Mandolin Bridges
Maple Bridges;
https://www.murphymethod.com/index.cfm?event=pages.content&contentId=118 On this page you will find Tony Bolin’s report on construction of his bridge, along with some good comments about building your own. You’ll also find a link to the main (Maple) bridge page; https://www.murphymethod.com/index.cfm?event=pages.content&contentId=87. And then there’s this; http://www.petercoombe.com/jaamim4.html.
The Brekke Bridge; Found at http://www.petercoombe.com/jaamim4.html;
In recent years Vern Brekke from the Sound to Earth company (STE) developed and patented a new bridge that was designed to overcome many of the short comings of the Loar type of bridge. This bridge has gained some acceptance amongst some players and makers (see Fig 1B). However, the Brekke bridge is somewhat controversial, with many people preferring the sound of the Loar bridge, others preferring the sound of the Brekke. Personally I prefer the sound of the Brekke bridge, and use it on my own mandolins. The Brekke bridge is specifically designed so it does not tip foreword, and the saddle does not bow or break, which some Loar type bridges have a tendency to do. It only has Ebony/Ebony/soundboard contact, unlike the Loar type of bridge which has Ebony/brass/Ebony/soundboard contact. It is adjusted by two small allen bolts from the side. To my ears it has a smoother, warmer tonal quality over that of the Loar type bridge.
His assertion that it is “Ebony/Ebony/soundboard contact” is patently incorrect, of course, unless I missed something – see the pictures on his website, and on the Weber site; http://webermandolins.com/features/bridges. Perhaps he is referring to the original Brekke design;
The bridge uses two wedges that ride on two ramps between the base and saddle which can be adjusted under full string tension with a small allen wrench. The wedges maintain a good contact from string to sound board eliminating that weird angle on thumb wheels. Even though the Original Brekke worked so well, some players still wanted the traditional look so with a few design changes to the old two piece bridge we introduced the Traditional Brekke. The Traditional Brekke uses a brass bar inlayed into the bottom of the saddle integrated with the posts. The thumb wheels push down against the base instead of all the force being concentrated on the outside ends of the saddle, totally eliminating saddle sag and making the instrument smoother to play and with the slightly heavier bridge, enhancing that throaty sound.