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Author
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Topic: Compensated Bridge on lap steel
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Nick Anderson
Member From: IL
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posted 15 May 2004 10:50 PM
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I have a question. I'm building a six string lap steel guitar. I am using the Martin Koch "Build Your Own Lap Steel Guitar" book for reference. One of the steel guitars thatis illustrated uses a compensated Les Paul junior-type bridge. In the book, the author recommends when playing this lap steel to hold the bar at an angle to match the compensation, instead of holding it straight with the frets. Now, I have playing regular guitar for 22 years. When I play bottleneck slide, I have never worried about holding it to the compesating angle. I have also checked with a electronic tuner, and everything seems to line up at the 12th fret(on regular guitar). Is the worth worrying about, or should I try a different bridge? Maybe a bridge that can bring all the strings to the same string(scale) length? Any insight to this would be great! Thanks,
Nick Anderson |
C Dixon
Member From: Duluth, GA USA
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posted 16 May 2004 07:28 AM
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quote:
"In the book, the author recommends when playing this lap steel to hold the bar at an angle to match the compensation, instead of holding it straight with the frets."
hmmmmm Don't think so  carl |
Alan Kirk
Member From: Santa Barbara, CA, USA
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posted 16 May 2004 07:49 AM
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I tune my open strings (GBDGBD), then put the bar on the 12th fret and fine tune by slightly raising the high D string and slightly lowering the low G string. "Stretching" the tuning this way helps it fit into the Equal Temperament (everything slightly out of tune) scheme of things upon which most contemporary Western (not C&W; "Western" as in Western Civilization) music is based. The same effect could be attained by slightly slanting the bar when playing higher up on the neck.------------------
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Roy Thomson
Member From: Wolfville, Nova Scotia,Canada
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posted 16 May 2004 09:32 AM
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Tune the way you normally do and keep the bar straight.
Don't try to compensate for the compensators.
If it does not sound right maybe you can make
the bridge straight and try again.
First time I have noted this principle applied to a steel guitar?
On all my steel guitars the 12th fret is the mid point between nut and bridge,,,for each and every string.
Just my "slant" on the issue. 
Roy------------------
http://www.houstonsteelman.com/RoyT/ [This message was edited by Roy Thomson on 16 May 2004 at 10:25 AM.] |
Loni Specter
Member From: West Hills, CA, USA
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posted 17 May 2004 10:42 AM
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Seems to me the only problem in using a Les Paul jr. type stud bridge will be that the strings are not level at the bridge, but rather curved/arched to follow the radius of a fingerboard. You will have to notch the saddle slots to even height. |
James Quackenbush
Member From: Pomona, New York, USA
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posted 17 May 2004 02:38 PM
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I would tend to agree with Loni ...The reason for a compensated bridge IS to have the strings intonated properly at the octave ... If you have to slant to get the desired notes, than the bridge has 2 screws that move the whole bridge one way or the other on both studs to attain good intonation ... You don't slant your fingers when playing regular guitar on a Les Paul Jr. , why would you have to playing slide guitar ??.... Like Loni said, the arched strings, that follow the radius of the neck, that is on the bridge, would make the strings at different heights...That would be the problem that I would see....That's my slant on it >> |
Chuck Fisher
Member From: Santa Cruz, California, USA
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posted 18 May 2004 03:24 PM
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use a fender style (cheap) or shaller roller bridge, you can set height or intonation. the shaller even allows spacing adjustment. its costly but nice.so far the non adjustables I have played (a few gibson EH models, a morrell and 4 customs have all seemed just fine, I probably just slant to temper. George Pilburn and Don Reutenik use metal rods for nut and bridge and its elegant, their placement works. But, if you find a problem with one string just being out usually, there is an adjustment on the fenders and shallers to fix it. ooh , the shaller is pretty , too
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mikey
Member From: Hawaii, Big Island
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posted 21 May 2004 11:04 PM
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compensated bridges are for FRETTING...SOLID STEEL FOR LAPSTEEL...slanted?..maybe, but I set up a triple stringmaster w/ a strobotuner...bar on 12th and harmonic as well as 7th as opposed to 19th fret...bridge was straight.
Mike |
Dave Boothroyd
Member From: The Malvern Hills
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posted 22 May 2004 12:31 AM
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Mikey is right.
Compensated bridges are to allow for the fact that conventional guitar strings are set up to be level across their lower edge, and when you press strings down onto the fretboard, a thin string has to bend further than a thick one, so unless it is slightly longer, it will play sharp as it goes up the neck.
Your steel guitar strings should be level across their top edges, so they should all be pressed down by the bar by the same, very small, amount. Compensation sould not come into it at all.
Even playing slide on a six string, it could cause intonation problems if the bridge compensation is more than a couple of millimetres.
On the other hand, for most people who play bottleneck, a few cents pitch either way does not seem to be an issue. ------------------
Cheers!
Dave
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