Kat Eyz Banjo Bridges

The Kat Eyzbanjo bridge design was developed in 1995 thru a slow process of trial and refinements. The unique design and high quality woods will help produce a clear and vibrant tone for your banjo. 


The Prowler bridge design was introduced in 2003 for folks who like a more traditional look. The tonal properties of this bridge are also clear and vibrant.  

Kat Eyz Banjo Bridge Woods

Only the best quality hardwoods are used in Kat Eyz banjo bridges. The following choices are available:

Frame Wood

McCormick Spice Factory Maple

Kat Eyz Banjo Bridges is always looking for the best possible wood available to make bridges ...a bridge can only be as good as the wood it’s made from. After several searches for quality hard maple we made a connection and got access to the McCormick Spice Factory hard maple reclaimed flooring. The factory was built in 1904 immediately after the great Baltimore fire of 1904. The old factory was demolished several years ago. 


The maple is basically old growth, harvested right about 1900. The growth ring lines indicate very slow growth with some wood having slightly more open growth ring lines – I assume some of the trees were in better fertility in more open areas and gathered more sunlight which prompted a slightly faster growth rate. The density of this wood is near perfect for making bridges. I'm excited to offer this maple for your banjo bridge! The wood has beautiful looks and has all the right ingredients to make your banjo come full circle and show all its tonal potential. 

image24

Old Submerged-timber Maple

Hard rock maple recovered from the bottom of the Great Lakes and surrounding rivers. This wood is often 300 or more years old, and is a favorite of luthiers worldwide for applications involving transmission of string vibrations. The acoustic properties of this wood are excellent, and I feel it is an extremely consistent wood for banjo bridges. Harvest of this old growth wood started in the early 1800s. If you do the math, it is very possible that some of these trees were living when Christopher Columbus landed on American shores in 1492! I think that's a great piece of history. 

Select Maple

This is top quality luthier-grade hard rock maple (not old growth), personally selected by Mike Smith for Kat Eyz banjo bridges. 

Top Wood

You can choose from any of these select hardwoods for the top of your Kat Eyz, Prowler, or Four String bridge: 

  • Ebony
  • African Blackwood
  • Purple Heart
  • Rosewood
  • Snakewood

image25