Bridge

The bridge has to be replaced by a new one from time to time for various reasons. The most common one is that the bridge progressively bends more and more towards the fingerboard. This has various consequences, so we shall describe this phenomenon in more detail.

The top edge of the bridge tends to get pushed towards the fingerboard - first as a result of regular tuning and, second, because the angle of the strings is smaller between bridge and the tailpiece than between bridge and fingerboard. This causes the bridge to bend. Moreover - and many musicians don't know this - the string height (the distance between strings and fingerboard) increases.

Whether it is only the upper edge of the bridge or the bridge as a whole, i.e. with the bridge feet, that is moved closer to the fingerboard, in both cases the string height increases. The top drawing shows a warped bridge (note the higher strings), the second an unchanged one, and the third a moved one (again, the strings are higher).

Adjustments

The spaces between the strings (mainly at the bridge) is a matter of personal preference - jazz musicians who play mostly pizzicato often prefer a narrower spacing. For bowing, however, the space between the strings often has to be especially large to make up for a fingerboard that is too flat. If the curvature of the fingerboard is too flat, the A and D strings have to be placed higher than is comfortable for the left hand, because otherwise it would be hard to separate them cleanly with the bow. The problem can be eased by widening the space between the strings. This is one of the things that many people find difficult to understand. To repeat: widening the spacing between the strings makes it easier to separate the A and D strings when bowing with the strings at the same height.