So this is not about which bridge is better, but how different the sound is. The notch for the 4th string is bigger so there was no problem getting that wound 4th string to seat properly. I can now add northern spirit radio to that list for adding to that. Just received a new Scorpion 11/16" bridge fromSilvio. The main difference it has from other bridges the way it produces tone, which I've found to feel louder (though my gauge told me no volume gain compared to a kiln dried maple) and be both drier and sustain more. it is as exuberant as hell and yet there is a clear improvement in the bass notes even or the Mystery bridge. Almost as if the strings are at slightly higher tension (although I'm sure the strings are at the same tension as with other bridges). Had a notch added to compensate the 3rd string a little bit, and this was done for no additional charge. Other Works | Publicity Listings | Official Sites. Highly recommended. Tim Purcell had been around the musical block a number of times, all the way from his first band, American Apple, and including (but not limited to) Lou's Blues Revue, Perfect World, The Riley Hawkins Band, and The Mustangs. Im convinced. I don't write reviews. It is easy to see the level of care that goes into making a bridge this fine. I think you really don't know until you try a few. I tried a Moon Light i had laying around but it sounded very thin and overall worse than the Grover. Photo Gallery. I wrote in my review of 2014 that DC BANJOWORKScould be assured of my future business, well here we are in 2016, and I'll go one better: David can be assured of my business *everytime* I am in the market for a bridge. It won't disappoint you. I emailedSilvioto relate my opinions and he said he had the same experience with this bridge. He is also very easy to deal with and a nice guy as well. It's a keeper. The only detractor , If I had to find one would be the finish.I think it could be sanded smoother purly for asthetics but Dave does'nt charge that much for these things so I really should'nt rock the boat. Bart has designed and developed a bridge specifically for arch-top banjos. If you are currentlytweaking your arch-top set up, you may find that anArchiewill work well for you. "Gary.you have got to be the greatest bridge maker that's ever walked the earth! Where Purchased: Directly from Bart (banjobridge.com). I like the thickness (same as the Snuffy) and the slight rearward angle that it sits onalso like the Snuffy bridge. By 07:00 on Sunday morning, Tim had responded to my email with his recommendation based on the tone/sound I was after. I might just have to satisfy that curiousity.Heres the ad: http://www.banjohangout.org/classified/18229V/R,Lew. Honestly, none makes my banjos sound as good as Bart's bridge does. Banjo now plays nicely up and down the fretboard. Biography. All of my future banjos already have bullfrog bridges on them! This beech bridge is unbelievable! In addition, bass bridges are also offered. -BC. Nothing matches it. Ways to honor James Purcell's life and legacy. So I sent him payment for that bridge and returned the one that I was not going to use. Well made, good looking, traditional styled bridge with theweight, height, and spacing written on the bottom of the feet. These are really great bridges at less than 1/2 the cost of the others. David is an incredible guy to deal with and even sent a video of the bridge being made when I asked if he could snap a picture. to see complete work history. Part of the secret has to be in his ordering form, which asks for all the particulars of your banjo. I have three of them and have been impressed with the tone and consistency I am getting with them. This is the genius of Bart Veerman's work. Although my 1987 Gibson ESS sounded good as it was, I decided to try a Snuffy Smith Bridge since most of the guys I know who play Gibson Banjo's all use them, and are very happy of how they inhanced the sound, volumn and tone. Not this one. Bart was familiar with the specific dimensions of the instrument andshipped the new bridge one day after I made payment. What I like about them is they are consistent and the notes on my banjo's are very clean, clear right up the neck (or any where that I play them) and it amplifies the sound of my banjo's . They are very cleverly cut, very inventively made, and very effective on my various banjos. It's amazing how much I've been missing. I just received a sycamore/rosewood bridge from Steve for a recently acquired Noel Booth open back banjo. What does all that mean? pqs250About Us Foxes and Fossils. Bart was very helpful in helping me get the correct slot sizing for my Nylgut with red 4th string. Rogers skin head. NO WAY! I'm currently playing the head just above a G#. Clearer note separation. Get started with Bill's Beginning Banjo course, or hone your bluegrass chops in Bluegrass Banjo. That video led the way. It sounds equally well in C tuning, and G. But for right now I'll play some more in Gm. The intonation of the instrument has improved, too. If your looking for a slightlydarker, sweeter tone, give this bridge a try. Most sellers charge $30 for one bridge, Don will give you 3 that sound just as good for the same price! Where Purchased: Directly from Silvio Ferretti. I've had equally wonderful results with the red maple bridges he made for me as well. Update: Since having acquired a higher end banjo, I completely forgot about this review. Today, i received a Virgil Lawson New 2014 Design Bullfrog bridge inmaple/ebony., 11/16" standard, 2.2 g. This bridge appears to be somewhat less bulky than previous models. Also, Don is a real craftsman and gentleman who prices his bridges fairly and is a pleasure to work with. Increased volume and improved tone on Deering Hartford. so I sent him an email, asking him what would work for the Ibanez, he says "Mystery wood - Ebony top. I eventually put the one I received on my Ramsey banjo but I'm definitely going to buy another one really soon for my Pisgah banjo. I ordered a mystery wood bridge from Bart. Every note on the fingerboard is full and dynamic.no dead or weak spots. I'll be picking up a few more. I got improved clarity, and a big improvement in tone and volume. Again intonation all over the neck is much improved. So I reordered for my Scruggs except this time I opted for the Sweet II. After some discussion he sent 3 bridges, all .656, standard spacing..a Piano #2, a Submerged Birch and a Red Maple. I will go even further to say I have never received a bad bridge from anyone. I am now a believer!! Until the day comes when I can welcome a high end mahogany to my collection, this bridge experiment seemed like a pretty good solution. The banjo sounds and plays great. All I know is that suddenly I have to adjust to the idea that I've lost a beater banjo and now have 2 good sounding banjos. I decided to try a standard Scorpion. Dave was a complete joy to work with and his customer service is second to none. As a Scruggs picker looking for the "keening tones" of old, I needed a bridge that gave me that.Zimmerman has one of the answers, for sure. I already have one of Tim's red mapple bridge which is of other characteristics, very musical, gives sustain, very good for slower and melodic stuff playing imo. Tim took his own life after struggling with pain . Who knew that such a little item could end up sounding so "important," right? Needless to say she was not impressed. It is a single 12" radiused bridge, 5/8" high. Rachels forays into musical theater, piano and singing had a big influence on Sammie. I highly recommend his products & service! I believe that these pegged-top bridges give the best tone of any bridges in current production, and I recommend them without reservation. Thanks, Bart. If your looking for a new bridge get a cunningham bridge .He's helpful and it made my banjo sound so much better. That being said I felt compelled to with excitement. Brilliant! Its a joy to play,sounds great, it looks beautiful, and I received it quickly. This is my second bridge from him and I'll for sure be buying a third. After quite a lot debate I decided on a Kat Eyz design with frame of McCormick Spice with a pegged top of Rosewood, standard spacing with a 5/8 height. I wish I could put into words how it sounds but you just have to hear it. Tim also has excellent customer service. I have made some myself out of walnut and love the darker tones of walnut but mine always were lacking a little something. 1444 245th St, Winsted, MN 55395-6564. Once the strings were stretched in and settle, it really brought the bass and treble out of the 13" pot. Height & Weight Height (in Feet-Inches) 5 Feet 5 Inches: Height (in Centimeters) 167.64 cm: Weight (in Kilograms) 56.0 kg: Weight (in Pounds) 123 Ibs: The banjo sounds about 40% louder and has a lot of punch and clarity. The sound was so dramatically improved that even my wife noticed (and she doesn't even like banjo music!). Really well made, with no roughness. Highly recommended! Choose height, spacing, wood type, compensation, etc. They are every bet as good as the original SS bridges, maybe better. The maple is open grained and old, a combination you don't normally see in old maple bridges. I bought it to replace the no name 5/8" bridge that was on my Saga SS-3 which is my carry around banjo. I have a Wildwood Paragon, which is a really loud (and absolutely wonderful!) I ordered the Vintage Tone first as a trial for my 84 Scruggs but I made the mistake of ordering the wrong height so this one got fitted on my RB75. Highly recommended. I chose the new Select Maple bridge with 5/8 height and Crowe spacing from Tim Purcell. I got a 5/8ths in 2.2 gram and 2.1 gram. I purchased my first Sosebee bridge several years ago and I have since installed his bridge on all my banjo's. Get one - you'll like it. The factory bridge is very good, and I had preferred it that to all other bridges I had - except I wanted to shorter bridge (factory was 11/16"). He also plays ukulele and mandolin. Ive wanted one of Barts bridges for a while now, so I was curious to see what he might suggest for me. I just wanted to add that my new bridge significantly improves the tone of my Wildwood Troubadour; it gives the sound some warmth and richness, almost like adding layers to the tone. That kind of helped but not quite enough and by that time I had invested so much time in figuring out the problem that I ought to do something. The string slots are cut very cleanly. Because of its unique look, the Dark Star jumped out at me and I took a chance on it. Sacrifice richness for clarity or vice versa. Plenty O' Volume. I was fortunate enough to get one of David's maple/katalox bridges and replaced the stock bridge on my 1980OME Juggernaut. 8. Tim has 3 jobs listed on their profile. This newly designed bridge by Steve is outstanding. I have had a Bart Bridge on there since I got it but I recently purchased and custom compensated bridge. Bart suggested one of his "mystery wood" bridges (uncapped) and it solved the problem instantly. I would recommend it to anybody experiencing issues similarto what I have described. It made such a difference that I decided to try it out on my OME Otis Taylor. There was a bit of difference between the distance needed by each sting the 3rd string needed a lot of extra length (7mm!). Every single one I tried was excellent, each with their own unique voices and characteristics. I have had 6 bridges total from David and all have been excellent. I have ordering different size of bridges for my different steel strings banjo ( one for my Ballard and one for myGoldtone), i speciallyrecommandthe laminated/compensated bridges which give a very good warming tone with my goatskin head. Also find latest Tim Purcell news on eTimes. TONE: The thing I notice the most about this bridge was how well it brought out the bass end. Furthermore, precision is a hallmark of David's product. Arthur makes a fantastic bridge. Very clear. Everything else was good, even with the new height. Where Purchased: Directly from Steve Davis. If you are struggling with the "flabby" G string on your Irish Banjo you'll find a Bart custom bridge will be "exactly" what you need to get that problem licked. This is a GREAT banjo bridge, I bought one from Doc ( few weeks ago)formy new Reiter Bacophone based on what I told him. None of the half dozen other bridges I've tried on this banjo, even came close to the dramatic improvement. When I tried the Sosebee Select, the exact opposite happened. At $10 you cannot beat this bridge. They can make a big difference for a small cost. Sometimes the really obvious escapes me. That was the bridge that came on the banjo in 1990 when I bought it, so I guess it didn't owe me anything at this point so I decided to buy a new one. Really sounds great..I get so many compliments on this piece of Art, very colorful. I have a Bart Reiter 12" Round Peak banjo that I've always loved but felt was a little quiet, owing in part to the fact that I don't wear fake nails or picks. So thats kind of where we are right now. I just love these bridges and they look and sound so great on a banjo. It made the high end not only clearer and more pleasing but louder as well. My banjo had a harsh ring to the fifth string and a overall sound I couldn't get right. Thanks to Steve for his continued perseverence in developing and making great bridges. BBB File Opened: 8/30/2010. Now I wonder why I waited nearly 40 years to do so! Tim Purcell Personal Details. businesses, and does affect the Reputation Score. This is the best sounding bridge out of a whole handful that I've tried, including a standard Grover, a medium and a heavy Moon bridge, a Fielding and a few other generics. You have funeral questions, we have answers. I use Barts bridges on all my instruments and have had no problems with sound or craftmanship.Highly recommended. He graciously agreed (Id love to be a Fossil). Thanks Bart! Also, this bridge just looks badass. Post or read reviews for Samantha Purcell His prices are great too. DCB provides bridges in a variety of heights and string spacings. I ordered a 5/8" bridge with Crowe spacing and received it without incident a few weeks later. It sounded better than the last banjo it was on but still seemed to be lacking in the bass, which is what the Tenn20 rings are known for. Steve is a pleasure to work with. Also Tim is a very nice guy to deal with. The sound is perfect for my RK. Its easily the most well crafted bridge I have seen. Overall response also increased, the strings seem more sensitive. NIce and quiet in the hotel room etc. My camping banjo is a Rover RB-25 which has a great neck and is indestructible. All I can say is that I do not regret it ! I measured for the compensation and specified the height and string spacing and asked for Mr. Veerman's advice on wood and weight. The tone, color, and feel have all been dramatically improved. 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