Baroque Guitar Bridge Height And Thickness.

[Gilbert Fredrickson]

What makes for a good bridge height on a guitar with tied frets and a fingerboard that is flush with the soundboard? I should know this, but ...?!?! I should probably just draft this out on paper and leave you all alone, but this is "community."

[Chris Reed]

In the Local Materials Challenge you can see my soprano ukulele which has frets direct into the neck. The bridge has ended up around 10 mm to the top of the saddle portion, which seems to work well. I'd guess tied frets are a similar height to uke fretwire.

But looking across to the sofa where the uke currently sits, and imagining it twice as big (it's 13/5 inch scale) I think a bridge that height would just not look right. Perhaps 15mm?

[Steve Senseney]

I you go to Crane Guitars (Makoto Tsuruta ) he has built several early guitars and has nice plans that can be downloaded. He also has step by step documentation.

I think you might find an answer there.

[Alain Bieber]

It seems difficult to answer such a question without having a little more info on the kind of instrument you have in hands or in project. The baroque guitars were built all over Europe during nearly three centuries and the bridges could be somewhat different. One basic idea is that a large majority of baroque guitar's bridges started more or less as lute's bridges since baroque guitars or vihuelas started as lutes, with peculiar body shapes, nothing more. Crane should give a good basis for nylon ones.
When equipped with metallic strings, you should go to sites (usually Italians) devoted to "chitarras battente" i.e. baroque guitars with metallic strings. Then the bridges are different and you have almost always a tailpiece.
I suppose you deal with a nylon or gut one since you speak of tied gut frets.. but I am not certain...

[Mark Day]

I you go to Crane Guitars (Makoto Tsuruta ) he has built several early guitars and has nice plans that can be downloaded. He also has step by step documentation.

I second that recommendation. Unfortunately there is not a lot of information for building early instruments, at least when compared to modern guitars. One thing I can tell you is that the bridges are low and small. Minimalist - as is the bracing. No saddle. The string knots act as the "saddle". There is also a "scoop" of about 2mm planed into the side ribs between the bridge and neck joint. This creates a little more space between the strings and the soundboard to that you are not hitting the soundboard with your fingers as you play. I believe Robert Lundberg talks about it in "Historical Lute Construction". The scoop also pre-stresses the soundboard - sort of like a reverse dome.

Another site with a lot of information is:
http://www.vihuelademano.com/
Though it deals with vihuelas, baroque guitars are much closer to vihuelas than modern guitars in construction so you will find good info there. Alex is also a cool guy and helpful.

Makoto has a free plan you can download from his site and get the bridge dimensions from. GAL also has a good baroque guitar plan.

[Gilbert Fredrickson]

The Mighty Stradivari is what I have in mind. A scale shorter than the Sabionari guitar. Maple with an ebony overlay can be used for the bridge stock, right? Thanks for the information about the "scoop" in the sides. I have some 3.5mm ebony stock for the fingerboard. There is a plan for the shorter scale Rawlins guitar floating around. Robert Lundberg! I knew it! Viola!

[Alain Bieber]

Gilbert, some Museums provide detailed plans for baroque guitars. Their list appears on the CIMCIM web site. Could be of interest to you even if Stradivari is not on the list. I have somewhere in my documentation a book on a Stradivari guitar, the Giustiniani one (?)... but I cannot guarantee I will find it<g>, not very complete on construction details..if I remember well.
I am not sure the lute's typical "scoop" was common practice for guitars. Their construction differed markedly from the lute since they were equiped with a thicker top. If you want to see a builder's site of the very hi quality type on early instruments, just go to Stephen Barber and Sandi Harris, in London. Classy, to say the least.

[Alain Bieber]

After reading again the CIMCIM list, I note there is a plan available (check if still available) of the Oxford/Ashmolean Stradivari guitar. Drawings by Stephen Barber in 1978. So correct what I said above. There is one Strad guitar on the CIMCIM list. But I believe it is a continuo instrument, very long strings...

[Gilbert Fredrickson]

Yes, 74cm scale is long. I'm going to draw plans based on a 65-68cm. I have fretboard considerations at 2-3/8" wide stock. I going with what I have on this Particular project. Maple is fine for a bridge, yes? I also have some EI Rosewood is could use for a bridge. I've read most information at every site. The Londoners you mention make very fine instruments.

[Alain Bieber]

Surprise, I found easily my Giustiniani/ Strad guitar booklet, in Italian. Author Gianpaolo Gregori. It is a 649 mm scale guitar and the booklet gives interesting infos for an eventual replication. However, the bridge is not original and the one in place is rather awkward (for a high level gut string baroque instrument). All main dimensions are given. Even the weight, a rare and precious indication: 650 g. It could be a nice model, with very limited decoration.
Apparently, this guitar bought around 1681in Milano stayed in the original case and in the same family until recently..
As usual some parts are restaured.
The wood for bridges that you have as frequent first choice in the baroque period is pearwood, often protected by an upperr slice of ebony or even bone/ivory. But I suppose maple would be OK too.

[Tom Frei]

The 'scoop' in the top can be done by using a strip of parchment, (GAL plans) The parchment shrinks, causing a 'dome' or at least negative tension.
There is a baroque guitar forum here:

http://earlyguitar.ning.com/?xg_source=msg_mes_network