Aluminum "Acoustic Looking" strat bridge....the work begins

[scartozi]

Well there is A LOT of work yet to do....drill holes, cut overall depth to size (only had 2" material at work), shape/file the curves and when all that is done....satin black annodizing. Our copy router at work did an ok job, more clean up than I would like but....whagonnado.

This is going on my next build and will be a piezo pickup only guitar. Since I'm doing an ergo guitar a standard strat bridge would look a little small in comparison to the body, plus this bridge should resonate quite nicely.

Here are a couple pics....haven't got started yet so its a little rough.

 

[Firebird211]

That is huge.   I think it may sustain for about a week.

 

[scartozi]

Hahaha....its not going to be that big, that's just the center cut out of 2" bar stock in the pics. Once shaped it'll have roughly the same dimensions as a wood acoustic bridge.

 

[DangerousR6]

That is huge.   I think it may sustain for about a week.

It's aluminum, wouldn't sustain very long, not dense enuff... :dontknow:

If it were solid brass, then it'd probably sustain for a week.... :icon_biggrin:

 

[Wana_make_a_guitar]

That is huge.   I think it may sustain for about a week.

It's aluminum, wouldn't sustain very long, not dense enuff... :dontknow:

If it were solid brass, then it'd probably sustain for a week.... :icon_biggrin:

Whats denser then brass? Titanuim, diamond, carbon?  I want I diamond bridge.

 

[scartozi]

How about it should sustain/resonate slightly better than the standard strat hardtail bridge....or at least that's the way I see it in my head....and that's a scary place!

 

[scartozi]

Forgot to mention that this bridge is mainly for aesthetics.

 

[Wana_make_a_guitar]

Got a sketch of this pretty idea?  Pics or it doesn't exist.

 

[AutoBat]

That is huge.   I think it may sustain for about a week.

It's aluminum, wouldn't sustain very long, not dense enuff... :dontknow:

If it were solid brass, then it'd probably sustain for a week.... :icon_biggrin:

Whats denser then brass? Titanuim, diamond, carbon?  I want I diamond bridge.

Diamond & Carbon aren't that dense.  A graphite bridge would be carbon.
Here's a list of metal densities: http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/metal-alloys-densities-d_50.html

By a cost & safety standard, brass is about the best.  Lead, Silver, Gold, Molybdenum, Tungsten, and Uranium are all denser.

 

[JaySwear]

Love this idea! Can't wait to see it when it's finished.

 

[DangerousR6]

That is huge.   I think it may sustain for about a week.

It's aluminum, wouldn't sustain very long, not dense enuff... :dontknow:

If it were solid brass, then it'd probably sustain for a week.... :icon_biggrin:

Whats denser then brass? Titanuim, diamond, carbon?   I want I diamond bridge.

Diamond & Carbon aren't that dense.  A graphite bridge would be carbon.
Here's a list of metal densities: http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/metal-alloys-densities-d_50.html

By a cost & safety standard, brass is about the best.   Lead, Silver, Gold, Molybdenum, Tungsten, and Uranium are all denser.

you forgot  Übertaniun.... :headbang1:

 

[Justinginn]

Unobtanium.  :glasses9:

 

[scartozi]

Picture #1
this is the body design and you can get an idea of what the bridge will look like once completed

Picture # 2
This is the 1/4" top that will be on the guitar. I think it's going to look bad arse with the maple neck following the light "maple like" skunk stripe in the top

No pickups other than Graph Tech Ghost system so none of that beautiful wood will be covered.

 

[Wana_make_a_guitar]

That is huge.   I think it may sustain for about a week.

It's aluminum, wouldn't sustain very long, not dense enuff... :dontknow:

If it were solid brass, then it'd probably sustain for a week.... :icon_biggrin:

Whats denser then brass? Titanuim, diamond, carbon?   I want I diamond bridge.

Diamond & Carbon aren't that dense.  A graphite bridge would be carbon.
Here's a list of metal densities: http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/metal-alloys-densities-d_50.html

By a cost & safety standard, brass is about the best.   Lead, Silver, Gold, Molybdenum, Tungsten, and Uranium are all denser.

Tungsten sounds pretty rad as a bridge, uranium does too, but it may be a bit tricky.  :laughing7:

 

[Dan025]

density (mass/volume) is only one factor in sonic transfer there is also hardness/elastic properties....

http://billlawrence.com/Pages/ForTeleLovers.htm

the whole sustain argument is always slightly mis-guided. when you pluck a string you put x energy into it and the string will resonate until that energy is dissipated as heat, electromagnetic energy, or sound. there can also be phase cancellation from other strings or the body and neck where the strings own energy creates an opposing force. cb has some great posts on the concept.  a more massive mounting point might reduce some energy transfer maybe reducing vibration in the body but if the bridge is made from a material with poor sonic properties ie lead which is malleable then string energy may radiate as heat. also if a bridge is made very light but is a has good sonic properties it may not hinder sustain at all if it is coupled to the body well. there may be more sound output from the body and less than optimal sustain but i think the material properties has more to do with it.

bill lawrence seems to say that aluminum has decent sonic properties. but what type of aluminum are you using? he mentions "Dur aluminum" and i have no idea what that is. in my metalurgy and heat treat classes nothing like that ever came up. it may be a laymans term. in the military we only dealt with aisi and sae classification type alloy numbers. anyway i would not think a work hardening alloy or any alloy in a non solution heat treated and aged state would be suitable.

edit looked up duraluminum and it apears to be 2 series age hardening aluminums such as 2024. i believe a 6 or 7 series would be even better if it is already in a t-4 t-6 t-7 or t-8 state. however 2 series metals can be heat treated very easily from an O state as can 6061 which is probably the most common alloy you will find unless it is super cheap. just stay away from h temper designators and O(annealed) designators.

 

[Dan025]

but more to the point nice project! i've been maing to do something similar out of titanium  :toothy11: but it is too hard to work on a machine that doesn't have ball screws. titanium likes to be climb milled which is a good way to break endmills with conventional leadscrews because of backlash. i can conventional cut it but dread the amount of time it will take. i decided against a one piece deign for that reason, now i just need to figure out how to turn a large block into a thin plate (i have some scrap material and dont want to buy anything) i can certainly cut it thin on a band saw but then how do i surface it???

anyway looks great.

 

[DangerousR6]

but more to the point nice project! i've been maing to do something similar out of titanium  :toothy11: but it is too hard to work on a machine that doesn't have ball screws. titanium likes to be climb milled which is a good way to break endmills with conventional leadscrews because of backlash. i can conventional cut it but dread the amount of time it will take. i decided against a one piece deign for that reason, now i just need to figure out how to turn a large block into a thin plate (i have some scrap material and dont want to buy anything) i can certainly cut it thin on a band saw but then how do i surface it???

anyway looks great.

what kind of mill you using that doesn't have ball screws......something from the stone age.......?  :icon_scratch:

 

[Dan025]

but more to the point nice project! i've been maing to do something similar out of titanium  :toothy11: but it is too hard to work on a machine that doesn't have ball screws. titanium likes to be climb milled which is a good way to break endmills with conventional leadscrews because of backlash. i can conventional cut it but dread the amount of time it will take. i decided against a one piece deign for that reason, now i just need to figure out how to turn a large block into a thin plate (i have some scrap material and dont want to buy anything) i can certainly cut it thin on a band saw but then how do i surface it???

anyway looks great.

what kind of mill you using that doesn't have ball screws......something from the stone age.......?  :icon_scratch:

manual not cnc. you'd be hard pressed to find a manual mill with ball screws or any anti backlash lead screws that hasn't been modified from original to be that way.

 

[swarfrat]

You WONT find a manual mill with ball screws, simply because it won't stay put.

 

[DangerousR6]

but more to the point nice project! i've been maing to do something similar out of titanium  :toothy11: but it is too hard to work on a machine that doesn't have ball screws. titanium likes to be climb milled which is a good way to break endmills with conventional leadscrews because of backlash. i can conventional cut it but dread the amount of time it will take. i decided against a one piece deign for that reason, now i just need to figure out how to turn a large block into a thin plate (i have some scrap material and dont want to buy anything) i can certainly cut it thin on a band saw but then how do i surface it???

anyway looks great.

what kind of mill you using that doesn't have ball screws......something from the stone age.......?  :icon_scratch:

manual not cnc. you'd be hard pressed to find a manual mill with ball screws or any anti backlash lead screws that hasn't been modified from original to be that way.

My bad, thought you were using cnc.... :doh: