I was recently at a jam session with a fellow that had an upright string
bass with an adjustable bridge.
I wondered if anybody has seen a similar bridge used on a hurdy-gurdy - it
would save shimming.
They're OK for cheap basses used for rhythm at jams, but they aren't really
good for sound, plus they flex at the joint. The string length on a
hurdy-gurdy is critical, and even with the bridge tie, it seems likely that
any flex at the bridge would be transmitted as (at best) uncontrollable
vibrato. On guitars and mandolins, adjustable bridges are pretty well
recognized as transmitting less sound than solid bridges. For this reason
alone, I never use anything but a solid bridge on my F-4 mandolins.
Besides, this kind of adjustment raises the entire bridge, which doesn't
seem that it would work easily or consistently for a hurdy-gurdy, since
each string must be precisely adjusted individually. Even with a screw for
each foot of the bridge, it looks like it would be a real balancing act to
get both chanters adjusted perfectly to the circumference of the wheel. Just
imagine trying this this with *three* chanters! I would think that an
adjustable bridge like this would not be a good idea. It might be possible
to fit small adjustable screws in the top of the bridge itself, in place of
the normal strings slots. Done properly, this might not adversely affect the
sound.
A better question to ask is why you need an adjustable bridge in the first
place? I would suspect that such constant adjustment is necessary because
the instrument is not structurally sound or the bridge is not fixed
properly. I concur with Alden and Esa; deal with the cause, not the symptom.
Doesn't one of Murphy's Laws go something like this: "If no one uses it,
there must be a reason..." What's next - automatic tuning a la Gibson?
GJR
