Dylan McKnight is a tall man. Now I have the new Scorpion bridge on the banjo.The sound is more rich and the notes are more separate.A very nice job. Steve Davis suggested his 5/8 compensated bridge. The biggest improvement was up the neckall the way up. Can't say enough. Bought one-then went to Crowe spacing then bought one for every banjo. There are several fine bridge makers out there these days, and I've tried a number of them, but to my ear these bridges of Bart's give the most "punch" while also increasing clarity, depth, and most importantly bass response, relative to the best of the other bridges I've tried. I wish I could describe it better. The mid range tones sound fuller and overall i'd describe the tone as crisper and more bell like. He graciously agreed. Both sound great, but I would go with the lightweight for both if I had to pick again. I have a very old Vega Folklore long neck, the cheap one with the wooden tone rim. Very, verywell done. I have tried a bunch of bridges over the last 30 years and this one is by far the best out of the box - period. This is the fourth of his bridges I've used. It appears to have been a secondary result of sanding or filing the bridge for fit and finish. I so looked forward to getting together with Maggie and Sam. Sustain isperfect with controlledovertones, and when tuned to Gm or Double C you won't want to put your instrument away! This is the banjo that I wisely bought after a summer of working in the bush and coming home with a wad of cash in my pocket. The Sullivan Roasted bridges sound just as good, and even a little better on the Goldstar. You get the feeling that he doesn't sell these, but rather, he gives them up for adoption to good homes! He is also fun to work with, very approachable and having good sense of humour. However it just needed that final tweak. There is an immediate difference in the voice of the Banjo. Steve Davis repaired a bridge that I butchered with some needle files and just want to let you all know that he does this work in addition to making new bridges. 1. I 'found' Tim and his Foxes and Fossils group through the consideration of F&F Fan Jim Kimbrel. Samantha Purcell is 28 years old today because Samantha's birthday is on 12/02/1994. The Sullivan FF Roasted bridge is a keeper. Get started with Bill's Beginning Banjo course, or hone your bluegrass chops in Bluegrass Banjo. He is professional, considered, thorough and all with a wry sense of humour.
I assume these are the Wadsworth design the Steve purchased a while back. It does not:
The volume, clarity, and tone were superior. However , found it suitable for other kinds of banjo playing as well. The wood is Afromosia and the top is katalox.I was very surprised when I put it on and tuned up,there was no waiting time for it to break in,sounded great right away! I have a Bart Reiter 12" Round Peak banjo that I've always loved but felt was a little quiet, owing in part to the fact that I don't wear fake nails or picks. I will admit I really wanted this bridge because it was very cool looking. There are no rough edges anywhere and the string slots are flawless. 1 hr, 'Ron Coleman Outlaw five string banjo neck in curly maple' 3 hrs, 'What's w/ all of the aviation near misses lately ? ' Muffled may be the best word I could use to describe it. My wife thinks so, too, so it must be true! I d heard Maggie Adams sing at our church since she was 7 years old. If you are looking for volume along with a punchy, edgy tone, this bridge cannot be beat! And my banjo even seems easier to tune. It looks great. This bridge (5/8th, 2.2 grams) sounds and looks great. It sounded great with great note separation and volume both up and down the neck. All of Bart's bridges are special. Took the harsh ring out of the 5th string, brought out the tone in the other strings. Where Purchased: Jeffrey Weitzel weitzelbanjo.com. Very clear. And the intonation was impossible to get right I tried several standard compensated bridges. We found out later that both her mom and dad had played music professionally for years. The notes pop, my banjo has a nice plunky dark tone with good sustain and has a nice deep woody sound. Going to get another for my open back. Only reason I gave the Archie bridges a 9/10 and not a 10/10 is that philosophically there is always room for improvement ;). The quality of craftsmanship is like no other as well. I purchased the heavy bridge for placement on my Prust tackhead. Although, as we already know, there is no one magical bridge that works on every banjo, but if you are looking for a bridge and still trying to dial in your tone, you should definitely give a Kat Eyz a try. I was looking for a bridge that would provide clear note separation without sacrificing too much sustain. Again, a lot of the other makers use quite a hefty slab of ebony at the top of their bridges. The highs and mids are all I could ever ask for. So aftering reading some reviews and getting some tips I decided to buy one of Don New's Dam spillway bridges. It's like a whole new banjo. The difference was remarkable, the banjo was much more open, I couldn't believe the difference. Up & down the neck it sounded better than any bridge I've tried prior. If you are considering a bridge upgrade you will not be disappointed. A fantastic product backed up by great communication/ advice and timely shipping/ delivery. businesses, and does affect the Reputation Score. I am looking forward to getting some more of his bridges for my other banjos. I have known Tim for over ten years on a professional basis. To my ear it is the best bridge I have had on the banjo & I have tried several. Detective James "Tim" Purcell, was a 24 year Navy veteran and active member of Austin Police Department when he lost his valiant battle with cancer. I play a variety of styles, but mostly Scruggs. This one went on my '81 Gold Star GF 100, which really didn't sound too bad, but with the new bridge it just has so much more clarity and improved quality of tone, it is hard to believe. Very high recommendation. Tim Purcell had been around the musical block a number of times, all the way from his first band, American Apple, and including (but not limited to) Lou's Blues Revue, Perfect World, The Riley Hawkins Band, and The Mustangs. The fourth string became fatter with a mighty growl. My Omesounded great by itself, butthe Dark Starhas given it yet another dimension. Punch and intensity galore! Donald New advertised the Custom Made Douglas Fir Spillway Dam Banjo Bridge on BHO and I was attracted to the tightly grained wood shown in the photo I saw. I cant say that I am getting the sound that I hoped to get from the banjo, largely because I cant quite put my finger on what sound I thought possible or most desirable, and that might be a function of both the limits of my instrument and operator error. What I can say is that the bridge is a great piece of work, tightly cut, symmetrical, nicely sanded, notched precisely. And Danny will bend over backwards to get you what you want. The only other banjo I rally had to compare it to that I had actually played were an RK-35 (that sounded 'angrier' to me if that makes sense, and fatter) and my buddy's Goodtime 2. http://youtu.be/euXcvwbKph8. But I do remember replacing that Groverbridge with a higher end Deering bridge and string buzz went away. I told Mike what I wanted and he hit a home run. NIce and quiet in the hotel room etc. Great craftsmanship, and working with Don is great. Steve's personal attention and fast service was greatly appreciated. My initial thought being to order a Moon Heavy, I noticed on Jason's website (i peruse often as i'm on his coveted waiting list) that he sold bridges separately for $30 plus $3 shipping. But I suspect with all of the different tone rings and rim combinations, the different right hands, your ears, the type of head and all the other factors at work when a banjo is played, somewhere there is a bridge being made that will be the perfect match. I have rarely heard or played a banjo that combines such clarity with the sort of plunkiness that many old-time players seek. My wife heard a difference from downstairs. You couldn't ask for a more reasonable policy: order and test, then pay. I wanted a brighter sound, which Bart clarified as "exuberant"rather than bright so as not to confuse the effect of the tome ring. One thing that pleases me a great deal about this bridge is that it does not take away anything from my banjo: some bridges give you something really good, but take away from something else equally as fine to give you that "boost." I needed a radiused bridge, and it had to have a specific thickness- or lack thereoff. If I was perhaps more experienced I would be able to tell if this has made much of a difference but the truth is that so far I havent noticed a difference that I could attribute to the bridge being compensated. The difference is so subtle that I didnt even think about the additional space at first, but now Im reveling in the ability to drop thumb more cleanly without catching on the other strings. I have the Mystery Untopped bridge and am very pleased with it: - the custom compensation has corrected intonation that a couple of generic compensated bridges didn't; the first few frets of the 3rd string hold no fears for me now. (Maybe maple is not the best choice for all banjos.hummmmm). Typically, you'll find tightly grained maple so dense you have to get a microscope to find the medullary rays. Well Done! Mahogany of course by nature wants to sound somewhat mellow. Just bought a Huber banjo, & just for kicks I put the Davis bridge on it & it accomplished the same thing. First off, I haven't seen this good of workmanship on any other bridge, including mine. Despite these two handicaps - the impact of Dave's bridges are huge. I love to tinker around and experiment to get the best from all my instruments and 5 string banjos are perfect for experimenting with. Where Purchased: http://www.dcbanjoworks.com/index.html. It's subtle , but it's there. I've always heard good things about Hatfield banjos and never found a bad post about them. I read some rave reviews on BHO of David Cunningham's bridges in late 2013 and ordered two bridges for my new Bales in January 2014. The feet are nice and wide, making the bridge pretty stable. On first impression, the Sampson bridge is a beautiful and supremely crafted bit of wood. He had me do a little work measuring and telling about my banjo and my style. During the whole process David kept me notified and even sent me pictures of the blueprints then later the finished bridges. Recently I set the banjos head tension to 91 and this gave me the volume and snap I was looking for. The "Archie" has helped me achieve the pop, brightness, and clarity I was looking for. I wasn't sure what to expect out of Locust, but what I got was something new almost haunting in G minor tuning. I KNOW EACH BANJO HAS THEIR OWN CHARACTERISTICS BUT THESE BRIDGES GIVE IT THE BEST CHANCE. Tim couldn't have been better to deal with. An absolute 10! Mike's customer service is outstanding. The really great thing is that the respoonsiveness is just amazing, it makes playing up the neck easy and sounds great. Bart recommended 2 bridges and nailed it. It became my favorite at once! I settled on the Dark Star because it added so much point to the front of the note, and to my ear it does a great job of highlighting the fundamental and sorting out some of the more troublesome overtones. I have only had it a week and this new bridge has brought brought it back into tune again. They should be $100 for the time and craftsmanship that goes into these bridges. This effort was driven bytheOfficial Visit to Australia by the Finnish President and at the time I held the positions of President of the Finland Australia Chamber of Commerce and as a Board Member of the Australian European Business Council. Probably my favorite bridge for Bluegrass music. Must have something to do with that beech wood he landed not long ago. Couldn't be happier. Where Purchased: Through Hangout member along with several other parts. I like the bird's eye maple and will order it again if I go for a 3rd bridgebut I will probably add the ebony top. Steve's new beech bridge is an absolute winner. It's subtle but very noticeable improvement over the previous bridge (Purcell piano wood, a very fine bridge as well!) You can see and hear the difference in his bridges. My 2nd Steve Davis bridge arrived last Wednesday or Thursday and it fit my old, no-name open back with Aguila Nylgut strings very well! Then again i do like the bass.At about the same price as Moon or comparable products, I would recommend Jason's bridges with confidence. Well, I put on the bridge, intonated the instrument and was laying down tracks within minutes. Playing into an ear trumpet Louise microphone it sounds great though I did have to back further away from the micbecause of the volume. I put it on a Deering Tenbrooks Legacy (mahogany neck) with a Kruger ring. Good articulation, note separation, does help with tuning, excellent on the treble, maybe less so on the bass end, good volume. love this bridge, made my rk-35 sound a lot cleanerand the customer service was top notch. Tim would have fit in well with the Eagles musically. Brought out the best sound in all of my banjos. to see possibly who they are and full class lists found from school records and public sources. Bart decided on Teak with Ebony top for this one, once again in Crowe spacing. Very happy with the entire transaction.. thanks. As lead singer and keyboardist in the successful regional rock bands, Lou's Blues Revue, and Perfect World, he developed a reputation as a dynamic performer. Also, has a more metallic ring to it which I particularly like; woody bridges lack bite and sizzle, this just rings and rings. I didn't want to take it off and so have ordered another to go to the banjo I originally bought it for. He charges $20, dirt cheap for a hand crafted bridge. Figured was worth a shot. The bridge is a beautiful piece of work, and my Century old Vega has never sounded as good; projection, claity, intonation, timbre, and no floppy 4'th string!Beyond that, Bart is an amazing guy, a consumate professional, and a pleasure to work with. It is mahogany, has a tone ring, single rod, and for the price, decent workmanship & hardware. On a cold, rainy January day I was sitting in my sweatpants, playing my guitar, bemoaning the fact that my band, The Mustangs, had just experienced one of our worst holiday seasons ever. So some how I found out he was making some walnut bridges with a Katalox top. I was and am really amazed and have swapped back and forth a few times since and I think the difference is real. I would absolutely recommend Bart and his custom bridges to anybody who is thinking about having one made. I did not like the sound when the Snuffy was put on my Goodtime II with renaissance head it was way too "ringy. The first radically different bridge I tried was the Snuffy II. Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Copyright 2023 Banjo Hangout. I sent Bart the order form from his website with a few questions -- his responses were quick and thorough, and a bridge was quickly on its way to me. Well, I already had the mindset that my Hatfield Special with the comped Original Snuffy Smith 2 wasn't gonna get any better. I put it on my 1962 Vega Seeger and WOW!! I tried it on my Deering Maple Blossom and my Goldtone CCR 100. The guys I jam with even asked if I had new strings or new finger-picks, etc.. so they heard a difference also. You can change your city from here. I do not think I have ever played better..even my fellow band members noticed increased dynamics, volume and clarity.I ordered another Red Maple Purcell bridge as a spare and have the Submerged Birch Bridge as a back-up, Also. Would recommend this bridge anytime! The Babadook is rejected from Amelia and tries attacking Samuel, but is backed into a corner by his mother. It has the most interesting shape I have seen in a bridge. She has a real chance to do something big. I bought the three pack. I think it sounds better than maple and Birch. I wrote Bart asking which of his bridges he would recommend to preserve the warm tone while giving it a bit more pop and he suggested this one. Latest movie in which Tim Purcell has acted is The Babadook. But not harsh. All of my daughters are talented but I guess Sammie was lucky to be the last one at home. There was a real noticeable difference in volume, decay, and strength. Thin, with large feet. He is such a great guy he'd probably take the sucker back if someone received it and didn't care for the tone. Where Purchased: Virgil Lawson BHO member. this bridge turned ok banjo into a POWERHOUSE amazing difference. Very reasonably priced. Thanks Tim. Having tried several kinds of regular bridges, I chose the Veerman bridge for both my banjos. The bridge is expertly crafted, visually attractive and precisely made to customer specs. It's staying on my Gibson! I put a Kateyz Prowler on my Gibson Scruggs and got better sound than the original equipment - just a generic Gibson lightweight that actually had a slant toward the frets. The bridge was packed in a bubble wrap envelope including a small insert with some basic bridge info, installation instructions, and specs. Likely it had a poor setup prior but the Archie certainly allowed the subtleties of this banjo to come right out. I needed a 4-string bridge with a special height (3/4") and spacing (41mm), and I'd had one of Bart's two-footers before (that one doesn't fit in this application), so I knew what I was getting. Rather than sand the feet down on the existing bridge, I began looking to buy a shorter bridge. Bart is based in Canada, so mailing time to the United States takes some time due to customs, etc. Wonderful sound. Clearer note separation. David is really nice to deal with and really helpful. The next morning I started picking and my ears immediately perked up. He has a unique, step-by-step system that can help you get started making money Do you know who Eazy the Block Captain is? For those looking for that elusive prewar rumble, this bridge will not disappoint. Anyway, for 75 bucks for the 3 bridges (shipping was dirt cheap) I'd say I got way more than a bargoon. The bridges I have tried have been great but none gave me the note separation, clarity, perfect amount of decay, tone, voice and volume that David's bridges have.a total package in every catagory. For this level of flathead it's amazing what it now produces. Tim Purcell is a popular I had a country recording session to do, and knew that the head on the SwallowTail was too stretched out and past its use-by date. 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