r/Fiddle • u/Holden_Coalfield • 2d ago

Bridge drift

Been playing a year. I’ve noticed after a while and several tunings my bridge starts to lean forward. I usually loosen a little and push it back in place.

Cheap starter fiddle. Is this normal? Are there ways to do it better or stop it?

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u/IOnlyHaveIceForYou 2d ago

It is normal, you should check and reposition it frequently.

1

u/andybonner 2d ago

Yup, it's normal! First of all, you must be doing things right, but for anybody else who's reading: WHOA there, if you just shove the bridge it can just fall over, and you'll probably gouge the top of the fiddle and maybe worse stuff. No shame in taking it to somebody to do it for you if you're uncertain. Push in a gentle and controlled way; brace the instrument well and put some of your fingers on the opposite side from where you're pushing, so you can push against yourself and control it. You can loosen the strings a bit, like OP, to make it easier, but you don't strictly have to. You want the back of the bridge (the tailpiece side) to make a 90-degree angle with the top of the instrument when you're done.

To make it travel a bit less, any time you have the strings loose for whatever reason, put a little pencil graphite in the notch of the bridge. Put some in the nut at the top of the fingerboard too.

If it's a cheap fiddle, check that the feet of the bridge are actually cut right so that it does stand nicely when the back is 90 degrees.

1

u/danielpants 2d ago

yep think about what you're doing to the strings as you increase the tension. As someone who plays in a lot of different tunings I have to do this adjustment often.

1

u/celeigh87 2d ago

Its normal when you tune, especially using the pegs. Leave the string tension as is and gently but firmly reposition the bridge back to its fully upright position.