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Topic: Why put an adjustable bridge on a steel??? |
Jim Williams
From:
Meridian, Mississippi, USA - Home of Peavey!
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Posted 10 Jul 2017 6:55 am |
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Why do so many modern manufacturers of lap steels insist on using an adjustable electric guitar type bridge on their steels?
I have two SX laps that have the wraparound bridge and one of the old Rogue's with the fender type bridge. I would have already modded the SX's but the only way to do it without having a couple of 1/4" holes staring you in the face is to use a wide piece of angle for the bridge, which I'm not sure how I would like to look at either.
The upcoming re-release of the Supro steel has the Fender type bridge as well. This one in particular puzzles me. If the goal was to replicate the original guitar, why stick that gaudy monstrosity on there? Surely it would not be cost prohibitive to produce a normal bridge that would be closer to the original design? Honestly this is the only reason I don't have one on pre-order right now.
I strongly believe that all the extra parts / pieces involved with these adjustable bridges cannot help but to have some small effect on the sound of the strings and the transfer of sound to the pickup. Also, if they are not setup correctly from the factory (very possible), they will actually throw the intonation off.
The weird thing is that SX actually now offers an SX-3 steel for $79 that has a fixed one piece bridge on it. I guess somebody finally figured out that a lap steel does not need a fully adjustable bridge. Also the new 8 string SX's have the basic type bridge although one of the finishes available still has that huge pickup / bridge cover which gets in the way of playing the guitar. I'm seriously thinking about ordering one of these, but I would probably order the natural color to avoid having to remove this and have the holes / screws remaining for it.
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GFI SM10 3/4, 1937 Gibson EH-150, 2 - Rondo SX Lap Steels and a Guyatone 6 String C6. Peavey 400 and a Roland 40 Amps. Behringer Reverb Pedal. |
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Brad Bechtel
From:
San Francisco, CA
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Posted 10 Jul 2017 8:00 am
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It's a question of economics. Why build an entirely new part for a specialized instrument that does the same thing as the part you already have plenty of for a more general instrument?
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Brad’s Page of Steel
A web site devoted to acoustic & electric lap steel guitars |
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Jim Williams
From:
Meridian, Mississippi, USA - Home of Peavey!
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Posted 10 Jul 2017 8:50 am
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I guess that is a factor, but I really think it will cost some sales of the Supro re-release, for instance. Of course, I know that Supro is under different ownership, but still, I think most buyers would like something as close to the original design as possible on a re-release of a classic.
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GFI SM10 3/4, 1937 Gibson EH-150, 2 - Rondo SX Lap Steels and a Guyatone 6 String C6. Peavey 400 and a Roland 40 Amps. Behringer Reverb Pedal. |
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Jeff Mead
From:
London, England
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Posted 10 Jul 2017 9:04 am
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Seeing a guitar bridge with individually adjustable saddles on a steel would be enough to put me off buying it. To me it says laziness on the part of the builder. I particularly dislike it on expensive instruments where there really is no excuse.
The Stringmaster style where the whole bar can be moved backwards or forwards is fine as (as far as I can tell) it was to allow for any slight error in positioning the control plate. |
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Jim Williams
From:
Meridian, Mississippi, USA - Home of Peavey!
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Posted 10 Jul 2017 10:02 am
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Yes, I guess the fully adjustable bridge would allow for quite a big of margin of error on placement..just looks tacky to me though.
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GFI SM10 3/4, 1937 Gibson EH-150, 2 - Rondo SX Lap Steels and a Guyatone 6 String C6. Peavey 400 and a Roland 40 Amps. Behringer Reverb Pedal. |
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Bill Hatcher
From:
Atlanta Ga. USA
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Posted 10 Jul 2017 4:36 pm
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i assume you are talking about 6 string laps. if so, economics. why would you want to spend money on casting and building a part, when you can go to china and buy it for a buck or two.
so its adjustable....who cares. just line up em up and pretend. geez |
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Robert Allen
From:
Tennessee, USA
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Posted 10 Jul 2017 6:09 pm
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Because an occasional customer will ask for adjustable saddles and it's their wallet that pays my bills.
www.melbert.guitars |
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Bill Creller
From:
Saginaw, Michigan, USA (deceased)
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Posted 11 Jul 2017 7:34 pm
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It's likely a matter of using regular ( Spanish ) guitar parts that they already have in stock. New players/buyers wouldn't really know the difference if it works..
I have this Rogue here, for my grand daughter, that's gonna get some mods !!  |
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