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.