Reproduction Mosrite bridges

[woodchuck30]

Hi oipunkguy, just had a thought for you if you want to consider it. You could easly turn this into a roller bridge, by simply drilling a hole at the top and using the small brass keepers that are on the strings, and use the right diameter steel nail to slip it into the hole through the brass keeper. Use a press fit in the 3/8" aluminum piece and you have a roller bridge.

Al

[oipunkguy]

Al,
could you explain in better detail please. where would you find the little rollers at? thanks.

[woodchuck30]

Hay Aaron, on the guitar strings, the brass retainer that keeps the string in place when you string it through the tremolo or the hard tail, you know, it's about 1/8" in dia. and has a hole through the center,and the string goes around it. I for get what the real name is for it so I call it a retainer, because it retains the string in the tremolo or hard tail when you pot tension on the sring to tune the guitar. That will become the bearing when you incert the nail (pin) through the center. The same principle is used on electric motors.The armeture spins on two brass bearings, one on each end. I your case the brass retainer would spin on the pin or nail, the pin or nail would be held in place by the aluminum sadel that the string normally travels over going to the nut nor zero fret. The slot which goes around the brass retainer would keep the string in place, the same as it would on a normal sadel. Wow thats a lot of explaining hope this helps you out, doesn't confuse you more

Al

[Sarah93003]

Al, my intention is to make reproduction parts that are faithful to the originals. My goal is to be able to provide parts that are reasonably priced so that people can afford to restore their guitar, rather than part it out. I have given a lot of thought to this and have figure out how to make everything but the Mosrite "M" knobs. I will need a mold for that. When my website is up you will see what I mean.

As for the metal rings at the end of guitar strings being used for a roller bridge, I think the first difficulty with that would be finding a supplier for the brass keepers. Secondly, these are all the same dimensions in every respect, therefore the High E string would sit significantly lower that the Low E string. If you look at a Mosrite Roller-Matic bridge each "pulley" has been turned for that particular string and spot on the bridge.

It was actually a painstaking process to make these back in the day. Eddy Ellitott, a forum member, used to make these and he said it took forever. They took 1/16" steel, cut out the shape with the little scallops (or m's as previously suggested) and then bent up the sides to form the bridge base. The saddles had to be turned, slotted, and drilled. Each individual little pulley was the turned and parted out, I think on a small machine lathe. The had the correct diameter rod with a hole drilled down the center (brass I believe). Then on the lathe using the correct tool to form the inside shape of the pulley to the correct depth, then using a parting tool (most likely) to separate the pulley from the rod. The trickiest aspect is to get all of the pulley to the same "depth" so that your strings sit flat. Then it would be drilled and tapped to accept the intonation screw. The little pulley had to sit down into the slot at the top of the saddle and a small pin pressed into the tiny hold to create the "axle". It sounds like a ton of work!

I don't think Semie was one to take the easy way out. He knew what he wanted and figured out a way to make it. I will attempt to do the same thing but I have some ideas to make it a little easy and quicker to make. Afterall, you can't charge a fortune for these things.

I think your idea would certainly work, if you can get the parts. It would not meet my goal of a reproduction part though.

[woodchuck30]

Hay Sarrah, my mistake I thought that you were going to make one of a kind for your own personal use. If you plan on masproduceing these to compete on the market, its going to be a rough road to go, even making them the way that you were talking about. the slot that the string sits in has to directly in line with the intonation screw, and all the screw holes have tobe 90 degrees to the U-chanel that the sadels them selves sit in. Not only that the sadels must sit dead flat on the bottom of the U-chanel, and last of all, all the sadels must be cut different for the radius of the fret or finger board taking into consideration the different diameters of esch string. Yeah, I know what your going to haave to deal with, Now all you have to do is whip out that CNC machine you have stashed in your shop, and have at it Just teasing you a little good luck in your indevers.

Al

[Sarah93003]

When I get one made ya'll will see it first.

[woodchuck30]

Hay Sarrah, I'ed really like to I have confidence in your ability to get things done

Al

[KRamone27]

using ball ends of strings has been discussed in another thread and myself and a few others have reached the agreement that the grooves of the ball ends would not be deep enough to retain the strings.

[bakeoboy]

I believe there are 3 sizes of rollers with the shallow grooves in the middle and the deepest on the outside. the tolerances should be close but if the saddles were too wobbly, Mosrite used to turn them over,and beat them tight with a hammer!

[Sarah93003]

I believe there are 3 sizes of rollers with the shallow grooves in the middle and the deepest on the outside. the tolerances should be close but if the saddles were too wobbly, Mosrite used to turn them over,and beat them tight with a hammer!

That doesn't surprise me!