So Itook him up on his offer, made the trip to Hamilton and spent a wonderful afternoon exploring the world of banjo bridges as guided by Bart. I liked the design feature of Greg's solid foot cherry bridge. It reduced the overly bright tone of my Fender banjo. It is getting a really nice, ringing, bell-like tone from 12 all the way up to 22. Taste is subjective but I really love Earl, J.D. I got back in touch with David and ended up receiving an Osage Orange capped Maple bridge along with an Ebony capped Maple one. Sound is even in high positions, mellow, thicker, fuller. Some folks might find the tone a little too bright (particularly the 1st string). I get a much more precise, crisp sound south on the neck toward the rim, and a bit more clarity in chording. You could'nt deal with a nicer guy than Tim and he has a nice selection of different woods, he'll make them whatever height you want, Crowe spacing,Radius top and bottom, and his workmanship is beautiful. 8 inch pot 17 frets, 32 inches total length. It was a real improvement for the sound quality of the instrument, and a cheap way to make it really shine. Not too dark, not too right. I passed around lyric sheets, tuned my guitar and took my place. Virgil made me a compensated bridge (.656 height, 2 gram weight) My banjo was set up for 5/8 bridge, the only tweaking I had to do was a 1/4 turn of the tailpiece to get it up to speed. Both the higher and lower notes seem cleaner. Publicity Listings This lack of sagging is particularly nice as it keeps my 3rd string in more stable pitch. The price was about the same as you'd pay for any custom bridge, but considering that this bridge is hand carved as opposed to made with machine tools (drills, saws), it's actually inexpensive for the craftsmanship and work that went into it. Arnold (aclayton) is a member here on the HO. But I suspect with all of the different tone rings and rim combinations, the different right hands, your ears, the type of head and all the other factors at work when a banjo is played, somewhere there is a bridge being made that will be the perfect match. The action is higher, but I don't mind. The buzz is gone!!! 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. Its soo much clearer sounding, great tone, and the added volume is very nice. Whenever Amelia tries to ignore or get rid of it, the Babadook comes back even scarier than before. The young blonde in the video is Tim Purcell's daughter. This is by far the best bridge I ever tried. Photo Gallery. The bridges have ordered online and received very quickly!Thank you Tim. If you want a good, rich tone, this is a good one. It's built like a brick outhouse; I can't imagine that it would ever need replacing. The tone and volume with Dave's bridge is really loud and crisp. Based on this experience, I wouldn't hesitate to purchase from him again. Would've given it a 9 out of 10 except the ebony has a slight chip out of it on treble end. No more tinny resonation, far less muddiness (even to my ears) and what service! The volume was only slightly improved. If you are looking for volume along with a punchy, edgy tone, this bridge cannot be beat! Where Purchased: Direct from Cumberland Acoustics. He is such a great guy he'd probably take the sucker back if someone received it and didn't care for the tone. Choosing one can be a bit overwhelming. The Sullivan FF Roasted bridge is a keeper. The Dark Star does just what I'd hoped it would. Well, after playing the heck out of my banjo the last few days and carefully listening to the differences..The new Sullivan Factory Floor bridge is ALL of that plus! I requested a bridge that would add overtones and sustain to by super-dry RB4and after a brief exchange of information, he custom-built not one, but two bridges to try. He received a B.S. The day finally came. Did not seem to "mute" the ring, just focused it more to the appropriate frequencies. I am using this bridge for CH, and was looking to hasten the note decay on a banjo that despite having a wooden tone ring just wouldn't stop. The walnut has a beautiful, warm, mellow sound with balanced volume across the strings (I guess that's the advantage of the achilles?) Well here's where Bart came in. The increase in note decay is just enough to provide that clarity of note separationI've been looking for. I've found that with these bridges it actually takes less hand/finger effort to play. This bridge rocks!! (May 2017). I have a long-neck banjo that used to have intonation problems that really drove me nuts. If you haven't slid a Purcell bridge under your strings yet, I recommend you give it a shot. Really very nicely crafted and he's a fine fellow to do business with. The depth of the good harmonics was not harshbut audible enough to be a major difference between the two bridges. I highly recommend Mr. Zimmerman's product. I then switched to aKat-EyzCanadian maple/purple ebony and I thought that was the right bridge. It also is an outstanding bridge. Post or read reviews for Samantha Purcell
It is the nicest bridge I have tried to date, replacing a moon bridge I was previously using. I personally don't hear any difference in volume but I wasn't looking for that in the first place. Posted on Oct 3rd, 2020, 5:11 PM . On a cold, rainy January day I was sitting in my sweatpants, playing my guitar, bemoaning the fact that my band, The Mustangs, had just experienced one of our worst holiday seasons ever. More resonance. Tim took time to understand his client needs, the culture, environment and most importantly the outcome that was required. 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. Arthur makes a fantastic bridge. Its the only Hatfield bridge I've ever owned. This bridge meets those needs perfectly! After trying about 3 factory made bridges on my Gold Star GF100 I was a bit cynical about how much difference a decent bridge makes to my relatively untutored ear. This bridge does not do that. Fantastic. At 2.0 oz., this is now my main bridge. In fact, mostimproved the banjos I was playing at the time, at least changed my sound to something I was happy with. I love the design of the Emerson bridges, they give great tone and even volume throughout all strings.The vintage tone is the holly version, and gives a wonderfully crisp and bright sound to any banjo. It made an already great sounding instrument much better with tons more volume and cured some intonation problems as well! So, afew weeks ago when I was taking apart one of my Stellingsto photograph for my Banjo Construction Photo Archive, I noticed that the bridge was pretty wallowed out. I should have gotten one of these a long time ago.This is a 1/2" teak, Crowe spaced on a Reiter tubaphone with tight fiberskyn head. My Eagle 2 is a lot louder and brighter now! I had no idea there were SO many options out there. It's hard for me to believe I forgot to say something about ituntil now. All five banjo showed significant boost in sound quality. I was amazed at the volume and clarity in this bridge, I would definately buy another one from him. I own better bridges, but I have also paid far more for lesser bridges than these. Ive had one of Barts Archie bridges on my mid-sixties flathead bowtie for a few months now, and I have been loving it.
Also, has a more metallic ring to it which I particularly like; woody bridges lack bite and sizzle, this just rings and rings. Contact Tim Purcell's Bio As an experienced and innovative ICT Management Professional, happily living in Australia's National Capital, Canberra, I've found that work takes place in many arenas - in cafes, in offices and during the many networking functions (that Canberra does so very well). I'd like to thank Bart for his work making banjos sound better and I highly recommend reading his website and ordering a bridge that's right for you. I was slightly worried that switching from the non-compensated stock bridge to the Moon would affect intonation, but intonation has been fine. Just trying to spread the word here.these bridges and Bart are special. Likely it had a poor setup prior but the Archie certainly allowed the subtleties of this banjo to come right out. Very happy with the entire transaction.. thanks. I would highly recommend trying out one of his bridges. I have read with interest, many of the BHO entries about how a new bridge changes that person's banjo dramatically. Bart's website is also a great resource for banjo information in general; worth checking out even if you're not in the market for a bridge. Great to do business with. Detective Purcell graduated from the 112th Cadet Class on April 27th, 2007. As usual, Tim was very easy to work with - highly recommended!! I have a RK36 that I may just have to get one of these bridges for. I ordered one out of curiosity. I had a country recording session to do, and knew that the head on the SwallowTail was too stretched out and past its use-by date. Some are unimpressive ..while others are keepers. Files were needed to remove burrs on the ebony saddle. This is a new product from Bart Veerman. This is a great bridge. I play clawhammer so it wasn't the right bridge for me but it might be really good for bluegrass. i don't know why but it really created a huge improvement. Well maybe not .Definitely a nice step up from a standard factory bridge. Virgil was nice enough to let me try out his compensated radius bridge. Again, the difference was astounding. Shipping was a flat,affordable rate. It arrived from Canada to Germany within 4 days (!). The rich character of the sound is preserved while helping me to punch through a bit more. Playing the banjo was much better with the BuulFrog. The other two gave my banjo a more blue grass sound, one more than the other. Links are provided for reference only and MyLife.com does not imply any connection or relationship between MyLife.com and these companies. Got this bridge in 2.1 grams, but willorder some slightly heavier ones soon for what I believe will produce even thicker richer tones perfectforsolo work or recording. In every case, the sound improved! It was 11/16, with Crowe spacing and 2.1 grams weight. Now, after you've done your homework you can sit back and wait for a beautiful well designed and expertly crafted bridge to arrive. It now (winter 2020) has 3.3 million views. Best of all he sends all 3 via regular US mail for 72 cents, unlike most Banjo specialty stores that add $5.00 shipping and handling to ship one bridge. This bridge cost $17.50 AUS, and I recommend it for this Banjo (tailpiece is stock) with these strings. I bought the three pack. It solved a third-string intonation problem and, to my ear and tastes, the banjo now sounds and feels great. I purchased a couple of bridges from Bart after email exchanges that delved fairly deep into my tonal targets - and especially variable dynamics (i.e altering picking hand position and attack to adjust volume, drive, tone, sustain, decay, overtonespretty much every variable). I absolutely love it and have it in now, but the thing that most surprised me was the maple! It cost 25$. I've put the 100 year old barn-wood one on and I am pretty impressed. It's like turning from basic to semi-pro. Love it.10 $ fast ship and blows some $45 bridges away. So it boils down to the bridge. I am extremely pleased with the look and sound the Dark Star has brought to my banjo. Tim was very gracious & made my wife & I feel right at home. He is truly interested in providing a quality product that is right for your playing and your banjo. I didn't think about it when I made my decision, but the moon shape allows the bridge to be unusually thin without becoming unstable on the head surface. The key is to leave it on the banjo for 48 hoursevery single one I have tried, while slightly different in tone, opens up wonderfully. 3 hrs. records, Lawsuits, Liens, Bankruptcies & sex offender status for Samantha Purcell. The harmonics that this bridge has given my banjo is like no other bridge that I've tried. Donald New advertised the Custom Made Douglas Fir Spillway Dam Banjo Bridge on BHO and I was attracted to the tightly grained wood shown in the photo I saw. I had hopes that it would take my already great sounding Hatfield to the next level. Selection: Bart offers a wide variety of bridge styles with a long list of options to customize each bridge order. Due to the organic look and warmer tone I see this as a bridge having greater appeal to the CH/Oldtime player. This is still a much improved banjo with Barts Bridgeand I would do it again. Bart was great to work with and he pointed me to the bridge type used by other celtic-style players. Mike's customer service is outstanding. I KNOW EACH BANJO HAS THEIR OWN CHARACTERISTICS BUT THESE BRIDGES GIVE IT THE BEST CHANCE. I have only had it a week and this new bridge has brought brought it back into tune again. My banjo neck now tracks perfectly, no buzzing whatsoever and I have noticed increased sustain in clarity of notes and volume. With camo frog I have only done this once but I can say that I was able to get the 2 outside strings bang on and the inside strings were so close to being bang on that they were just about perfect. Choose height, spacing, wood type, compensation, etc. You will not go wrong in ordering a bridge from Tim. I had one of Tim's piano maple bridges on this banjo and it is also great. ordered 3 x from Donyears apart. I also own a standard old maple Kat Eyz and it's great one too, but the McCormick spice factory wood has a special flavor that I've started to prefer. Methodist, All of today's music was written, or co-written, byTim Purcelland performed by Tim solo or in the configurations noted : Great lows and highs. Accurate city detection helps us serve more contextual content. Where Purchased: From Bart, banjobridge.com. Thanks for another winning bridge design! But a weird thing happened: I recently tried Black Diamond strings and had to go back to a straight bridge on both my banjos. There is plenty of bass response on the low d-string. The bridges sound rather average and unappealing when first installed - it takes a little while being installed and picked to really shine. I recieved my two-footed thin mystery wood bridge slotted for nylgut strings and installed it. I like this banjo in that it's response readily allows me to switch from standard Scruggs style Bluegrass playing to plectrum style playing: I've played that style since I was a kid. He is a recipient of the National Science Foundation Graduate . Tim Purcell. It was not sharp on the third thru fifth fretted notes anymore. Extremely high quality. While all 3 performed rather well, Steve's beech bridge scored the highest in crispness, clarity, and brightness. But there is no way to tell since I am not in possession of a device that measures decibels. However, I don't believe a higher end banjo would benefit from this bridge. This is a really rich and pleasant sounding bridge. ( that extra 2 mm make such a huge difference in playability) Anyway, the bridge has again improved intonation and sound, but, smaller banjo smaller differences. Charles, Ok, so I've read some of the comments on the site about this bridge. The difference was spectacular!! I like the bird's eye maple and will order it again if I go for a 3rd bridgebut I will probably add the ebony top. Highly recommend getting one to stretch your investment to the next level - no matter what you have. Bart will get all the necessary information from the picker regarding banjo, strings, playing style and sound preference. I gave it a 9 only due to the finish. The bridge cost me under $30. Now I've been playing a Snuffy Smith 3/4" with a compensated 3rd string slot for a few years now. I stopped making my own bridges when I realized that Mike's Kateyz design can't be topped. It is getting a really nice, ringing, bell-like tone from 12 all the way up to 22. Liberated Man - performed live Not only does David continue to provide an outstanding product at a good value, his customer service and response times are exceptional. I rarely give a 10 in a review of anything but Tim's bridges, and especially Tim himself, more than deserves a 10. For me, it added the final element I was looking to dial into on my banjo, "presence". Where Purchased: Directly From Tim Purcell via the Banjo Hangout. Having inherited great taste in music from her dad (me), she, of course, loved it. Honestly, none makes my banjos sound as good as Bart's bridge does. The tonal qualities are well balanced an clear. I have several bridges which didn't work for my Ome Jubilee, but this plain top, heavy weight bridge has brought warmth with clarity to my banjo. I Googled"Banjo Bridges" and a bunch of hits appeared. But Don's Bigfoot does not create a sense of muffled to me, just sweet, full, and mellow. 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