Bridges/String Spacing

[banjoboy]

Is the spacing between sets of strings standard on bridges, or does it vary per brand of bridges, personal preference, etc?

[mandroid]

a bridge can even be supplied with no slots , and you can choose, for yourself.

I got a replacement upper made, , marked a card, when I sent the $ and it came back just like the original, (1922 A4)

[pops1]

All necks are not the same, so the need to slightly space differently on the bridge would be necessary to have the strings go evenly down the neck.

[Ivan Kelsall]

Most (if not all) mandolins are built to similar dimensions these days. It seems that a 'standard' of sorts was established a long while back when builders began to 'replicate' Gibson-looking mandolins. If you buy a pre-slotted mandolin bridge,simply check the slot positions out on your mandolin. If it suits fine,if not,you can sand them off & cut your own slots - or simply order an un-slotted one.

I bought a slotted Cumberland Acoustic bridge for a once owne Lebeda mandolin. Unfortunately,the bridge saddle was 'flat' & the mandolin neck was curved. I had to remove the saddle,sand the slots off it & make it curved,using the old bridge as a template. I most likely would have had to sand the slots off it & re-cut it anyway,as the Lebeda necks are wider than standard - in fact the whole mandoldin is a tad larger than 'standard'. Cutting the slots was done with a scalpel. They hardly need to be anything more than a cut to keep the strings in place & stop them from moving sideways.The strings will bed themselves in soon enough under their own pressure,
Ivan