Trade Secrets: Making a Baroque cello bridge

By Sarah Peck

Luthier based in Philadelphia, PA, US

There are many ways to cut a Baroque-style bridge, and in this article I will demonstrate how I cut and design one for a cello. This specific design is one I learnt while working for William Monical & Son in New York. Throughout the years I have found it works well for my clients who practise historical instrument performance (HIP). It creates the projection that a player would want while also letting the musician mould sound and create colours in the space around them.

In this article I present only one way of cutting a Baroque bridge, although there are many other styles and techniques that can produce a successful example. While cutting a Baroque bridge from scratch is more time-consuming than buying one that’s already been cut, there’s also a lot of freedom that comes with designing your own bridge. You can use the ideas and requirements you discuss with your client to form your own design, which might otherwise be hindered by a pre-cut bridge…