Tuffset Bridge

[Deed_Poll]

Hello all,

Some of you have been here from the very start, some might only be hearing about this now.

www.tuffsetbridge.com

With the Tuffset Website ready to explore and the product on the way, I feel this is a great time for an update - and to do some housekeeping!

The original Tuffset Bridge thread is here

It tells the first chapter of the Tuffset story, and a very important one. I owe a great debt to all those who lent their thoughts, ideas and enthusiasm to the project from its humblest beginnings. Tuffset has always felt, to me, like something we have done together. I have felt you in the room at every design and redesign, every patent application; through each tawdry piece of paperwork, technical drawing, and every meeting.

Your collective presence in the back of my mind has given me strength when I might otherwise have faltered; belief when I might have doubted. Pursuit of the Tuffset has become the greatest undertaking of my professional life, and it simply would not have happened without you.

But the time has come for a new thread so I can keep you all up to date on developments which are now happening really fast - and for others to get up to speed and learn about the bridge if they are interested!

I'll start with a brief recap of the bridge in its final form, what it does and why it does it that way.

[PorkyPrimeCut]

Nice website & an amazing looking final design!

Just the right amount of old meets new. Well done!!

[rank]

It really looks amazing. I can't wait to get my hands on one!

[Deed_Poll]

Tuffset Prototype 2.1 installed on my '65 JM

1. It is fully locking



Every screw and thread on the Tuffset Bridge locks into position, so there is no chance of your setup drifting out of place over time, developing rattles, or posts sinking at the wrong moment. The locking functionality gives the bridge a "set and forget" functionality; but has also turned out to make a really important contribution to the character and feel of the bridge in use.

2. It allows for full adjustability




From the outset, it was important to me and others on here that the bridge's saddles all adjust individually for intonation - but I was still proceeding with a set radius design.

Having run some preliminary designs by Mike Adams (Offset Supremo and god-tier human), he made a great point about working on vintage guitars (a subject about which he is probably more qualified to talk than anyone) - and that is, many vintage guitars no longer have anything like the expected string radius.

And it's an excellent point. How many fret jobs does it take before you're sporting some exotic compound radius without knowing it? Levelling using a beam very often imparts a compound to the radius, due to the taper on a guitar's fretboard (the nut is narrower than the heel). Moreover, many new guitars do not exhibit the precise radius advertised.

It became clear that what was needed was a complete redesign, to allow for individual string height adjustment as well as intonation adjustment. That's when the patentable aspects of the Tuffset's design came to the forefront, and I was unable to share my designs on here for a long while.

3. The patented height adjustment and locking system



The idea of some sort of "variable shim" synergised well with the locking functionality. Essentially, each of the height-adjustable saddles are made from two main parts - the "outer saddle" (that makes contact with the string) and the inner "wedges".

The diagram above shows an older version of the design, but the principle is the same.

The height adjustment screw runs parallel with the string (a bit like a traditional intonation adjustment screw). It passes through a slot in the "wedge" and is threaded into the "outer saddle". As such, tightening this screw pulls the outer saddle up the wedge like a cable car.

Once the desired height is set, the whole assembly can be slid forwards or backwards along the intonation adjustment slot.

Another screw passes through the whole assembly vertically and is threaded into a locking retainer in the underside of the bridge chassis. This is the locking screw. Once the height and intonation is set correctly, tightening this screw removes all slack from the system and locks the saddle in its current height and intonation setting.

It's actually a really nice system to use, because all adjustments are made whilst the strings are at full tension. The downward pressure on the bridge keeps the height and intonation settings in place just enough for the purposes of testing your adjustments, and the locking screw running parallel to that pressure means that locking the bridge doesn't change the setting at all.

Since having the photographed 2.1 prototype manufactured, it occurred to me that the outermost saddles (E and e) didn't need their own height adjustment - rather, their height can be set individually by raising and lowering the posts. This allowed me to position these saddles a tiny bit lower than the minimum position of the adjacent (A and B) saddles, effectively unlocking more adjustment range for the middle strings (D and G) to suit tighter radius fretboards.

The final production version of the design for manufacture therefore supports fretboard radii from 5-3/8" to 22".


Tuffset Prototype 2.1 installed on my '65 JM, rear view. Here you can more clearly see the adjusted height of each saddle

4. Why a rocking bridge?

Without wanting to get too controversial, I'd like to outline and defend my decision to design Tuffset as a true rocking bridge. Anything I say can be interpreted as my opinion, just one of many. I know other opinions exist and they are valid!

a) Stability

Fixed posts are "more stable", if you're towing a truck with it!

But "stability", to most vibrato users, means *tuning* stability. The floating / rocking post design is ingenious in allowing the strings to grip the bridge and return precisely to correct pitch and intonation, so that friction between the string and the saddle actually *helps* keep the guitar in tune.

I physically can't put my '65 out of tune with the whammy bar when the Tuffset is installed. There are no pings, pops or creaks.

A fixed-post design, by contrast, necessitates that the string must physically slide over the break point - turning the corner and having to return each time you bend the string or use the vibrato. When using the vibrato heavily, the guitar will inevitably creep out of tune. It might not be a big deal to you, and might be an improvement on the vintage-style rocking bridge you had on the guitar before. But that's what I've found.

The friction between string and saddle can be minimised by selecting certain materials or a roller mechanism, but can never be eliminated - and regardless, there is still a localised buildup of friction within the string core from this contortion.

b) Sustain

If your comparison is between an original vintage rocking bridge with all its rattly screws and construction problems and an aftermarket fixed-post bridge that has maybe two or three strings sharing each saddle, then sure - the aftermarket bridge is going to sustain better than the original using modern string gauges.

But in a like-for-like comparison, things are not so clear.

By adding and subtracting physical mass to the string's speaking length when using the vibrato, fixed-post bridges scavenge vibrational energy from the strings whilst they are resonating. This results in a certain kind of sound which has a slight hiss / scratchy quality, a bit like playing slide guitar. It's a sound that makes me think of Bigsbys.

By comparison, a rocking bridge retains the natural harmonics in the string, even whilst modulating the speaking length. This is why Offset Guitars with rocking bridges feel like they "store up" string energy when divebombing, only to give it right back with clarity and power when you return to pitch. They have a powerful, loose and wobbly feel that doesn't really sound like anything else, and is a big part of what sets these guitars apart for many Offset enthusiasts, myself included. Other opinions are valid of course, and people are drawn to Offsets for all sorts of reasons - my intention isn't to "gatekeep" here!

Put simply - when using the vibrato on a rocking bridge, the natural harmonics are allowed to grow and shrink in wavelength proportionately with the string's speaking length.

Whether one sound quality is "better" than the other is a subjective judgment; however, we are willing to bet there is a reason many were drawn to their Offset guitar in the first place. We embarked upon this journey NOT because we hate our Offset guitars, but because there is something about them we LOVE and want to cherish or enhance, even whilst improving other practical aspects. Speaking personally, the rocking vibrato is a massive part of what defines an Offset guitar to me.

5. Construction and manufacture

Despite the simplicity of the design's fundamentals, the Tuffset bridge has many small and intricate components that are challenging to manufacture. They require extremely high-end CNC-controlled lathe mills. This puts them on a production line alongside aerospace engine safety systems and medical equipment. They are manufactured with tolerances familiar to chronographers!

All parts are milled or turned from billet 303 and 304 stainless steel. No parts are cast, molded or folded - it's all solid from the chassis down to the locking retainers.

6. Design



It was important to us that the Tuffset doesn't upstage your guitar's appearance or draw undue attention to itself. I love the style and aesthetics of all kinds of offset guitars, and wanted the Tuffset to enhance this aesthetic rather than distract from it. The most visible surfaces of Tuffset are polished or turned to such a finish that they steel won't look out of place on a guitar that features chrome hardware and control plates.

[Deed_Poll]

Nice website & an amazing looking final design!

Just the right amount of old meets new. Well done!!

Thanks Mark! I'm glad to hear you say that about the design, because that was exactly the balance we were trying to strike

It really looks amazing. I can't wait to get my hands on one!

Cheers Chris! You are odds-on to be the very first person to get your hands on one!!

I hope you guys have joined the mailing list!

[BoringPostcards]

It looks great. I want to get one eventually.

[DeathJag]

So awesome!!! I have been wondering about this from time to time, pretty regularly. I LOVE the height adjustment ability!!!!! That's the only bummer with the Staytrem - my low E needs a mm or so more height always. I think that's because I slam the strings and I hate that fretboard rattle. I can't wait to get one! This is epic.

[GilmourD]

Totally threw my email address in the notification form! I'm excited!

Getting there, however, required editing the address in your link cuz it somehow prefixed it with the forum URL.

Also, one suggested edit: Mike Adams is no longer with M&M Guitar Bar since he got "laid off". I would bill him as "guitar tech, offset aficionado, YouTuber, and Star Trek nerd Mike 'Puisheen' Adams" or something like that.

Either way, I'm hoping I have money for at least one bridge when the first batch drops.

[MayTheFuzzBeWithYou]

Website (Link) doesn't work for me - but I guess it's the one from GuitarForm?
Looking great and looking forward to get my hands on one!

[GilmourD]

Website (Link) doesn't work for me - but I guess it's the one from GuitarForm?
Looking great and looking forward to get my hands on one!

Yeah, the forum somehow appended itself to the link as:

https://offsetguitars.com/forums/www.tuffsetbridge.com

Should just be:

https://www.tuffsetbridge.com

[GreenKnee]

Looks really good, I'm excited to get my hands on one when they're available.

[ThePearDream]

Absolutely marvelous! It's looking fantastic and it sounds like it has everything I want in a bridge. I signed up and am looking forward to trying one out.

[PJazzmaster]

Finally.
Awesome.
Subscribed

[GilmourD]

So, I do have a question!

How far forward and backward does the intonation range go? Not that I own a Bass VI (at least not currently... but eventually... ) but I know the ideal bridges for those usually have a wider range of intonation adjustment.

[Deed_Poll]

Thanks for the encouragement guys!! Feeling pumped!

So, I do have a question!

How far forward and backward does the intonation range go? Not that I own a Bass VI (at least not currently... but eventually... ) but I know the ideal bridges for those usually have a wider range of intonation adjustment.

About double that of a standard bridge! I actually solicited a Bass VI Facebook group, and the generally accepted comfortable range of intonation was 10mm - so we allowed for 11mm