with members and actual measurements taken from a bridge, this is not difficult. At present however, I do not possess the correct milling equipment however I am hoping to invest in a vertical mill this Autumn. Not only will this allow me to make my own hardware but it will allow me to produce faithful reproductions for other SB, RSB, CSB and Integra owners. Being an open project, it does rely on feedback from people as without this I cannot gauge interest in vintage reproduction hardware. If there isn't demand, I can't justify putting too much money into it.

In addition to the SB hardware, I took an interest in the PE and CS Black n' Gold hardware. The bridge and stoptail of the PE are beautifully executed and when I get around to building my next guitar (not till next year I guess) I would love to try my hand at reproducing that also. The stoptail looks more conducive to sandcasting, however that is not entirely out of the question despite it not being something I intend to do immediately. The 12-string I saw on here gave me BS (like GAS, but "builders syndrome") and definitely qualifies as a to-do.

The same applies to the Cardinal BnG guitar bridge (similar design to the SB style bridges) however the beauty of the PE bridge may supplant the CS.

In that respect, I would love to discuss the intimate dimensions of these hardware pieces with anybody that is happy to do so. All this information will be fed back into the Mat community here, and should everything turn out roses we may have a line in making vintage repro stuff to keep our Mats looking beautiful and upgrading those with less-than-perfect hardware like "pot metal" zi/al bridges. In addition, expanding the library of information on Mats for posteriority is always a good thing.

This isn't an announcement, hence why it is in the Wanted department!

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"People demand freedom of speech as a compensation for the freedom of thought which they seldom use" - Søren Kierkegaard
"It looks just like a Telefunken U47" - Frank Zappa

I'm pretty sure there would be great interest in some reproduction CS saddles.

Yeah, I've seen the design of the "U-Strat" saddles in the "quick hook" bridge and I can see how they could break easily. A strange design choice which can be tweaked or kept authentic. Not high on the priority list though, although once I get up and running making SB hardware then other stuff won't be all that difficult. I would love to get a closer look at the two-piece bridge used on the PE Black n' Gold though. That would be absolutely earth shattering as a 12-string like Trevor's RS 800-12. Mmmm. CS Bn'G-12. I see that in my future.

Ooo. Looky what I found! http://brochures.yokochou.com/guitar-an ... p0506.html

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"People demand freedom of speech as a compensation for the freedom of thought which they seldom use" - Søren Kierkegaard
"It looks just like a Telefunken U47" - Frank Zappa

I have a 1980 APII bridge off of a TS400 right now, I can take pics and measurements if you want.

I don't know if you saw my post about problems I encountered with my bridge.

I've perused posts here to find that some CS's and a few other models also had bridges that use those (ahem) unique saddles. One poster had put a 1/16th shim under the stock bridge and used off the shelf saddles.

I was thinking if someone could come up with a new bridge plate that could use off the shelf saddles, there might be some interest among Uncle Mat enthusiasts for such a replacement bridge. It would have to be thicker to compensate for shorter saddles, but you could machine material off the back so it wouldn't be too much of a boat anchor.

If we could find someone to cast them out of brass and then get them plated, that would be very cool.

Dimensions would be splendid, as having a documented solution is always good. When I am able to start making parts, I would prefer to stick to original designs, however making a custom shim will be no problem. Casting is inferior to milling in many respects, especially at thin sizes. The only advantages I can think of are material efficiency and the texture.

Plating is difficult with brass. It is environmentally toxic and also expensive in small batches. The cheapest options are either powder coating, which does not look anywhere near as good as a plated product or proper gold plating

Let's look at the dimensions first and move that part forward.

_________________
"People demand freedom of speech as a compensation for the freedom of thought which they seldom use" - Søren Kierkegaard
"It looks just like a Telefunken U47" - Frank Zappa

I'll get out my digital calipers and take some measurements, and detailed pics. A question I pose though, is considering that this was a somewhat poor design, why not try and improve it for better reliability and function? Don't get me wrong, I'll help however I can, but considering the improvements made in bridges since 1980, I'd think you'd want to resolve some of the problems.

Oh, I can't agree more. My reason for being in this circle of interest however started with the SB bridges. There are a significant number of people who have contacted me via here, Talkbass, other forums and by email stating interest in accurate repros. For my own part, I wanted to reproduce that bridge from brass billet stock (rather than casting as mentioned) purely for my own project however interest has taken off from there. Future projects on the table are a CS/PE hybrid (poss. 12-string) whereby I reproduce the TOM/stop setup of the PE (beautiful thing in my book) for a CS Black n' Gold. The PE saddle thing occured because (IIRC) somebody asked me if it were possible to reproduce those horrendous saddles. It is very possible, however before any of this can happen I need to pour a few hundred Euros into milling equipment to replace my old workshop gear. Just so you know my part in this, and where I am hoping to go, when and how qui...slowly....

So yeah! I am happy - when I am good to go - to make authentic brass reproductions (short of the plating issues but we'll see) although my priorities are the SB bridge/saddles, PE combos and hopefully the CS/TSB in that order of priority. Thankfully they aren't complex parts to make other than the delicacy of the where height adjustment grubs are situated. That is probably the cause of most replacements if I am thinking right (rare).

Personally I am in a very frustrating place right now. I have a lot to be getting on with and am trying to finance it with money that just isn't there. The demand for repros and replacements should cover equipment and material outlay (but not the time) but I have to play lifegames here to justify that purchase and chancing finances on something that could easily become a money pit if demand turns out to be less than promised. Hell, money lost in time is no big deal as I enjoy making and manufacturing things. I've just got to be careful about losing real money!

But anyway. I think for what it is worth, having dimensions of the items recorded and archived here at mat.org is a good step towards ensuring instruments can be maintained for another thirty years! At the very least I will draft up schematics of parts.

_________________
"People demand freedom of speech as a compensation for the freedom of thought which they seldom use" - Søren Kierkegaard
"It looks just like a Telefunken U47" - Frank Zappa

Hi,

I'm very glad I found this topic...

I'm looking to replace some damaged parts on the bridge of ny Aria Pro II CS-250. They are not built anymore, so I was looking for some help.

Fo you guys know where can I find this?

Best regards

Still possible to get a bridge of a SB-600 replica ?

I am currently not manufacturing bridges or saddles. I may do a small run next year however this is not a direct plan as of yet.

_________________
"People demand freedom of speech as a compensation for the freedom of thought which they seldom use" - Søren Kierkegaard
"It looks just like a Telefunken U47" - Frank Zappa