Tru-arc bridge

[guitarchuck]

I have a Tru-Arc exactly like Gayle's wider spacing and all on my Hall of Fame Country Gentleman. I really like it. I set my action height at the 12th fret around 5/64" on the bass E and around 3/64" on the treble E string.

[synchro]

I have a Tru-Arc exactly like Gayle's wider spacing and all on my Hall of Fame Country Gentleman. I really like it. I set my action height at the 12th fret around 5/64" on the bass E and around 3/64" on the treble E string.

Now that's information a feller can use directly. My specs for action is crank 'em just above the point where they buzz and set the neck relief to a Scotchman's smidgeon. I am, BTW, 1/4 Scot myself and thereby have the right to use that particular stereotype.

[albertgen]

I believe Chet did a lot of experimenting with bridges and nuts many many years ago. Al

[Norm]

I believe Chet did a lot of experimenting with bridges and nuts many many years ago. Al

"A lot of" is the subjective phrase and, of course, we'll never know for sure.

We know the original 6120 had a metal nut but this was discarded in favor of bone for whatever reason. Paul, in my archive, said Chet primarily used bone for his guitar nut. Paul himself did a lot of experimenting with different nut materials and styles. The delrin "slipstone' nut got his blessing for a while and I'm sure he tried others. There's not a whole lot of experimentation to do on a nut except for material. I suppose Chet could have experimented away since Gretsch and Gibson gave him so many guitars. But it seems the favored bridges during the Gretsch years were of the non adjustable variety.

Since Chet could have applied any nut or bridge he wished to his '59 it is interesting that he stuck to the bar bridge and bone nuts. We can only assume it meant he preferred the bridge tone and sustain over the marginal improved accuracy the tun o matic style bridge offered. And with the zero fret, all you really need in the nut department is for it to be non-binding when you use the Bigsby.

I know I bought my 61 single cut gent used and it had a tun o matic style bridge installed by the previous owner. I used that style bridge for years and, on a whim, bought a gretsch bar bridge.
The tun o matic bridge went in a drawer and I never looked back. Same thing when I bought a Tru-Arc.
I have both of the now disused older bridges stowed in Zip-Loc bags and they will no doubt remain there as long as I live.

The bridge/nut preference is one of those things we'll only be able to speculate about.

Fun to kick it around, tho....

[albertgen]

Well I can't tell for sure but it looks like Chet's D'Angelico had a metal bar bridge. Thats pre Gretsch. I believe he had a metal nut on it too. I know he prefered bone on the Gretsches because they have a natural lubricant.

[Norm]

Iooking closely at the D'Angelico in the mamg book it looks to me like a compensated metal brdge of some sort as opposed to a plain gretsch style bridge. Bigsby used (and included) a compensated metal bridge on the 6120's for quite a while. I'm sure there were such things available. It might even have come with the KIaufman Vib-Rola. Probably did if you think about it. Wooden bridges don't do well in conjuction with vibrato units.

Having said that, the picture of young Chet with the Martin archtop and Vib-Rola the guitar appears to have its wooden bridge.

I doubt D'Angelico offered metal bridges. Another one of those things we may never find out. Maybe next time one of you guys goes to the HOF you can make a point of looking at the bridge currently on it.

[albertgen]

It could be Norm, I need a magnifying glass to see, however I do know that he stated in Guitar Player magazine back in 79 that he would work his bridges so they would rock back and forth. The early Gretsches, well at least my 66 Tennessean had posts that would pivot in the base of the bridge, and some were offset so the bar would slant toward the treble side. They don't do that anymore probably because those bridges could fall over to one side or the other pretty easily. Al

[Norm]

I had one of those 'fall over' bar bridges. The threaded part were made with a ball end on them that some "genius" decided needed to be ground flat on the sides so it looked like a little rocker. I remember having to align those little puppies. Chet's was in its original ball end shape and probably contributed to a little more stability.

In any case the D'Angelico has some sort of metal bridge that was either available in the early fifties or he perhaps had made locally.

I have a book someone wrote about the 6120. I haven't read it in depth yet but in my brief scan through it I don't see any backstory on the gretsch bar bridge. It just suddenly appears on the 6120 replacing the Bigsby metal offset. I'll ask The Boys at gretschpages about it.

[gmoseley]

You guys making mention of the "fall over" bar bridges reminds me of a story of Paul's. He told me that after he started with Chet whenever they would make long road trips (especially airplane rides), he would always have to check Chet's old '59 CG because half the time, the bridge had fallen over inside the case during the trip and that he (Paul) would have to reset it before Chet could play it. He said. "that thing can be a pain sometimes"!

GM

[Norm]

Paul said that's the reason they started pinning their bridges. Made it easier to restore the guitar at the venue.

My 'fallover' would surprise me a couple times a year and dump on me while I was playing. Thankfully it was never at a gig...only at practice