Cumberland bridges

[Leon Peoples]

Any improvement over a standard Weber bridge ?
Thanks/joe

[George R. Lane]

Joe,
I was wondering the same thing. We sure could use some opinions on this.

[Leon Peoples]

Well I just ordered a pickguard for my Weber and a nice person I was talking to on the phone at Cumberland wanted me to try one, he said he would ship it with my pickguard and if I liked it mail him a check, if not just send it back, I agreed so I guess I will find out for myself, I really don't want to mess with it if the café crowd don't tell me go for it ?
Best/joe

[Eldon Dennis]

For what it's worth, my two cents worth is that the Cumberland gives a more satisfying tone on my Weber A model Fern. The overall tone is less "bright" and the A and E seem to have more of a bell like quality. However, each person has their own "special sound" they are seeking and you might come to a different conclusion.

I certainly felt like it was worth the time and effort to make the change.

[Vernon Hughes]

Cumberland Acoustic bridges get 5 stars from me and my mandos (personal and restorations). Improves volume and tone.

[Folkmusician.com]

Joe,

Go for it! But do keep in mind that a lot of it will come down to how well it is fit.

Report back with updates!

[Bernie Daniel]

I agree with the others -- when I changed my Gibson Sam Bush over to conventional string spacings I ordered an Cumberland ebony bridge with a radius carved into the saddle and fitted it up using a StewMac jig. It is an outstanding bridge -- not much improvement over the original one though because Gibson buys their bridges from Cumberland!

[Amandalyn]

I've heard good things about Cumberland. Randy Wood also makes a great bridge. It's a Gibson style copy with the patent date.

[kenny boy]

C/A THEY ARE GREAT . My the loar 700 has new voice. Also Steve Smith is the best. K.

[red7flag]

I replace the Weber bridge with a Cumberland bridge. The difference was apparent. I personally prefer the Cumberland bridge sound. I know others preferring the Weber bridge.

[mandroid]

Have one standard in my Mix, havent changed bridges on my mandolins,

though the replacement of a split upper portion of one was from a fossilized walrus tusk, it's nice

with a similar ring tone (color in this case) looks right on the A4. too.

[Ivan Kelsall]

Jedennis - That's a very interesting point you made re. the CA bridge being less bright on your Weber Fern "A" style. My Weber Fern "F" style is also a bit on the bright side & always has been.I've tempered this by using a pick with a slightly rounded point which does work & takes the edge off the tone,but your observation re.the CA bridge has got me wondering !. I fitted a CA bridge to a mandolin i once owned & the difference was quite obvious,deeper bass,clean trebles & a slight increase in volume.
I have wondered about putting a CA bridge on my Weber,but my gut instinct to 'keep it all original' keeps fighting back,
Ivan

[Eldon Dennis]

I understand the thinking of "keeping it original" - but after several years of being unhappy with the compensation on the original bridge of my Flatiron Master, I had a CA bridge put on it. I'd reached the point where I knew I was keeping that instrument until they buried me, so why not have it set up correctly. When the new bridge was fitted, the luthier suggested I make it full contact as the instrument is X braced. I'm very pleased with the results for this particular instrument.

Based on that experience it was easy to change the original Weber A model Fern bridge out for a CA.

Good luck in making a decision about trying a CA bridge. You can always put the original back on.

[Willie Poole]

You will hear all kinds of pros and cons about this, a lot of mandolins that fall on the inexpensive side do not come with the bridges fitted as well as could be so of course when you fit a CA bridge onto the mandolin you will hear a difference but the better made mandolins that have been properly set up may not have any difference at all...I have tried two CA bridges on two mandolins and didn`t see or hear any difference but those two mandolins were top line instruments and most likely had CA bridges on them from the start...The best way to tell if they are right for your mandolin is to try it and see, there are also some other good bridges out there at less cost but it would take time and money to try a lot of different bridges to see what is right for your ears, I would heed the advice of our noted builders here on this site...

Good luck...willie

[Ivan Kelsall]

From jedennis - "Good luck in making a decision...". Please don't make me do that !!!. The really hard part is deciding if i need to make a decision - Oh cripes !!!,
Ivan

[craig.collas]

Hi all
My 2cents worth is. That my weber fern sounded better to my ear with a CA bridge.
That being said. It was fitted by an expert (Paul Duff). It just came back sounding better.

[Steevarino]

Hi All --

So nice to see that we continue to be held in such high regard here on The Cafe! Just a couple of points I thought I should share after reading the above comments...

First, we do (and always have) offered the Patent Stamp as an option on our mandolin bridge bases. It is listed as one of the options on our CA website. Also, and this is relatively new, we now stamp "Cumberland Acoustic" in the relief area of the bridge base, right under the saddle, or top part of the bridge. I put the stamp in a location where you are unlikely to see it when it is on the mandolin, unless there is a lot of room between the base and the saddle, so no need to worry about it affecting the overall look of your mandolin.

This is a modification I had been planning on doing for quite some time. Now that we have so many bridges out there, I wish I had done it years ago. I think there is value in having this sort of ID on our bridges, as it will help mandolin owners know if they already have one of our bridges, so no real need to "upgrade" and it will help us with our customer service, which I consider to be a big part of what we offer.

As an aside, this new "Cumberland Acoustic" stamp is "erasable" if you are a purist, or for some other reason might not want it on your bridge. It doesn't go too deep into the wood, and can easily be filed or sanded away, should that be your preference. Of course, we hope you leave it there!

[Andy B]

Another vote for the CA bridge. I have been using them for almost 10 years, and they definitely improved the sound. Hard to describe in words, but it's like the sound got a little louder, more focused and projecting. Have it properly fit by someone who knows how. (My luthier marveled that CA can make such a nice bridge for such a reasonable price!)

[Leon Peoples]

Weber Fern is priority mail to Cumberland Acoustics for a new bridge, my review when it returns.
best/joe

[Caleb]

I had a local pro install a CA on my Eastman 505 earlier this year. As others have stated, it just came back sounding better. Well worth the price of the bridge and pro install, a little over $100 total. Think about it: you pay that money once but enjoy the benefits indefinitely.

[mandomedic]

I've owned and installed CA and Randy wood bridges and many others. Consistently I have found the CA bridges to be a better choice because Steve has paid attention to the grain orientation of the wood for both the base and the top saddle. He has my business for bridges.

[dhbailey]

I am considering getting a Cumberland bridge for my Epiphone MM50E F-style and am curious what the opinions are concerning full-contact bridge vs what came on my Epiphone, which has about a 1.25" contact with the top of the mandolin on either end of the bridge and about a 1.75" arch between those two contact points. Would that be the standard bridge?

The other question I have, which I sent to Cumberlandacoustic yesterday but haven't heard back about -- how do I tell whether my mandolin's top radius is -- would I order a the standard bridge or the 9 5/8 or the 12" radius for my Epiphone.

[Eldon Dennis]

dhbailey - I can't answer your questions about the amount of contact your bridge has with the top versus what is normal, but your question about the 9 5/8" or 12" radius shouldn't be about the radius of the top. It is referring to the radius of the saddle.

Is your mandolin fretboard flat or is it slightly curved? If it's curved you need to try to match the radius of the curve of the saddle to match that of the fretboard.

Hopefully someone with more knowledge than I can answer the question about the amount of contact on the average mandolin bridge.

[dhbailey]

Thank you for the input on the radius issue -- my fretboard is flat so I wouldn't order any radius at all. I'm still new to all this mandolin stuff, even though I've been involved in music practically my whole life (trumpet and other band instruments as well as guitar and recorders).

I appreciate the help -- now to wait for more info on the contact issue.

Thanks!

[Leon Peoples]

Weber is finished and online tracking sez it will be here tomorrow.
Best/joe