Ebony bridge

Hi luthiers

In the classical guitar world, ebony bridges don't have such a good reputation because they are seen to be a bit too heavy: eg: http://www.classicalguitardelcamp.com/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=53244&start=0

Does it make a difference on a uke? Is there a similar perception that rosewood makes a lighter and more sonically alive uke?

Ukes are not classical guitars. The material of the bridge can make a difference, but not always in a negative way. The size, height and type of bridge have just as much to do with the quality of sound as the material used. Many builders today use a bridge that is entirely too big in my opinion. Some of this is due to lack of knowledge or experience and some of it comes from the copy-cat mentality, that is, that guy does it that way so I will do the same.

Look at some of the quality professional builders of ukes on this forum and others, and that will tell you what you need to know about the material and size.

I should also note that in the mandolin world, consensus is that ebony makes the best bridge material. But ukuleles aren't mandolins either.. Ebony is also well regarded on high-end acoustic guitars.

I guess in the back of my mind is the observation that on steel string instruments, ebony is seen to be a wonderful bridge material. On nylon guitars, where a light soundboard is preferred, a lighter bridge material is often preferred (and maple on violins). Ukuleles don't have steel strings, but ebony is a commonly used material on lightly built luthier made ukes... where, I would have assumed (oops!) a lighter bridge might be beneficial?

Happy to go along with the concept that other things affect the bridge much more than the wood

BlackBearUkes said:

Ukes are not classical guitars. The material of the bridge can make a difference, but not always in a negative way. The size, height and type of bridge have just as much to do with the quality of sound as the material used.

Click to expand...

*Beware* Basic logic and grade 5 maths coming up.

Rosewoods are around 80% the density of ebony (expect actual timber densities to vary by a factor of two) so you're not saving much weight on two identically sized uke bridges.

It would seem much easier to save weight by changing bridge design, unless of course, you've already got a racehorse............

bridges are like tops- you want them light n stiff (both these attributes should be thought of from a design and material sense)- but bridges have saddle pull across their grain so you don't want a splitty wood. Gotta be careful with Brazilian and Madagascan RW i've found.

Ebonies are less stable then RW's in general, thus making RW a better choice (Maccassar ebony is pretty stable though)- Why do most people use black African ebony over better, more stable woods???- read BlackBearUkes response on bridge size. People copy what has gone before them even though their are better options.

African RW is the best of both worlds, but is getting to be about as expensive as two worlds.

In Australia, I had some really light coloured and weight walnut- it seems to be different to the walnut ive seen in the US. The Australian stuff was super light (guitar bridge at 15-17grams) but needed a stain as it looked a little like dead flesh.