Compton vs. Tru-Arc Bridges for Jazzmaster

[wproffitt]

Hello all!
Several years ago, I posted about the Compton bridge input on my CP JM after I saw what it did for my Yamaha hollow body. I’ve since installed one on my parts caster JM build. I’ve loved the sound of these, but the one thing has always been that they don’t rock on the TOM style posts I have on these guitars. There are a number of solutions to this. Still, I love the idea of a single hunk of metal without screws or springs to move around as way of enhancing the sound of my instruments, so I reached out to Tim Harman of Tru-Arc Bridgeworks to see what could be done.
I ended up ordering one of his models in Brass with his Serpentune shape in the Lowrider format, figuring that
A) the rounded bottom side of this would allow it to rock on the bridge posts with trem use
B) the low rider form factor would allow me to take a shim or two out of the neck of my JM and still get the action nice and low.
It works beautifully! I am able to get the bridge nice and low with only minimal shimming of the neck. The trem action is nice and smooth and the sound is every bit as clear and articulate as it was with the Compton. Was it pricier? Yes. Is it a solution that completely fulfills my vision for this guitar? Absolutely!

Below are some comparison pics. Note how the Compton and the Tru-Arc are the same height but that the Tru-Arc can sit lower on the posts due to how the bottom is sculpted.

[Veitchy]

Interesting mod, and it looks ace on there.

In your opinion, what would you say it changes about the sound? Any compromises or trade-offs at all?

[wproffitt]

Interesting mod, and it looks ace on there.

In your opinion, what would you say it changes about the sound? Any compromises or trade-offs at all?

To be fair, I also have a brass Compton, so I can compare the brass Compton and the brass Tru-Arc side by side. I’d say that intonation is pretty darn good on both. I mean, people will say that they are uncomfortable with a bridge that cannot be adjusted, but I don’t really hear people on the Acoustic Guitar Forum complain about this problem. For me, the MASSIVE improvement in sound and feel over a rattley TOM style bridge is worth the fact that the G string is the tiniest bit flat at the 12th fret.
They sound pretty similar. Both have a very pleasing, warm, yet articulate sound. The real difference is that the Tru-Arc moves with the trem and returns to pitch after trem use. The Compton was designed with a floating bridge base in mind and doesn’t do this as well. That’s not really a fault of the product so much as of the way in which I was using it. I’d still heartily recommend Comptons for hollow body instruments with floating bridge bases, though.

[antisymmetric]

For me, the MASSIVE improvement in sound and feel over a rattley TOM style bridge is worth the fact that the G string is the tiniest bit flat at the 12th fret.

That would be me too. The homebuilt, not-too-pretty aluminium bridge I whipped up led me to the same conclusion. I like the way the Tru-arc looks on your JM also. Very nice.

[ericono]

Just came across your thread. Can you post some more pics of your guitar with the bridge in place? Would like to see how it looks overall. Also, how did you install the posts (and what posts did you use)? What's the spacing and post diameter?

Thanks,

Eric

[Nudger]

[quote
B) the low rider form factor would allow me to take a shim or two out of the neck of my JM and still get the action nice and low.
It works beautifully! I am able to get the bridge nice and low with only minimal shimming of the neck. The trem action is nice and smooth and the sound is every bit as clear and articulate as it was with the Compton. Was it pricier? Yes. Is it a solution that completely fulfills my vision for this guitar? Absolutely!

Below are some comparison pics. Note how the Compton and the Tru-Arc are the same height but that the Tru-Arc can sit lower on the posts due to how the bottom is sculpted.




Cool solution!
For anyone thinking of going with the non rocking compton.. Wayne will tweak your order.
Last bridge I ordered I got made 2mm shallower.