Bridge Tie

pdxuke · Mar 27, 2011

I've never liked the look of the classical guitar tie at the bridge of many ukes, but I always thought I was stuck with it.

Until...

Jake at Antebellum writes, "I always tie knots in "regular ukulele fashion" to load the bridge rather than tie them classical-guitar style because this gives better down-pressure -- in regular classical-style the loop that serves as a knot/fastener also pulls the string up, which can sometimes have a bad effect to downpressure on the saddle."

So...

Boy do I LOVE the look!

RyanMFT · Mar 27, 2011

Cool, I'm not a fan of the other style either. I only have one uke with that kind of bridge but I will be tying knots like that now. Thanks for posting this!

DeVineGuitars · Mar 27, 2011

Great idea!
Here are a couple other tie styles that some of us my not have seen as well:

This next one requires a second set of holes, but it looks nice and clean so I thought I would share.

OldePhart · Mar 27, 2011

You do need to be cautious, though. On many bridges where the strings are intended to be tied the holes are simply drilled all the same size (unlike "knot" bridges where the holes or slots are sized much more closely to the strings). On those bridges you have to be very careful not to let the thinner strings pull through. If you don't use a bead or a large enough knot (even a double knot may not be large enough) string tension can pull the knot through the hole. Each time this happens it tends to hog the hole out a little wider.

You can also have a situation where the knot gets pulled part way into the hole and you have difficulty removing the string if you haven't left a long enough "tail" on your knot to pull it back out.

pdxuke · Mar 27, 2011

OldePhart said:
You do need to be cautious, though. On many bridges where the strings are intended to be tied the holes are simply drilled all the same size (unlike "knot" bridges where the holes or slots are sized much more closely to the strings). On those bridges you have to be very careful not to let the thinner strings pull through. If you don't use a bead or a large enough knot (even a double knot may not be large enough) string tension can pull the knot through the hole. Each time this happens it tends to hog the hole out a little wider.

You can also have a situation where the knot gets pulled part way into the hole and you have difficulty removing the string if you haven't left a long enough "tail" on your knot to pull it back out.

This is a good warning. I like the idea of beads--have seen that before.

BTW, maybe my imagination, but this method has slightly improved the --what--sustain? The uke sounded pretty before--it rings now.

Steve vanPelt · Mar 27, 2011

12 hole bridge

Been building with a 12 hole bridge for the last year or so. Gotta say, I like it.

Pukulele Pete · Mar 28, 2011

I really hate the looks of the classical guitar type bridge. Looks really bad on sopranos.
Turns me off from alot of ukes. I don't understand why builders use them when the other style looks so good.

lozarkman · Mar 28, 2011

Yes I use beads on my ukes. A couple came with the tie over the bridge, but I have also felt that the over the bridge puts undue pressure upward on the bridge unnecessarily. The lower bead tie keeps the pressure lower on the bridge which I think is best. Just a guess but seems reasonable to me. Lozark

Uke Whisperer · Mar 28, 2011

Okay, what is a "bead" tie?

austinlee · Mar 28, 2011

Okay, what is a "bead" tie?

It's when you tie a knot at the end of the string and then slip a small bead on the string, so the string won't be able to pull through the bridge hole. Some classical guitar strings come with beads at the end already attached.

ukulelecowboy · Mar 28, 2011

I tried the tie-off with bead style on some of my ukuleles. When I played, I found the the cut ends of the strings scratched the heck out of my arm if I was wearing short sleeves and caught on my my long sleeves. I hated it. I have all my ukes with this style bridge tied around "classical" and have had no problems with intonation or strings pulling off the bridge.

ichadwick · Mar 28, 2011

I try to use beads where practical:

Only significant problem is the short string ends often need to be threaded or cut to as not to lie on the top where they can buzz.

pdxuke · Mar 29, 2011

ukulelecowboy said:
I tried the tie-off with bead style on some of my ukuleles. When I played, I found the the cut ends of the strings scratched the heck out of my arm if I was wearing short sleeves and caught on my my long sleeves. I hated it. I have all my ukes with this style bridge tied around "classical" and have had no problems with intonation or strings pulling off the bridge.

With me it's the look. I don't like the tie offs... ;-)

GX9901 · Mar 29, 2011

I like the classical tie-style bridge for ease of string installation. For me it's the easiest and least prone to string slipping out of the bridge when installing new strings. For looks though, I like pin bridge the best.

PhilUSAFRet · Mar 29, 2011

Re: Beads....I have many small gemstone beads...would they work?

OldePhart · Mar 29, 2011

PhilUSAFRet said:
Re: Beads....I have many small gemstone beads...would they work?

They should, material is less important than the size of the bead and the size of the hole in the bead. You want a bead where the hole is just big enough to pass the string, but the outside of the bead is enough larger than the hole in the bridge that it won't try to pull through or possibly split the wood of the bridge.

John

lozarkman · Mar 30, 2011

Yes I think so on gemstones. I call them semi-precious stones, but think they are same thing. Wife works a lot with semi-precious stones and that is what I use. Work well for me. Not really had any problem with scratching me or ukes. Ichadwicks ties are the same way I do them. Lozark

southcoastukes · May 5, 2011

BridgeBoneBeads

I followed this post with great interest when it came up. We had just received a very nicely designed "bead" and I was in the process of trying it out.

Since then I have really come to appreciate how well they work. We have got a nice stock now and just got them up on the website.

They are called BridgeBoneBeads, and are carved beads of natural bone. They eliminate all the problems discussed earlier in this thread. You tie on through side holes, eliminating arm scratch. The cylindrical shape is flat on the bottom, keeping it off the soundboard. It really does improve string performance.

Here's the link:

http://www.southcoastukes.com/stringuide_files/BBBs.htm

p.s: if you have not visited our "String Section" lately, you'll see a bunch of new strings sets. A few are already for sale, though most are listed as "available soon". Soon, in most of those cases, will be within a week.

Kanaka916 · May 5, 2011

Dirk, will they work on a 6 string?

mr moonlight · May 5, 2011

I tie my strings classical guitar style but twisting them a bit more. I figure that it holds my strings slightly lower give a better breaking angle. Not as good as using beads, but I like the look of the tied strings or maybe I'm just used to doing it that way after all these years. Here's a photo.

Bridge Tie

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