Eric: I really like the Brekke bridge design. And am not surprised that it helped that Martin. Have only played one arched top Martin mandolin and was disappointed. Wondering now if a different bridge might have helped.
Dean: I have brekke bridges on both my mandolins. One an archtop, one a flat top. They work well, are easily adjustable and am very happy with them.
George: I grew dissatisfied with the stock bridge on my 1929 Martin Style 20 mandolin because of its lack of adjustability (it’s a one piece, two footed design) and I hope another bridge might mellow out the harsh high end tone of the mandolin. So I contacted Vern Brekke who said that he thought he could help me. So I sent measurements and a photo of the current set up. Vern then sent me a bridge he hoped would fulfill my needs. He didn’t ask for payment until I could execute a successful installation.
The arch on the Style 20 is more acute than most. The fitting of the Brekke took considerable time since the foot is full contact and it needed a lot of reshaping. But I finally got there. It barely had enough meat in the middle of the foot because of the bridge design.
I got the mandolin strung up and I like the results so far. It is easily adjustable with the supplied Allen wrench. The tone is woodier and more pleasant overall. It remains articulate and clear but is much better behaved overall. I had formerly judged the tone of my Eastman MD-904D superior overall to the Martin. Now I feel prefer the tone of the Martin.
Matt: I have two mandolins with the metal bar Traditional Brekke bridges. They are both rich, loud, fully responsive, lush. If they get louder, that might not be desirable...