Fretless sounding bridge mod

[althebassman]

I'm currently on a massive Dominique Di Piazza hype and I came across this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IsPKHXTi5UI

After some quality translating via google he says that he's put brass inserts at the bridge (which are kind of visible) but I wondered if anyone had any idea on how to give this a go - what sorts of inserts (what sort of size required), whether they need to be fixed/wedged etc.

[HazBeen]

http://www.mike-sabre.com/DDPFretlessBridge/ddpfretlessbridge.html
 

Mike Sabre designed the bridge and sell them. Some pics/clarification above.

Edited December 17, 2020 by HazBeen

[TheGreek]

Interesting...I'd love to have that fretless Mwaaah as my default tone but this doesn't seem to be the answer. Expect to have to reset the bridge whenever you change strings...

[HazBeen]

Fretless sound needs a fretless fretboard, this and the Neuser fretless bridge give a fretless vibe, not a fretless tone imo.

[althebassman]

14 minutes ago, HazBeen said:

http://www.mike-sabre.com/DDPFretlessBridge/ddpfretlessbridge.html
 

Mike Sabre designed the bridge and sell them. Some pics/clarification above.

Yeah I like the looks of those bridges, but the video suggested that the guy had done the mod himself with £10 worth of parts to the existing bass bridge, rather than buying one of these bridges 

[HazBeen]

1 hour ago, althebassman said:

Yeah I like the looks of those bridges, but the video suggested that the guy had done the mod himself with £10 worth of parts to the existing bass bridge, rather than buying one of these bridges 

The website shows the concept, wooden saddles, where the string runs over de full length of the saddle to get a fretless-ish tone.

[althebassman]

19 minutes ago, HazBeen said:

The website shows the concept, wooden saddles, where the string runs over de full length of the saddle to get a fretless-ish tone.

This seems to be different though? Using brass inserts on a metal bridge rather the specifically purchased signature bridge?

[Hellzero]

As I wrote a lot of times, it's simply a flat sitar bridge conception. It works best with bone flat saddles. John McLaughlin played a guitar like this. Eyb in Germany is selling the exact same bridges as Mike Sabre and an ETS dedicated bridge.

[Hellzero]

Eyb web page : https://www.eyb-guitars.de/Eyb-English/ddp-bridge.html

[Hellzero]

Vic is selling a Mike Sabre Dominique Di Piazza Signature 1 on this very parish :

 

[althebassman]

20 minutes ago, Hellzero said:

As I wrote a lot of times, it's simply a flat sitar bridge conception. It works best with bone flat saddles. John McLaughlin played a guitar like this. Eyb in Germany is selling the exact same bridges as Mike Sabre and an ETS dedicated bridge.

Looking at the video though, this seems different, in that he's modified the existing metal bridge rather than fitting one of the above?

[Hellzero]

You can buy the saddles only or make some bone (or very hard wood) flat saddles yourself. It's not that complicated, but you'll have to move the bridge away for a perfect intonation...

[Hellzero]

Dominique Di Piazza used leather on top of the original saddles to make his first flat sitar-like bridge.

[HazBeen]

10 hours ago, Hellzero said:

Dominique Di Piazza used leather on top of the original saddles to make his first flat sitar-like bridge.

And did not and still does not sound like a fretless 🤪

[Hellzero]

It's a sound on its own, closer to a sitar where the strings rattling vibration comes from the bridge and not the fingerboard. Some like it, some don't, but it's not per se a fretless sound.