Standard Strats or Teles probably aren’t our best stop then, although a Les Paul – or any guitar with a tune-o-matic and stud tailpiece – might work as you can raise the height of the stud tailpiece to reduce the pressure over what would be your rubber-no-matic replacement.Ī guitar with a Jazzmaster-style vibrato would work, too (probably not the vibrato bit), but the often lower string angle would suit our vague plan. Geometry plays an important part in how any guitar sounds and, with counter-intuitive thinking in mind, we’re probably looking for less back angle behind the bridge to whatever the anchor point is. I order a block that’s 100mm square and 20mm deep from Amazon (pic 1).Īfter laying out the string spacing, the string grooves can be marked with a pencil. This is used to absorb the shock when striking metals and also minimises noise and vibration, so it is presumably a harder type of rubber. There’s probably a good marketing angle here: get a car-obsessed rockstar to endorse a range of rubber bridges hewn from the tyres of a ’68 Chevy, for example…īack down to earth, one seemingly popular choice is a jeweller’s bench mat.

Well, you can buy rubber erasers in numerous different sizes and, although the composition might vary, it’s potentially quite well suited while it’s firm with little compression, it’s easy to shape with a sharp Stanley knife. So would an everyday rubber eraser work for an electric guitar bridge? The material itself has quite a backstory, but it’s important to note that we’re talking synthetic rubber here, not the natural latex that comes from the rubber tree (Hevea brasiliensis), found mainly in South America, that has been used for centuries. (Image credit: Future / Dave Burrluck) Rubber Choice Once cut, the rubber is easy to smooth with some coarse abrasive paper.

Wood Block - Music Box instal