A new Swiss Made bridge manufactured by Duvoisin & Co,

New Swiss Made Bridge:

Manufacture and distribution of bridges for electric guitars and basses.
A new solution for an old problem in our new Duvoisin ® Bridge

Manufacture and distribution of pickups and onboard electronics for basses.
Specifications and modern choices for outstanding sonority (info ARC)

Newly developed:

A bridge for Duvoisin ® electric basses

patent pending

Duvoisin & Co, fabricant de bridges pour basses et guitares Swiss Made

The 6-string bass specially made
For Olivier Nussbaum fitted with the new bridge
And the Duvoisin pickup and pre-amp.

The Duvoisin ® Bridge in our black and gold finish.

Duvoisin ®, Swiss Made guitars and basses

Duvoisin & Co, Swiss Made Guitars and basses

Details of the new Duvoisin ® Bridge;

Please notice:

The photos here illustrating the technical details don’t indicate our definitive finish.
They show the form of the version of our bridge for basses. We are still working on the version for guitars.
You need our permission to copy these details, and all copies must mention your source.

The bridge, also called the chevalet in French, is a vital component of a bass or a guitar. Its purpose is to hold the ends of the strings, to transmit the sound of the strings to the whole instrument, to regulate the height of the strings relative to the neck of the guitar, to adjust the tuning length in such a way as to have a harmonic precisely halfway up the fingerboard. Our bridge has three main components: The diffuser D; The base-plate E, The saddle P (Fig. 1)

Fig. 1

Most bridges on the market are made from pressed or injection-moulded metal. We machine our base-plate E from solid, top quality steel. The saddle P is also machined and tempered to ensure it maintains the shape of its three grooves for the strings. This work increases the overall cost of the bridge, but the improvement in sound is very obvious and well worth the investment!

Most bridges are made with one single base-plate for all the strings; this means that the vibrations of one string are communicated to neighbouring strings through the base-plate itself. We aim to communicate the sound of each string, independently, to the heart of the wood, by having one individual piece per string, the diffuser D (Fig.2)

Duvoisin & Co, fabricant de bridges pour basses et guitares Swiss Made
Fig. 2

This diffuser is firmly sealed into the instrument, deeply anchored into it, almost through the whole thickness of the guitar or bass body; it protrudes only slightly (about 1 mm) from the top (Fig.3)

Duvoisin & Co, fabricant de bridges pour basses et guitares Swiss Made
Fig. 3

The fact that the bottom end of the diffuser rises above the top, means that the base-plate E doesn’t touch the top at all (Fig. 4). The sound is carried by the diffuser alone and not disturbed by the varnishes on the surface of the soundboard. These are usually very thick and acoustically insulating.

Duvoisin & Co, fabricant de bridges pour basses et guitares Swiss Made
Fig. 4

For those players who are particularly violent, we have put a small screw (V4), to inhibit any rotation of the base-plate on its axis (Fig. 5). Usually this little screw will not be needed.

Duvoisin & Co, fabricant de bridges pour basses et guitares Swiss Made
Fig. 5

Because the diffuser runs into almost the whole depth of the instrument, rigidity, a vital component in the transmission of sound, is kept at a maximum.
This greatly improves the sustain and reduce the sound-transfer between strings ("découplage" in French). Compared with normal bridges, sound transfer from a string to another is reduced by 50% and sustain increased by 30%.

To have an idea of the interference usually found on a G string, look at this graph.

The system thus succeeds in avoiding the transfer of sound across the surface and along the veins of the wood. This helps the longitudinal resonance, right through the heart of the instrument.

A spacing washer between the diffuser D and the base-plate E, alters the sound colour (Fig. 6). A steel washer imparts a more strident sound, for instance, than a brass one. A Teflon ® Delrin ® washer, or even a Prespan (cardboard) one, modifies the quality of sound transmitted by the string; the last three materials giving a rounder, more subdued effect. Changing the main metal fixing screw V3 for a nylon one brings about a greater change (too muffled in our view).
Our bridge in these ways allows the player to modify the sound-colour which he wishes to impart to each string on the instrument, something which an amplifier could not accomplish.

Duvoisin & Co, fabricant de bridges pour basses et guitares Swiss Made
Fig. 6

Now, the bridge is designed to allow for two different systems of holding the strings, and the system is capable of constant modification.

The two systems are:

1. The string is attached to the base-plate by a screw tightening onto the brass washer built usually into the string itself. (Fig. 7)

Duvoisin & Co, fabricant de bridges pour basses et guitares Swiss Made
Fig. 7

The advantage of this method is that that you can use the strings in the form in which you buy them, and at the same time have excellent transmission between string and bridge, without compromising rigidity. The awkward thing is that you need a screwdriver to change a string. This is an excellent method for studio musicians, or for those with plenty of time to change a string, or who have a guitar tech with them at concerts.

2. The loop at the end of the string, is placed over a V-shaped groove in the lower part of a screw mounted on the base-plate E (Fig. 9). The disadvantage of this method is that you need to remove the brass washer fitted to the string when you buy it. Cutting pliers will enable you to do this rapidly. (Video here)

Duvoisin & Co, fabricant de bridges pour basses et guitares Swiss Made
Fig. 9

Once you’ve prepared the strings, this method brings two important advantages: the speed in which you can change a string (without screwdriver), and the large area of sound exchange, without compromising rigidity. This linkage gives the best results!

Duvoisin & Co, fabricant de bridges pour basses et guitares Swiss Made

For the moment these bridges are exclusive to our own basses
and to those of the excellent French guitar-maker, Paul Lairat.

Duvoisin Guitars

Manufacturers of electric guitars and basses Swiss Made