A BRIDGE too far.

jimmydasaint

WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE BRIDGE?

VOTE HERE!!

I'm building a duo-sonic/mustang based project guitar and I want to talk to you people about your favourite Fender bridges.

My main decision is between a six-saddle hardtail Fender bridge or a Gibson style Tune-o-matic and stop tail... Though feel free to bring any other suggestions to the table. BUT, here's the clincher: I want you to tell me WHY you prefer it over other bridge set-ups, no arbitary call-and-response votes here, please. 😉

I have an SG and am familiar with the TOM bridge, but haven't played it over a long enough period to really know its little pecidillos. Same with a Fender six-saddle bridge: my Duo-sonic II has a three-saddle, I hate my strat copy's vibrato tailpiece (I don't want a vibrato tailpiece - just a hardtail set-up), and my telecaster bridge is a vintage style six-saddle bridge (though the grub screws always come loose and fall-out.) How about the modern shiny strat-style bridges? Do they have loose grubs??

Now, some peeps say that the TOM is more precicely controllable, but the six saddle seems to have up and down movement on each string, as well as fore and aft. Some say that TOMs break strings when they wear in and get sharp, but other claim that the opposite is true and that this is a fender six-saddle issue. What do you think?

Give me the low-down.

Thanks.

Fran

My fave is the wrapover found on Les Paul Juniors. The less obstacles between the strings and body results in better sustain and resonance, this is why top companies like PRS and Patrick Eggle use the wrapover on a lot of models.

jacksonjackass

I like the roller tune-o-matic with a string thru-body. Tried a jackson MG with that setup today and the tone was excellent. (The reason I tried it is because I'm using the neck off one 😉 )

Good tonez

harrison

i find the TOM to be my preferred, even on my mustang where the radius doesn't match. also have one on my dot, both keep the strings in place and i've never jumped the saddles. easily adjusted with no allen wrenches or any space age technology.

ModNuB

For the duo sonic I like the fender tornado or squier musicmaster bridge. Both have the same look as the duo's bridge but are string thru body so you get a better tone & more sustain.

I personally LOVE the TOM for the Mustang too just not on a Duo cause to me they look awkward.

foxyloxy

Gibraltar III bridge

jimmydasaint

Hi giuys,

I too was very pro-TOM for this project at first - I think if it looks good on a Mustang then it'll look good on a Duo. I'll just replace the trem with a stop tail OR string-through body. Anyone done a succesdful string through conversion. Easy? Hard?

Two things that put me off the TOM are:

- High bridge creates a string angle over the body, and surely affect the action negatively? I like the strings nice and low over the body as I have a ragged style.

- Less adjustable than a six saddle (though easier to adjust)

- sharp saddle can break strings.

Please tell me why I am wrong. I'm fond of the TOM and I'd like a reason to fit one over a six-saddle if I believe they are more functional.

Thanks

jimmydasaint

mcconnachiea said: I like the roller tune-o-matic with a string thru-body. Tried a jackson MG with that setup today and the tone was excellent. (The reason I tried it is because I'm using the neck off one 😉 )
Good tonez

Thanks, I'll look into this set-up.

jimmydasaint

Can anyone tell me more about FoxyLoxy's Gibraltar III bridge looks interesting, plus that string-though plate looks like a nice template and would perhaps mirror the styling of the big plate on the mustang trem.

jimmydasaint

Fran said: My fave is the wrapover found on Les Paul Juniors. The less obstacles between the strings and body results in better sustain and resonance, this is why top companies like PRS and Patrick Eggle use the wrapover on a lot of models.

Hey Fran,

My best mate has one of these on his Les Paul Junior. It used to be his workhorse gigging guitar and clearly his favourite... Now he uses his Dot all the time because he tells me that the bridge doesnt really have any grooves for the strings to sit in and merely carves its own - which become sharp and break strings - then there's nothing to do but carve new string guides. He hates it now and has completely dropped the uitar from shows untill he can find a replacement tailpiece as his id knackered and covered in string-made random guiding grooves.

Is he wrong? Has he not looked after it properly? What are we missing?

Thanks. (sorry to go on, I want this guitar to be PERFECT (for me, anyway).

foxyloxy

jimmydasaint said: Can anyone tell me more about FoxyLoxy's Gibraltar III bridge looks interesting, plus that string-though plate looks like a nice template and would perhaps mirror the styling of the big plate on the mustang trem.
Ta

all i know about them is that its made by ibanez, so you could probs hunt one down through them.

jacksonjackass

jimmydasaint said: Can anyone tell me more about FoxyLoxy's Gibraltar III bridge looks interesting, plus that string-though plate looks like a nice template and would perhaps mirror the styling of the big plate on the mustang trem.
Ta

THIS

Ebay is your best bet.

Loads of guitar breakers there

jimmydasaint

SO many bridges! So little decisiveness.

I really like the aesthetics of the string-though type set-up and would enjoy the increases sustain, BUT, I hear that they make string tension high and bending strings more difficult. I want this guitar to play like melting butter and sustain is lower on my list of priorities as I'm an aggressive experimental guitarist and i've never had a problem with the amount of sus I get on regular toploaders.

Are strung-though guitars less playable?

Are 6-saddles more adjustable than TOM?

does the Gibraltar bridge outperform the TOM?

What is the advantage of having the bridge and stoptail as two separate pieces?

What difference does behind the bridge string tension make?

For the answers to these pressing questions and more, dear readers, read on...

jimmydasaint

Anybody? Anybody at all?

Robbmonster

Bump.

I have no opinion.

I rarely use the vibrato these days, and I don't need infinite sustain. What I need is something that stays in tune and offers me a low action. All of my guitars seem to offer enough of these things to make me happy enough.

My best advice is to make sure the build quality is good.

I know on my telecaster a couple of the height screws are loose or too small or too worn out or something, causing a rattle when I play the open B or G strings. I would love to replace it, but I knew I would run into the same problems that you are talking about on the other thread.

jimmydasaint

I need exactly the same from my bridge. Stability and intonation. I guess I have about as much of an idea as everyone else on here.

I guess what I am sayng is: "When people do hardtail conversions, why do they so often pick a tunomatic and tailpiece mod rather tan a hardtail fender-style six saddle? The latter is by far the easier and seems the better option. So `Why?'"

jacksonjackass

Strat hardtail don't sound as good according to most people and they are a bitch to set up.

The gibson assembly also looks pretty nice and it generally sounds better, has more sustain and is easier to string up.

Cody_Zairah

honestly, i like the mustang bridge. its smooth on the palm and i have always found it more comfy than say a strat bridge with all those screws hanging about. its all personal preferance though. try lots of different guitars at a shop to get a feel for what you do and don't like.

jacksonjackass

Thats what I find.

Gilmourish tried my guitar today and hated the bridge, but I love it. I guess with toms. you can really feel the strings so that makes it slightly better for palm muting.

But doesn't that make floyds shockingly bad for palm muting?

😕😕😕

grailking

I tried a tunomatic on the mustang off my yamaha today and found even with the TOM all the way down the action was still too high. Is there different kinds of TOM's which suit the mustangs better? Im getting to much fret noise on the low E with the stock bridge.