What's So Important About the Guitar Bridge?

As one of the most important aspects of the guitar, the bridge is a device that supports guitar strings. It works by transmitting string vibrations, which transmit sound to the air and make it audible when the guitar is played. A stringed instrument energizes a string to generate sound and sets the string to vibrate motion. However, strings vibrate only by themselves because they are transmitted only at low volumes when vibrating. Strings need the ability to transmit sound to a larger surface area. As a result, the volume will sound in the air and a louder sound will be generated. Bridge is the way this is done.

The placement of the bridge is most important. Usually placed perpendicular to the strings and large surface. The string tension pushes down the bridge, thus pushing down the large surface below it. The surface is usually coupled to an acoustic chamber such as an enclosure like the body of a guitar. This works to help the sound amplification. The bridge is made of wood as the top of the guitar, or other instruments made of plastic, metal or even calfskin. Any material that vibrates in a string can be used.

Bridges are usually made of a single piece of material that fits between the strings and the surface, but in some cases, a bridge can consist of multiple parts. One common bridge that can be found is one that incorporates a separate support surface on which a string called a saddle rests. Saddles are usually made of materials that are harder than the bridge itself, such as ivory, metal, and bone. Classic style guitars use saddles that sit very loosely on the bridge and are only held by string tension. The saddle has a shallow groove to prevent treble strings from moving during the performance.

There are two major bridge groups, especially for electric guitars. There are tremolo and non-tremolo, also called hard tail. The tremolo bridge has an arm, sometimes called a whammy bar, that extends from below the fixed point of the string. This works by acting as a lever that the player can pull or push to change the string tension and change the pitch. Non-tremolo bridges provide a safe point for strings, but do not actually control the pitch or tension of the strings. There is a small group of tremolo bridges, and there is an extended tail that gives the sound a reverb because there is string resonance behind the bridge. Fenders make guitars with this long tail called Fender Jaguar.

All bridges have advantages and disadvantages depending on who is playing and what style is being played, but in general, bridges other than tremolo provide the best tuning stability. It also makes one of the best bridges because it makes good contact between the body and the strings.