It is hard to describe sound. Both in appearance and sound. These bridges offer excellent tone for a great price. It was too muted, and dark,but he did his best based on my info. One thing I was looking for was a brighter tone, especially on the lower strings, and the bridge delivered. She said no so I pulled it up on the Internet and let her hear it. This is still a much improved banjo with Barts Bridgeand I would do it again. The Grover was very plunky but pretty boring. The maple is open grained and old, a combination you don't normally see in old maple bridges. I was one of the very lucky folks who won one of Mr. Lawson's bridges in one of the promotional draws he has held. I put one on my Mike Ramsey Bacon Model open-back and the result was astounding! But I have tried bridges before that claimed to be "sweet" or "mellow", and I felt like I sacrificed some sound quality. It sounded great with great note separation and volume both up and down the neck. Thanks Virgil for a great bridge. Back in 2014 I was put in contact with bridge maker David Cunningham, owner of DC BANJOWORKSby luthier John Bowlin with happy results. This is an entry level, China-made model that is to some extent, modeled after the Granada design. I have a Zebra with Katalox bridge from David Cunningham Banjoworks. It also significantly improved my overall tone. These bridges certainly crank up the volume. No. One more time! Don is a great guy and a great craftsman. I am very happy with the bridge Bart made for me: it looks pretty and well made, and it gave the banjo a warmer yet brighter sound with more volume. Memory Book. A fantastic product backed up by great communication/ advice and timely shipping/ delivery. If I was perhaps more experienced I would be able to tell if this has made much of a difference but the truth is that so far I havent noticed a difference that I could attribute to the bridge being compensated. I was becoming increasingly frustrated with the lack of sustain and general dullness of the tone. in computer science from Stanford University in 2001, and his Ph.D. in computer science from Stanford University in 2004. It's tough to review a new bridge when I have so many good bridges already and I would hate to jeopardize some good relationships by comparing one to another. I suppose that with a better setup I might have been able to improve what the Grover was giving me but I was pretty happy with the sound I was getting from the 7th fret down which is mostly where I play and I didnt want to mess with that.-I do get a bit more sustain from the 7th fret down but not so much more that I have an urge to try to dampen it at all. I observed the following: After getting the intonation setup correct, I checked the fourth string with my auto tuner. When I tried the Sosebee Select, the exact opposite happened. I felt that the eitire head was resonating now - never had that feeling before. It did require a little angling to get the intonation just right, but way less angling than I had been using with an uncompensated bridge. I had to get a 2.09 gram and a 2.2 gram for my 2 banjos because all banjos are not the same.. A thing of beauty. Wouldn't want to take it to a BG jam, but it wasn't designed for that. David is really nice to deal with and really helpful. He shipped my custom order within a few days and I love the look and sound of this bridge. Thanks again, Bart. Without any problem, he said send it back and it was replaced with what he described as what many Bluegrass players use to just mellow the tone a little, so about a 1.5 on a scale of ten. I'm also primarily a guitar player and do a little straight bluegrass, but more melodic alternative "from the hip" improvisations and a lot ofguitarishstyling. If you're working with a grover or Goodtime or Washburn factory issue, the Kateyz will make a huge difference. This is the best bridge I have ever used, great for bluegrass and for snappy Irish playing. We use cookies to personalize & enhance your experience. The bridge had to be customized to match the radiussed fretboard of the banjo. It is beautifully made and really brings out a fuller sound from my banjo--highly recommended! The growl is there. It's a 9/16 organ wood standard spacing for my '63 RB-100and is just what the doctor ordered. I highly recommended it! As its prey becomes more frightened, the Babadook becomes more monstrous. I also put on a new set of Aquila Classic Nylgut with the red 4th string. B. Veerman teak.Tone is excellent. I know I don't have alot of experience playing but I know great sound when I hear it. In the years after I got the Sullivan I have done lots of things to get the best tone such as different strings, heads, straps, picks, Zero-fret, tone enhancers, pickups, D-tuners. It solved a third-string intonation problem and, to my ear and tastes, the banjo now sounds and feels great. Would recommend to anyone looking to try a new bridge at a very reasonable price. Id had a home studio for years and recorded all of my girls at one time or another so this wasnt the first time Sammie and I had sung or recorded together but it was the first time I ever thought about putting an act together with her. I lack the proper vocabulary to describe the tone, but I liked it. Thanks Steve! Thanks so much Bart! It is a work of art in every way. I thought the bridges had a little more attention to detail paid to them and would be more ready to just set on the banjo and go. It features 3 shallow feet and a hole beneath each string. I don't think they really "add" any particular tonal quality to the instrument as far as "highs," "lows," or "mids." Gary Sosebee's manufacturing quality is excellent . But his latest & greatest is a combination of young & old folks called Foxes and Fossils. I've played many, many bridges. Why would anyone want a pre made bridge instead? The rest of the set up was a breeze. Steve is a pleasure to work with. Recommended. Five resonator holes in the bridge. I like its looks, the workmanship and the sound. It's a beautiful banjo, but sounded a tad tinny and thin to me, although the banjo had a ton of sustain. Its the only Hatfield bridge I've ever owned. For those looking for that elusive prewar rumble, this bridge will not disappoint. For my particular banjo,I preferred the American Cherry. I highly recommend it. The third is my travel banjo, a little Gold Tone CC Mini open back. Bart and i went back and forth a bit on the string guages as Aquilladon't say much beyond light, medium ,heavy. It was very much worth the $20-something investment! Really. So I gave Tim a shout. The mid-range comes through loud and sweet. I am able to get a beautiful tone out of the instrument with the lightest touch and lowest volume, and it is as loud as you need it be as well. Choose height, spacing, wood type, compensation, etc. Foxes and Fossils is an American band led by Atlanta -based musician Tim Purcell. The bridgetook some of the keenness out of the Granada. 5. The tone is just what I wanted, it took the edge off the "Thunkyness" and even gave a bit of enhanced volume. I find it hard to describe sounds in words. This was well worth the money and I would highly recommend Tim's bridges for anyone. I installed this bridge on a 70s vintage StewMac "Eagle" kit with an integral cast aluminum pot and archtop tone ring. I put the Zebra bridge on and in 10 minutes I had an awesomely different banjo..and was very, verypleased. All parts are original apart of this bridge. The next day, BAM! It's definitely a keeper. The bridge delivers plenty of tone and volume throughout the entire range of the instrument. Im glad to have stumbled into him on BHO and learned about his product in some very informative email correspondence with him. The craftsmanship is superb. By bass, I don't mean mellow or plucky. Actor. The bridge arrived in Munich / Germany about one week after ordering. I corresponded with Bart ahead of time, gave him the full specs of the banjo and went with his recommendation. I had found some bridges emphasized the high notes more. It arrived safe and sound thanks to very careful packaging. UPDATE: As of July 31st I am still using this bridge and love it! His bridges are sleek , nicely made, flawlessly cut and sanded, and consistent in their architecture. While all 3 performed rather well, Steve's beech bridge scored the highest in crispness, clarity, and brightness. It looks great and sounds great. This bridge meets those needs perfectly! So some how I found out he was making some walnut bridges with a Katalox top. I bought the bridge on purpose to be a little high so I could 'tweak' to my desired height. For a performance even Graham Nash congratulated. My banjo notes very clear with a nice amount of ringing now and to me is now the ideal clawhammer banjo. I used to slant my bridge, and that would choke off the sustain a little bit. Bart is an awesome guy to deal with that goes above and beyond to make sure a person is happy . Each bridge gave my banjo a different character. Good clean lows and highs, no muddiness. Try them for yourself and hear the difference. I installed this bridge to replace the Gibson bridge that came original on my Earl Scruggs Standard. This bridge is really loud and proved to be too loud for me because it introduced a ringing in my 2nd string and a rattling in my 5th string that I couldn't adjust out with head tension or a sock on the underside and 3 different sets of strings didn't eliminate these overtones. Tim suggested the Wurlitzer organ maple bridge, so I took the plunge. I think the Emerson bridges are the best you can get, and I've tried many, many, many, others (I went through a bit of a 'bridge' phase).This one isn't better than the sweet Power II, it's just different, being brighter. Thanks Bart !!!! Overview (2) Born: December 7, 1949 in Hastings, East Sussex, England, UK: Birth Name: Timothy John Edward Purcell . I still had the same powerful, solid sound I had before. However, Barts response time is excellent. love this bridge, made my rk-35 sound a lot cleanerand the customer service was top notch. I purchased my first Sosebee bridge several years ago and I have since installed his bridge on all my banjo's. What else do you need. I use a Renaissance head, no-knot tailpiece and medium strings and with a folded sock under the head I'm getting some really nice rich and clear tones without any unwanted overtones, and it has noticeably more volume than the stock bridge. Here are some comments..-I had asked Mr. Lawson for a 2.3 gram bridge because I wanted to stay on the plunky side. Love it.10 $ fast ship and blows some $45 bridges away. Cool looking design and just different than most. My Stelling took on a whole new identity after putting this bridge on. He grew up in St. Joseph Missouri.Detective James "Tim" Purcell, was a 24 year Navy veteran and active member of Austin Police Department when he lost his valiant battle with cancer. Liberated Man - performed live I HIGHLY RECOMMEND Mike Smiths Katzeye Pegged Top banjo bridge. It is getting a really nice, ringing, bell-like tone from 12 all the way up to 22. They should be $100 for the time and craftsmanship that goes into these bridges. The feet are nice and wide, making the bridge pretty stable. I really like being able to review new products. It's exactly as advertised. For my new custom Gold Tone seven string I knew from a previous custom Veermanbridge, that this was the only way to go. I'm an anal tone & I don't casually heap praise on anything - only when it *really* works. Frankly, I was skeptical as to how much a mere bridge could affect the performance of this inexpensive but boy, was I wrong! WOW! The turnaround from my order to shipment was 2 days. Like a lot of banjo players with access to the internet at work (uhhh), I've read a fair amount about how different bridges can affect tone. I wasn't unhappy with my sound, but I'm always open to something that will help out. Where Purchased: direct from Mr.Cunningham, David's zebra-wood / katalox bridge (2.46 gm / .687 tall /Crowe spacing) made a marked improvement in the sound of my banjo (Cox rim, Sullivan First Quality archtop tone ring, Gibson RB 250 neck & resonator). Tim took time to understand his client needs, the culture, environment and most importantly the outcome that was required. I think they call it a "no-direct-route" approach (every string's path through wood to the head is interrupted by open air). My 2nd Steve Davis bridge arrived last Wednesday or Thursday and it fit my old, no-name open back with Aguila Nylgut strings very well! It is a full, rich, pretty sound. I may go another round at some point as I think I could have gone a bit further on the 4th string compensation, but that's on me and my measurements, not the bridge! I'm very happy with the radiused red maple bridges Tim made for me. So I E-mailed Tim and he sent me another one. David has the knowledge to give valuable advice as to woods and design that will have your banjo sounding its best. I was lucky enough to win the 2014 Camo Frog bridge from Generous Virgil Lawson from Tazewell, Tn. I trusted him on it, and Im glad I did. I wholeheartedly recommend Tim to any organisation or company that value people. The philosophy behind this bridge jives with everything I've read.To sum it up:It is by far the best bridge I've yet to put on any of my banjos (and I've got some nice ones now). I had seen many good reports on Gary Sosebee's bridges but I have enough hard maple bridges already. I would have been very pleased with either, and my comments are merely based on a comparison between these two outstanding bridges. It was on my banjo by Friday night. Banjo now has a nice dry pop and is extremely well balanced from string to string. Mine was a lighter bridge over stock (4mm v 5mm or thereabouts). I chose the "piano" maple cut bridge with the ebony cap. I tried a Sosebee and several other bridges, but all sounded about the same and very tight/restricted to my ear. The bridge cost me under $30. One morning in January of 2010 Sammie and I were eating breakfast at the Chic-Fil-A when I saw the now sixteen-year-old Maggie hanging out with her friends. Photo Gallery. I am very impressed with this bridge. The Katalox cap is strong, stands up to refilling the string slots Im using a thicker gauge nylon string and Davids bridges were apparently slotted for steel strings. My banjo still doesn't sound like a Deering Saratoga Star, but it sounds a whole lot better than it did. If he makes this bridge look and sound like it does I can imagine how his banjos look!I fully recommend his bridges and he was a pleasure to deal with. Thanks again Bart! The cost including shipping was $40. I didn't know it was possible for my banjo to have such clear, loud tone. The Bullfrog was not quite as bright and had less bite than the Z/K. I have used many bridges, including the Stockwell Medium weight Moon Bridge. It gives my banjo a solid sound, crisp but not twangy.. 3 hrs. What if both were good singers? I was happy enough to win the Tim 's bridge drawing recently , so thanks to his generosity I had a chance to try one of his ''Selected hard maple'' ( sugar maple ) banjo bridge. I immediately ordered another one for my Bob Flesher Grand Cotillion with similar results. I wonder what the Spillway Dam Bridge would do to any of my clawhammer open back banjos? Steve made the bridge in a .656 with Crowe spacing. Since I had just interviewed John Bullard and he talked about the Purcell bridges that he likes, so I thought I would give that one a try. The total cost was $175.00, but would have been less if I had provided the gold (old class ring or the like). I have alot of extra bridges now! It really improved my highs and mids, while the bass and intonation is about the same as the moon heavy that was on previuosly. Give one a try if you have not already! Very, verywell done. The tone is certainly rich; at proper head tensions on tone ring banjos (G - A tapped), the bridge delivers a surprising amount of bass response for how thin it is - but it does not loose volume or musicality. I could still live with the two other excellent bridges I have used until now but this new bridge has added something to the sound of my banjo that makes me want to play more often. 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. I am so glad I did. I'm using the Archie bridge on a mid 1970's Gibson RB800 (rim upgraded to a Cooperman 3 ply, and turned for a Cox archtop ring). Can't say enough good things about it! I assume these are the Wadsworth design the Steve purchased a while back. Well maybe not .Definitely a nice step up from a standard factory bridge. But sometimes I forget to re-order them when I run out (as he well knows..lol). I came across F&F in 2013 with their 2010 Sweet Judy Blue Eyes. But his latest & greatest is a combination of young & old folks calledFoxes and Fossils. Northern Spirit Radio, 2550 Gregerson Drive, Eau Claire, WI 54703. This may contain information such as company name, job title, address, and time period of service. I sent my findings to Bart. Not bad for $125, but does sound like a $125 banjo. Both bridges were exceptional, but I was especially impressed by David's two-footed model. Great Work Tim!!!!!! I've used a lot of bridges over the years and the Dark Star is a huge step forward. If you are considering a bridge upgrade you will not be disappointed. Where Purchased: : direct from Bart Veerman, What I ordered: Basic two-footed bridge, 5/8-inch tall, mystery wood, no top, 46-millimeter clawhammer string spacing. Holiday parties and New Years Eve were steady sources of big money. Gone was the harshness and tinniness that had always been the hallmark of this banjo. Smile and Say Goodbye He offered much helpful input as to material and design considerations guiding me in the right direction based on my particular banjo and my playing style. Man that roasted red maple REALLY blew the doors off. Jim. I always felt my old Scruggs had what it takes but I never could quite unlock the code! You can't go wrong with this bridge! It's real,even across the strings with a real hollow airy quality. Problem is that there are so many high-quality bridges being made it's hard to differentiate among them. I have read with interest, many of the BHO entries about how a new bridge changes that person's banjo dramatically. Ordered from Ebay, a 1/2 Red Maple top bridge. I reallylike the improvement both bridges made. That said, I really believed I had "tried it all." I would recommend this bridge to anyone who likes the Roasted sound as mentioned on BHO threads. Tim's bridges are traditionally built for bluegrass banjos and are made from select woods, controlled by mass, and nicely designed. Bart's clawhammer bridge makes my inexpensive banjo sound great! Rarely have I found one small change to make such an improvement. The bridge is certainly worth the money that Greg is asking for it. She has a real chance to do something big. 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. The next morning I started picking and my ears immediately perked up. It's the only bridge I've ever bought that was polished! For my Goldtone kit OB250+ bluegrass banjo, I got the 5/8 old maple wood, with medium width, ebony top. 5 of the feet appear almost identical, one of the feet is noticeably narrower than the other 5. They are every bet as good as the original SS bridges, maybe better. How does Tim do it ? 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