String through bridges

Many fine builders like DeVine, Pohaku, Black Bear, and Moore Bettah use string through bridges on some or all of their ukuleles.

For those players with this feature on your ukulele can you tell any difference in sound? Is it just as easy to string up as more traditional bridge systems?

Looking forward to your comments!

I can't tell any difference in the sound -- though there are so many variants that I would be loath to say it was due to the bridge style.

I love the clean look it gives the uke, and unlike tie bridges, I never catch my strumming hand on stray string ends, which is fantastic. I will say it is a slightly bigger pain to restring, as you have to fish the string out of the hole. You also can't re-use strings that have been installed this way unless you leave lots of slack on the headstock end, so that you can cut the knot from the bridge end and start over.

(My string-through is a Talsma, by the way.)

Pueo said:

I have two ukuleles with string through bridges. I am not sure if they affect sound significantly, but I do know it makes it much less likely for the bridge to pop off!
It may seem like more work to re-string them, and it does take a little longer to fish around for the string to secure it, but you get used to it. I like the clean look a lot.

Click to expand...

Whoa - nearly identical posts at the same time. Great minds!

I love the bridge thru design. Saves the bridge from popping off, its a very clean look. It just as easy to string then any other style.

mattydee said:

Whoa - nearly identical posts at the same time. Great minds!

Click to expand...

Hee hee yes we are sharing a brain today!

mattydee said:

I can't tell any difference in the sound -- though there are so many variants that I would be loath to say it was due to the bridge style.

I love the clean look it gives the uke, and unlike tie bridges, I never catch my strumming hand on stray string ends, which is fantastic. I will say it is a slightly bigger pain to restring, as you have to fish the string out of the hole. You also can't re-use strings that have been installed this way unless you leave lots of slack on the headstock end, so that you can cut the knot from the bridge end and start over.

(My string-through is a Talsma, by the way.)

Click to expand...

Everything Matty said I would have written too-- including that my string-through is a Talsma!

When I built my StewMac Tenor, I decided to put the strings through the bridge. I thought it would put less tension on the glue joint of the bridge and be cleaner looking. It worked for me.

Can't speak to the bridge effect on the sound as I just received my Moore Bettah today, which, of course, as expected sounds great. It seems likely that the physics involved via the string through the bridge would make the bridge more secure. Looks good too!

Yes that bridge popping off ...it is such a nuisance .

Happened to me once . In 40 years of uke ownership . Still maybe I shouldn't have tried BbEbGC tuning . LOL

My 20's-30's Harmony was drilled to accept string through body by the man who repaired it. He used small beads on three of the strings I used small wooden beads on all four. Fishing the string through the sound hole wasn't that hard.

Inksplosive AL said:

My 20's-30's Harmony was drilled to accept string through body by the man who repaired it. He used small beads on three of the strings I used small wooden beads on all four. Fishing the string through the sound hole wasn't that hard.

Click to expand...

I was thinking, a conversion from tie-on bridge to string through bridge. Other than drilling four holes, is there other modifications?

I think string-through-bridge is more about bridge security and/or looks than sound. I like the bridge pin setup on my Kanilea the best!

Yes, there is a difference in the sound of a ukulele strung through the bridge and one through the body. Because the bridge has to withstand the forward pressure when the strings are tied to it, it has to be of a large enough area to hold. It also must have a block so the strings can go through it before doing the figure 8 knot. If it is just a slit with a knot below it, that piece has to be even thicker to withstand the upward pressure of the strings. The bridge acts like a lever with the saddle being the fulcrum point and the tie point is resistance , The scale length of the string is the mechanical advantage. With the hole through the body, the saddle only provides spacing between strings and elevation so it plays a pure octave at the 12th fret. If you go to a good tool store... and that leaves out the home discount stores...one can get drills smaller than 1/16th. If you only want one, it has to be for the thickest string. On the skinny strings, tie the loop knot and run the tail back through the center of it so it appears like a stick across the loop, and tighten it down. It will not pull back through a larger hole because it is like a stick crossways . After I have strung through the body, I v e r y carefully take off the thick chunk where the strings were previously tied. The lighter bridge allows for more vibration of the top.

New strings have curl. When inserting new strings, keep the curl facing toward the headstock, and it will go toward the front and many times come right out the hole so it is easy to capture and tie. A long pipe cleaner with a J hook makes fishing it out an easy task. No pipe cleaner? Use a piece if cardboard with a notch cut on an angle . It is not difficult to get it up through the hole to tie the end.

You have mentioned this to me before about getting better sound from an inexpensive ukulele. Would you think about possibly making a small tutorial about how you do this? Then there is this guy here: http://forum.ukuleleunderground.com/showthread.php?106717-Restoring-an-old-quot-Regal-quot It looks like his uke was drilled as well but not correctly and as such the strings have started ripping the body.

I have my Harmony to go by but still fear the procedure itself.

~AL~

I've recently reintroduced the string through bridges on my ukes. I changed to the tie bridge around 2006 because there was some resistance amongst customers who were wary of the non traditional tie arrangement. I think there is more acceptance of them now so I thought it was time to bring back my favorite bridge. The biggest advantage is that it increases the break angle of the strings over the saddle. This increases the downward pressure on the sound board. (The same is true of pin bridges but pins have their own problems.) In theory, the instrument should be louder and more responsive to a small degree. It's difficult to say exactly how beneficial it is unless you were able to swap bridges on the same identical uke. I also use a carbon fiber bridge patch and I think that helps with the positive contact of the string end (with the glass bead). For those tinkerers out there thinking of doing this to their own ukes it's imperative that the holes drilled through the bridge be done so at an angle that closely matches that of the sting as it leaves the saddle (and the hole itself should also be chamfered). Otherwise you'll be snapping strings. You don't want any sharp angles.
I also like the cleaner look and, although I've never lost a bridge it's good to know I never will.

one thing with the string tie on top that I don't like is that the string sometimes cuts through the bridge and the break angle is less and the bridge needs to be replaced or new holes have to be drilled. I've had two ukes with this issue so far