Full-contact bridges: New standard?

[gtani7]

I'm going to have to try a FC, in fact my interest was piqued by the new Silverangel super full contact or whatever you want to call it: https://www.mandolincafe.com/ads/125430#125430

in the banjo world it's common for people to have dozens of bridges at 1/32" increments and measure them in tenths of grams tho the older 70's ultra thin bridges have gone out of fashion, they were too bright and didn't last long. And yeah 2 bridges from the same maker that are .2 grams different sound different

[Tukanu]

Check out the Brekke Bridge from Bridger Products. Full contact and vibration transferred by ebony height adjusted wedges.

[Steve Hinde]

I use full contact bridges to reduce bridge saddle bending from string load. The center space is weaker. So the load causes the saddle to deflect, causing the posts to rotate towards the center, resulting in the 2 feet digging into the top. All depends on the wood in the saddle how tight the holes are in the saddle and the hardness of the top to reduce the risk of digging in. Almost every 2 foot bridge I have seen shows the issue. I did say almost. Again depends if the base and top are strong enough and the adjustment posts are not loose in the holes. No chance of that with a full contact bridge. I do believe the 2 foot bridge increases volume. I attribute that to surface area contact. I make my bases a bit shorter to get the same advantage. But not so short to come off of the bass bar. It is a bit difficult to put a full contact on a mando that has the damage and get a good fit.

[Big Joe]

Each mandolin is different from any other. They are really not one size fits all. On some the two foot works better, on others the full contact. In addition to that, a perfect fit is just as important and the saddle radiused to match your fingerboard. To some degree it’s a personal choice, but don’t approach it with 5he idea that one thing alone will make a big difference. It may, but it may not be the one you hoped for. Lots of things go into setting up and adjusting a mandolin for optimal tone and power. It’s a mixture of many things that when done right will astound you.