Headless bridge

Wizard

Was surfing around and re-encountered headless guitars.
Seems like a fun thing to try and build sometime.
However.
The tuning bridge things cost a lot.

So ...
a) What are the practical, affordable headless bridges, if they exist?
b) What are the ingenious practical ways that one could make a headless bridge?

AlanRatcliffe

The Mueller bridges (branded ABM) are the beginning and end of specifically headless bridges. Either a three-piece unit (headpiece, tailpiece and bridge), or a 7-piece (headpiece and six individual saddles/bridge pieces). All machined from (mostly) steel by German engineers. What more do you need?
www.abm-mueller.com/headless_units.html

b) What are the ingenious practical ways that one could make a headless bridge?

Be an engineer. ? Look at the ABMs or the original Steinbergers - it's not a complex design, but they are precision made fromm good materials.

If you haven't already found it, Building the ergonomic guitar is a priceless resource:
http://buildingtheergonomicguitar.com/2006/09/headless-guitar-resources-for-guitar.html

Gearhead

Steinberger tuners would be a good start. The bridge itself is not the big thing, any TOM will do. On the head side, you can just feed through the head with ferrules both ends (lighter than those steel retainer jobbies). Your difficulty is also not the retaining behind the bridge, if the tuners necessitate it you just put a stop tailpiece and feed right through. The part where it becomes interesting is in making space for all those tuners. The gearless ones can be put quite closely together (that's what they were designed for).

Compare the Bich 10

Wizard

Even if I never end up trying it, I've learned a lot.
Including Steinberger tuners.
And that's the point, isn't it?