“We spent over a year fine-tuning this bridge, expanding our design work to new heights”: Mastery's innovative new archtop bridge could completely change the game for Bigsby players

High-end guitar hardware specialist Mastery has announced a “superior archtop” bridge that is said to work superbly alongside a Bigsby B3.  

From rockabilly and '60s psychedelic blues to modern-day indie rock, Bigsby bridges are loved across many styles of guitar playing. 

However, while players have come to love their unique function, Bigsbys often come armed with a host of tuning problems. That's where bridge upgrades can play a key part. 

As such, the M10.2 bridge features all-new machined – rather than cast – aircraft-grade aluminum with bright nickel plating. Made from FSC-certified Richlite, the baseplate features custom-machined, stainless-steel timbales to hold its patented adjustable mounting post system.

It builds off the firm’s innovative saddle system that was first introduced in 2007, which benefits from fully-adjustable chrome-plated saddles. Each bridge also comes with a custom-made Mastery valve spring designed specifically for the Bigsby vibrato. 

The bridge is constructed with high-carbon steel and pre-set for optimal performance, and arrives with double-sided tape for players who want to secure the baseplate to the top of the guitar. 

“After years of success with our original M1 Offset Bridge, designing an archtop bridge that functions well with a Bigsby B3 seemed like a natural progression for us,” says Mastery founder, John Woodland. 

“We spent over a year fine-tuning this bridge and producing multiple fixtures for it in our machine shop. It has allowed us to expand our design work to new heights across the board."  

A gold-plated version of the bridge will be “available soon,” with a flat-bottom baseplate variant slated for release later this year. 

The bright nickel unit is available now for $250 plus shipping, with the glitzy gold bridge set to rise to $280. 

Head to Mastery for more information.