Bridge Placement

[Hbom]

I suppose this has been asked and answered but I can't seem to find it so;

Why is there such a big difference in the placement between the tail piece and the bridge on these guitars?

2004 Newport Pro

2006 Artist P90

[burningyen]

I think it was primarily a matter of expedience. The Bigsby Newport was the original model, and Hamer just reused the same internal chambering and reinforcement:

I recall someone posting that it was a conscious choice to give the Newport Pro's strings that longer feel, but I don't buy that explanation.

[Hbom]

_{That makes sense.}

_{Thank you}

[murkat]

More string length will give you a "loose feel". Ex. a set of 10's could feel like a set of 9's when stretched, bend up.

The tone is a little more open, loose as well.

The shorter the string, the more tight and focused it is.

ex. like wrap arounds, sustain block, fixed tele and strat type bridges. Not much string at the end to the saddle.

[burningyen]

Oh, I agree 100% that longer strings change the feel. I used to use 11s on my old Newport, and I normally like 10s on my short-scale guitars. I'm just not sure that was a conscious goal or if it was just a byproduct of reusing the CNC program.

[MCChris]

In addition to string length, the looser feel is a by-product of a less severe angle between bridge and tailpiece. A similar feel can be achieved by wrapping the strings over the tailpiece like Bonamassa and many others do.

[kizanski]

I recall someone posting that it was a conscious choice to give the Newport Pro's strings that longer feel, but I don't buy that explanation.

Yeah, that's a buncha nonsense. While it's true that is a byproduct of having the stop tail in that placement, that's not why they did it.

The same reason that the Volume and Tone knobs on Hamer's Juniors are so close together. They're as close together that they would be if there were a third knob, only there isn't.

That's something that always bothered me about those guitars, as great as they are.

What would it have taken to move the knobs a little further apart (you know, like on a Gibson Les Paul Junior), and make it look less...stupid?

Yes.

No.

[silentman]

I remeber Jol explaining that the tailpiece was pushed away from the 'normal' position on studios, etc because the newport had a bit more real estate to use and it was designed that way to be more proportional. Could be BS, but I remember him stating something similar to that on an HFC visit.

[MCChris]

Ah, Jol. What a piece of work.

[kizanski]

I remeber Jol explaining that the tailpiece was pushed away from the 'normal' position on studios, etc because the newport had a bit more real estate to use and it was designed that way to be more proportional. Could be BS, but I remember him stating something similar to that on an HFC visit.

Puh-LEASE

[MCChris]

Interesting how a guy who fancies himself as a guru (dictionary definition: a spiritual leader) is so comfortable lying through his teeth, behavior that is the very opposite of spiritual.

Progress not perfection, I guess.

[FrankieIII]

I think it was primarily a matter of expedience. The Bigsby Newport was the original model, and Hamer just reused the same internal chambering and reinforcement:

+ 1, and also what "murkat" said to maintain similar string tension of the Bigsby. And perhaps also if an owner wanted to do a Bigsby conversion down the road the original stop piece mounts would be mostly covered by the first axle of the Bigsby (that provides downward tension) so it would look better post-conversion.

[jaberwock]

The longer the string length , the higher the tension required to maintain a given pitch; so wouldn't this yield a stiffer, rather than looser feel ? I know that on my Bigsby equipped guitars I have to physically bend the string significantly further to get it up two semitones.

Jaberwock

[burningyen]

The longer the string length , the higher the tension required to maintain a given pitch; so wouldn't this yield a stiffer, rather than looser feel ? I know that on my Bigsby equipped guitars I have to physically bend the string significantly further to get it up two semitones.

The relevant length determining the tension needed to reach the given pitch isn't the tuner-to-stoptail length, it's the nut-to-saddle length. So you could have a string a mile long from tuner to stoptail; as long as the tension is the same you'll get the right pitch. But as we've been discussing, the tuner-to-stoptail length will affect how fast the tension increases with string bends.

[hectorp]

I suppose this has been asked and answered but I can't seem to find it so;

Why is there such a big difference in the placement between the tail piece and the bridge on these guitars?

2004 Newport Pro

2006 Artist P90

There were a few made with the more 'normal' spacing between the TOM and the tailpiece. I have one of those.

[MCChris]

There were a few made with the more 'normal' spacing between the TOM and the tailpiece. I have one of those.

Pics? I've only seen pirateflynn's.