Thanks Steve. Expand the Memories and Condolences form. If you're considering one of Bart's bridges, get one (or 6 if you have 6 banjos), for this quality I still can't believe it only cost me 25$ ! I am still stunned that a little hunk of wood, can change the sound of a banjo that much..all on the positive side. To offer your sympathy during this difficult time, you can now have memorial trees planted in a National Forest in memory of your loved one. It had a basic 5/8 inch Grover bridge. Give one a try if you have not already! (Maybe maple is not the best choice for all banjos.hummmmm). The bridge drastically altered the sound of the banjo to the point that my non-musician wife commented that it sounded different and better without prompting. I am very happy with the sound now. This has caused her to distance herself from anyone who tries to talk to her about it, which leaves her isolated except for her son. These are first class bridges. Great job Mike!!!Brian. For players looking for THE bluegrass sound, this is it. DCB provides bridges in a variety of heights and string spacings. I says to my girlfriend at the time (still my wife believe it or not) - if you want an engagement ring pick one out. I put it on my 1962 Vega Seeger and WOW!! He produces a consistant quality product. I dont hesitate to recommend Barts bridges for a moment. Bart was also right with the string spacing, I liked it immediately. I tried another bridge and bang, it has awsometone. I bought one of Tim's bridges about 2 weeks ago. Communication/customer service - Outstanding. In the 21st century, it's not just urns and gravestones anymore. View Tim Purcell's business profile as Director, Bpr & Modernization Program at New York Workers' Compensation Board. Join Facebook to connect with Tim Purcell and others you may know. I've tried these on my 1926 Gibson TB 3 conversion Ballbearing arch-top and I am very pleased with the result. I have owned 4-5 original Snuffy Smith Bridges over the years and there is no difference in sound. That is why I went searching for heavy bridges with an added wider string spacing for easier drop-thumbing and found Bart's page. Biography. I play a 12" open back with a Dobson tone ring. Grief researchers say holding that missing funeral service, even a year or more later, can still help us heal. this bridge turned ok banjo into a POWERHOUSE amazing difference. Links are provided for reference only and MyLife.com does not imply any connection or relationship between MyLife.com and these companies. I just can't praise this bridge enough, and at a great price, what is not to like. I highly recommend Dave Wadsworth's product, especially for Mastertone-style banjos. Working with Tim was easy, I communicated with him about my banjo, setup info, preferences and what I was looking to achieve. If you are looking for volume along with a punchy, edgy tone, this bridge cannot be beat! Great product. I put it on, and it sounds really great. I'm ordering another just like it for the Whitestar! I had already switched to a Fiberskyn head and Rickard tailpiece, both of which made major progress toward the clawhammer sound I was seeking. Currently, Samantha lives in Smyrna, GA. Pamela Staton, Derek Underwood, Steve Rodgers, Diamond Underwood and Eugene Hooper, and many others are family members and associates of Samantha. I had told Mike I wanted a "woodier" sound. He is also very nice to do business with. I was disappointed if her choir performed and she didnt solo. The engineering is very good as well. There is an immediate difference in the voice of the Banjo. This is a really rich and pleasant sounding bridge. That was until I put Tim purcel's Dogwood bridge on. Tim Purcell was born on December 7, 1949 in Hastings, East Sussex, England, UK. Virgil was nice enough to let me try out his compensated radius bridge. Again, a lot of the other makers use quite a hefty slab of ebony at the top of their bridges. Only reason I gave the Archie bridges a 9/10 and not a 10/10 is that philosophically there is always room for improvement ;). This bridge with my setup produces amazing tones, still "old time" plunk but with incredible, full rich clarity over the entire fretboard. He is truly interested in providing a quality product that is right for your playing and your banjo. Both bridges were impressive as integral elements in the overall acoustic system. 2 DAYS!!! After a couple of days, I am a fan. Tim will construct a bridge for you to your specs at a very reasonable price. Really. Thanks to Steve for his continued perseverence in developing and making great bridges. I ordered a 3 pack of the spillway dam bridges -- two with the raised 5th string. It used to be the offending string all the time, but now that all 5 strings are on the same "level" of vibration, the tone and tuning has improved somewhat. You could'nt deal with a nicer guy than Tim and he has a nice selection of different woods, he'll make them whatever height you want, Crowe spacing,Radius top and bottom, and his workmanship is beautiful. Accolades to Bart. Suddenly a light came on over my head and I realized that was why that banjo always had an intonation issue. I thought it sounded better with a little heavier strings than I was used to. Things just happen that are amazingly right, and at quiet to ear-blistering levels. This is my second bridge from Bart. I'll be picking up a few more. It has an ebony peg below the 3rd string slot and the ebony top is slightly arched to compensate for eventual sag due to to string pressure. In August, 2012, I decided I wanted to try something else, so I ordered and received one of Tim Purcell's "Old Piano Wood" bridges.After receiving the bridge from Tim and after switching back and forth between Tim's bridge and the Frank Neat a few times, I liked Tim's bridge better. It replaced the Moon bridge I've had for years on my Kalamazoo and I heard a modest but noticeable improvement in the volume and warmth. )I'm fortunate to live in Maine, so it was a pleasant trip up to Port Clyde with my recently purchased Vega ST-5. I really didnt anticipate that dividend. So I reordered for my Scruggs except this time I opted for the Sweet II. I had heard (and read) some good topics on how the Purcell bridges are really great and things like that, so I decided to try one for myself. Pretty much exactly what I wanted for accompanying fiddle tunes. At a first look David Cunningham' bridges looks amazing, the wood is really beautiful and well made. Anyway, for 75 bucks for the 3 bridges (shipping was dirt cheap) I'd say I got way more than a bargoon. It provides good not separation with just the right amount (for my taste) of sustain. For 25 bucks you can't go wrong! These are really great bridges at less than 1/2 the cost of the others. My little Recording King is not the most expensive on the block but I believe she sure sounds like it. Now I have to try one on my openback. Keep in mind that every banjo is different, both in design, and set-up. I was becoming increasingly frustrated with the lack of sustain and general dullness of the tone. His customer service is fantastic. Steve's $30 price tag is high when you're comparing a Davis bridge to some of the other handmade bridges available from other Hangout members. The 100 year barn bridge alters tone the most. Unbelievably, I think it has more volume than the ESPII, but that's the way Iike it. Hes 62, and thats not including his shoes, which make him an imposing 63. Then as I was getting ready to give my banjo to my nephew I put this OG on. OMG I hope I didn't violate a patent! I have tried many of them. He insisted that I try before I buy and made a custom 11/16th comp beaver for me. Superb! After I installed the Spillway Dam Banjo Bridge, this changed. the banjo still has a nice old timey feel to it, only the notes are clean and defined. These are worth every penny. Where Purchased: Kerry Scott (lazyarcher@rogers.com). It was too muted, and dark,but he did his best based on my info. Donate. I couldnt wait to get out and perform with them. Was looking for alterntive to the Grover bridge that come on my Maple Bossom, so I contacted Virgil about his Frog Bridge. Likely it had a poor setup prior but the Archie certainly allowed the subtleties of this banjo to come right out. This bridge is amazing, totally transformed my Gold Tone OB250+ into a different banjo. She was a student of Amy Wallace, The Mustangs incredibly talented female lead singer and Director of Fine Arts at North Cobb Christian School. Timothy Michael Purcell, 46, was born in Callicoon, New York on April 23, 1963 and died in Tampa, Florida on July 8, 2009. Well worth the money. I am very happy with the hole experience. The 4th string slot does not swallow the string - something I particularly like since a swallowed D-string tends to impart a rather muddy quality to the note. The conventional maple/ebony bridge that I had on it (also a fine bridge, but more suited to a Mastertone-type banjo) sounds muddy. Like a lot of banjo players with access to the internet at work (uhhh), I've read a fair amount about how different bridges can affect tone. Not sure but I think the legacy was about 3/4 and seemed like it was up around the ceiling. In case you don't know Flint is the only city tougher than Detroit, and that's sayinga lot. I was having some intonation problems which I though could have been due to inept fingering or holding the banjar in a weird state, but at the end of the day the second was a bit flat and the third a bit sharp.After your curiosity is piqued at his website you learn enough to make a competent decision for yourself and you decide to order.Then you go through all the drill in testing the amount of compensation that you might need. I was a little apprehensive about trying a different bridge on myStellingCrusader because I was very happy with my roasted one. Two are 6/8 inches in height, one standard and the other Crowe spacing. I could go on and on about it, but I know you've got better things to do than read for the next 30 minutes.."All I can say is that the Sosebee "submerged wood bridge" has been great on my archtop for the past (almost 2 years), so I was almost bewildered as to why I wanted to try something different. Like most banjoists, I spend about as much time getting my banjo to sound better than playing it. An expert in CAD/CAM/CNC, he was a toolmaker for a firm that made tooling for a Boeing supplier. She leaves the bowl as food for the Babadook, which pushes the bowl into the shadows and devours the worms. Still, this is the only thing that keeps the bridge from getting a 10 rating. I've tried many different bridges, but this one has the best sound of all. In actuality Tim made me three bridges, but the first one was lost in shipment on its way here to Argentina. I PLAY this bridge better. records, Lawsuits, Liens, Bankruptcies & sex offender status for Samantha Purcell. Just purchased a 9/16 custom compensated ebony-topped mystery wood bridge with 46 mm (clawhammer) spacing from Bart Veerman and installed it on my 12" Enoch Tradesman (with Rickard Dobson-style tone ring). I was right. Overall I am pleased. Plenty O' Volume. Going to get another for my open back. I've tried Nechville, Sosebee, Katzeye and a couple unmarked Grover type, but none really grabbed me so I thought I give one of Steve's a try. Awhile back I asked Eric at Sullivan for a sample of a FF Roasted bridge when itwas completed. I ended up ordering a Wurlitzer organ wood bridge (double radius, compensated, Crowe spacing) and I'm very happy with the result. My banjo is even staying in tune better! Good articulation, note separation, does help with tuning, excellent on the treble, maybe less so on the bass end, good volume. I have the heavy weight model.I immediately noticed an improvement in volume and sustain. In both cases, good clear articulation, chiming bells at treble, good bass, very sensitive to attack, works well all over the neck. The Babadook is considered to be the embodiment of grief. I'd recommend this bridge as a viable member in the lineup of bridges that every picker should have. When I put on the capo, it doesn't go out of tune. Once the strings were stretched in and settle, it really brought the bass and treble out of the 13" pot. This bridge is going on a OmeDeluxe Jubilee, and right from Ome it sounded great. The test banjo was mahogany with gold plating, old wood rim. I was a bit worried that I asked for a bridge that was going to be too heavy but now I think I can say that 2.3 grams is about right for my open back.- one of the more obvious differences with the camo bridge is volume. I needed a bridge to take the resonance rattles (not buzzes) out of my vintage Vega Tubaphone with a Rogers hide head on it and the Zebra/Katalox bridge that David sent fit that bill perfectly. I recieved it this last week and finally had a chance to try it and thought I'd let ya know what I think. Filling out the slots in my dream band, I asked my friend Darwin to join us. I didn't have to put as much effort into slides, pull offs,and hammer on. Even though he does not advertise them on his website I sent him an e-mail asking him if he could do radiused bridges. Very high recommendation. Having inherited great taste in music from her dad (me), she, of course, loved it. You couldn't ask for a more reasonable policy: order and test, then pay. Until the day comes when I can welcome a high end mahogany to my collection, this bridge experiment seemed like a pretty good solution. It seemed smart, and I went along for the ride. I find it hard to describe sounds in words. First he swapped out the popular, well known bridge on my banjo with the Organ bridge. This is to get tonal memories implanted in my dulling brain! There are a lot of really good bridge makers and bridges out there today. But sometimes I forget to re-order them when I run out (as he well knows..lol). The bridge is an upgraded sound but I found the bridge lacking as far as being totally ready to go on the banjo. I've been trying out bridges on my Huber Lexington. I will order more of the same in the future. When I was looking for a banjo bridge I had a very specific set of requirements in mind. The wood used is quite beautiful looking and the use of different woods for the body and cap provide a nice contrast. Detective Purcell graduated from the 112th. He said he knew what I needed and I placed an order. I like this banjo in that it's response readily allows me to switch from standard Scruggs style Bluegrass playing to plectrum style playing: I've played that style since I was a kid. If you are needing a new bridge for your banjo, I recommend you email or call Mr Purcell in North Carolinayou wont regret it!http://www.purcell-banjo-bridges.com/. We have become fast friends since then. He graciously agreed. Its a joy to play,sounds great, it looks beautiful, and I received it quickly. Recently I have used David Cunningham's Zebrawood/Katalox brides and Zebra/Padauk. Each of the last two bridges Bart built for me have worked wonders on my Irish Banjos. I like that bridge very much. I noticed it most with my hammer-ons which were much more clear. Tim Purcell . After quite a lot debate I decided on a Kat Eyz design with frame of McCormick Spice with a pegged top of Rosewood, standard spacing with a 5/8 height. Location of This Business. My banjo had a harsh ring to the fifth string and a overall sound I couldn't get right. You can watch her mature as you watch their performances over the years. Great lows and highs. Service Technician at A&R Mechanical Contractors . I really like this bridge and am happy to say that David did a fantastic job on this one. Thanks, Bart! I liked the design feature of Greg's solid foot cherry bridge. I think you really don't know until you try a few. I installed this bridge on a 70s vintage StewMac "Eagle" kit with an integral cast aluminum pot and archtop tone ring. None of the half dozen other bridges I've tried on this banjo, even came close to the dramatic improvement. Contact. Same plus 4th string growl on KK250. But no. Brilliant! Based on this experience, I wouldn't hesitate to purchase from him again. There are no rough edges anywhere and the string slots are flawless. She then vomits a very gross red substance. You won't go wrong getting one of these new Snuffy Smith bridges. For 25 bucks you can't go wrong! Highly recommended, especially if you need some customization. It's a keeper. I did not expect a $30 item to make such a big difference in a finely-crafted, custom-made instrument. The craftsmanship is superb. It took a good banjo and made it a great banjo!!! An easy recommendation if you're looking to try a new bridge or two! Dark powersPossessionTelekinesisTeleportationShapeshiftingManipulation, Animal CrueltyStalkingPossessionAttempted Murder. 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