A match for a missing, floating bridge.

[bat ear]

I've posted a few more about this guitar, and am now trying expanding the list for this guitar.
A sixties Guyatone "V6" Viola Body Guitar.

I've been really obsessed lately with addressing the wiring issue in this guitar, and have completely excluded its inability to take strings at this point.

To get strings on it I have to. . .
-Glue the nut back in
-Find an appropriate bridge
-Change the tuners. (the ones on now are a set of 3-in-a-rows have been cut and pieced on. . .)
-Possibly fool wit the neck.

I can take care of it all, but I really am clueless about how I will find bridge that will suit this guitar. . .

[cynical1]

Let me fix some fences today and take a look again at the pictures your posted tonight.

Important considerations are string spacing, scale, body dimensions and whether you want to go fixed or vibrato. I always liked Bigsby for vibrato, but I'm not much of a vibrato guy anyway...and not all guitars can take the stress a Bigsby puts on them...especially hollow body guitars...

You might be able to find a Danelectro vibrato unit and a generic harp endpiece...but that's just off the top of my head...

Farm stuff first, other stuff after dark...which is coming an hour sooner today...

HTC1

[bat ear]

Sounds familiar Cynic. I live a piece of the farm life too.

One Donkey, 2 goats, 5 Dogs, 2 cats, a big garden, and twenty three acres to care for.

I found a Gibson Tune-o-Matic bridge I bought, so i am going to try sanding it a bit to get a good fit. . If I can.

I think I am going to to use some Heart-Shaped Tuners I have as well. Temporary fixes, just to bring this guitar to some decent grade.

I brought the Volt Meter in today, so I'll probably be visiting the pick ups again tonite.

Hopefully I will have a stringed guitar by bedtime.

[cynical1]

Ah, a brother in farms...here it's 7 horses, 4 alpaca, 4 chickens, 3 dogs, 5 cats and a parrot...not counting field mice in the grainery...

Anyways, back to the matter at hand. The first question is do you want a vibrato or fixed bridge/tailpiece.

I looked at your pictures again and can't really tell how much meat is under the existing vibrato assembly...although it is definitely 60's stamped metal cheap...

To use your tune-o-matic you're going to have to have something to support the top from underneath, if you've got what I think you have. Again, I can't tell from the pictures what you've got to work with on that score. You can reinforce the guitar where the bridge will be mounted, but that can be tricky as you've got to do the "ship in a bottle" trick through the control cavity.

Another point on the tune-o-matic is the radius. It's probably a 10" or 12" radius. You'll need to make sure your neck is the same radius for it to work smoothly. It's not the end of the world if it's not, but it will always be a compromise otherwise.

Aside from that, if you can offer some more details on the structure inside the guitar I might be able to offer something more specific.

Happy Trails

Cynical One

[newey]

Bat ear-

Easiest way to replace it would be with another trapeze-style tailpiece, non-vibrato, and a wooden trestle bridge. These can be had with the tune-o-matic style adjusters as well.

Since the bridge isn't fixed to the body, you just put it wherever it needs to be. And the tailpiece needn't be exactly the right length, either.

While the vibrato bridge is std, it probably never worked very well to begin with, so I'd lose it on this guitar, so long as "stock look" is out the window.

[cynical1]

Good point, I should have been more specific.

I assumed you had this type of bridge:



Keep in mind that these bridges generally have a pin underneath that corresponds to a hole in the top of the guitar. Gretsch has a similar style, but generally without the individual saddles.

For a tailpiece I was thinking along these lines:



Now, if you've got a solid body style tune-o-matic then the issue complicates exponentially.

Either way, you'll need to make sure the top is supported strongly enough to handle the additional stress of the bridge. Here's a relatively generic option on how to do it:



Let us know what you're working with and we should be able to put a slightly sharper edge on it.

Happy Trials

Cynical One

[bat ear]

I'll be taking some thorough pictures of the guitar maybe tonite, and drawing up some diagrams that are less distracting and able to be scribbled on by you kind fellows.

I have the tuning machines on now, I had to bore out the holes in the head some to accommodate them.

The spacing might be too wide on the bridge, so I lightly sawed into the grooves to make a temporary fit. The wooden base does not conform to the body.

I imagined that I might carve the wood to fit the body more exactly and I expect it to be some careful work in store.
Another issue is that of the tailpiece. . .

While I am conflicted about exchanging this hunk of plated metal, I'm not sure whether there are any real measures to correct the function and appearance of it.

As you may have expected to hear, I have not yet started my winding operation.
the only progress we may see in this week toward the goal of winding my own piccup might be a list assessing materials that are in hand, and those which must be procured before I endeavor.

One of my cats suddenly fell ill and died unexpectedly last night. . . May she rest in peace.

I'll be back with some pictures soon.