dobrodave - Posted - 12/20/2009:  09:10:56

Hi all,

Need a bit of help with my 1975 bell brass OMI squareneck. Does anyone out there know whether they were originally fitted with a spider or biscuit style bridge assembly.

It has a brass well inside it with a wooden rim that the cone sits on, but it just looks dodgy to me and the cone has been bent over all the way around the edge to make it fit in the hole. So guessing it has been miodified at some stage.

Any info would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers, Dave

Edited by - dobrodave on 12/20/2009 09:18:13

jaykellogg - Posted - 12/20/2009:  09:19:17

The biscuit bridge setup requires considerably less depth. This is an advantage for a roundneck, but not a squareneck. I would guess if it has a body depth similar to other spider bridge squarenecks, than it was a spiderbridge.

dobrodave - Posted - 12/20/2009:  09:24:25

Hi thanks for the info, I have just added a photo of the rim with the wooden 'spacer' Cheers, Dave

Edited by - dobrodave on 12/20/2009 11:56:58

dobrodave - Posted - 01/14/2010:  07:57:40

All done, it sounds absolutely superb now. The wooden rim that the cone sits on in the soundwell, has two screws along the centre attaching it to the centre block, which stand proud of the rim. The rim was in effect balancing on the two screw heads. I added a small amount of 3mm beech ply to it then refitted the whole thing. Its a solid as a rock and sounds better than ever. Got more bass and mids and is much louder. Excellent, so pleased with it.

Beard Guitars - Posted - 01/15/2010:  05:42:12

The 33 was available in either biscuit or spider configurations. Once constructed they were not easy to retrofit with the other system.

dobrodave - Posted - 01/15/2010:  06:00:36

Yes, I guess the internal construction of the soundwell of either would be very difficult (not impossible) to do as regards the cost of such an alteration quite apart from the metalwork and woodwork skills necessary to carry out such a task. A lot easier to find another one.

I would like to replace the cone at some stage although there is nothing wrong with this one, but we all know aluminium 'work hardens' and gets brittle with age. I'm guessing the one inside this D33 is the original so is now 35 years old. I haven't spotted any cones that are 10 1/4" diameter. Do you know of any?