December 18, 2019
December 18, 2019
Ebay is doing 10% bucks, and some knowledgeable people have said that this is not a complete piece of junk like the 'Overlord', so I ordered one. Merry Christmas for me.
Under $60 for the whole kit, about the same as you'd pay for a decent bridge and tuners. Not sure what I will do with it. A headless Longhorn might be neat.
Yes, there are people out there who actually think my opinion is worth something. In fact, Home Depot has given me tens of thousands of dollars of merchandise to review. ( Thanks, Home Depot. Really love the kayak !!! And of course, the cutting board. ) Lately, I've started receiving items from Amazon sellers as well.
More: Reviews ...
Well, I ordered up one of these headless bridges for about $60 shipped, and after three weeks, here it is:
As you can see, I disassembled one of the gear mechanisms. The one-piece gear and spool appear to be solid brass, held in the bracket with a c-clip. The gears actually work surprisingly well, smooth, with just a little slop that would disappear under string tension. Everything is also lubricated, which I did not expect from China. I am surprised, the quality of materials and design of this unit is much better than I expected. You can see how the knobs pull out on the shafts for easier adjustment.
More: Headless Bridge, Part 2 ...
This is the headless bridge I got a while ago that proved to be cosmetically damaged. You can even see the damage in this picture. I filled in the dings with black CA, but I had no expectation of ever hiding it, so this bridge got thrown in the junk box after I got a refund, they didn't want it back.
More: Headless Brainstorm ...
Bending steel is not that difficult. You can make a pretty tight bend up to 90 degrees in up to 1/8″ material simply by clamping it in a vise and hammering it over. To go beyond 90 degrees, say 180 degrees for a truss rod, first bend it to 90 degrees, then heat the elbow and finish the bend. Heat the bend point until it glows orange. For smaller (guitar-sized) materials, a common hand-held propane torch should be adequate. After bending, quench the part quick in water, like a blacksmith in a western movie. You can hold a small part under the faucet. That will restore the strength of the material.
More: Working Metals ...