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Your 1'st choice TOM bridge replacement for your historic

fakejake

fakejake

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Sep 3, 2010
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1,290
Pigtails on my LP. I tried several (historic, ABM, Faber) but for this guitar the pigtails just works best.
Faber locking bridge on my 335, which seems to compensate a bit of the lost sustain due to the trapeze tailpiece.
 
El Gringo

El Gringo

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Apr 8, 2015
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maxwedge said:
Replaced the stock historic bridge on my 2009 R9 with a Pigtail and there was a huge difference but not as much of a change with my 74 custom that I put one on too, but that one is another tale. Acoustically the R9 went from a dull throaty sound, which was fine and sounded great through an amp, to a much louder, brighter, clear and ringing sound after I changed the bridge. I really couldn't believe it, it is almost as loud as my SGs acoustically and it's awesome with my Marshalls or through a tweed deluxe type amp! On the down side, the Pigtail ABR-1 is a bit pricey.
Click to expand...
At the end of the day it's all about how well it works for you and only you can decide that with your own ears . Good results for you .
 
S

Sol

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The ABM looks interesting and reminds me of a bridge that Gotoh make which use the same design but is cast like other ABR,s and uses aluminium saddles. It's currently on my '96 59 ri double cut Les Paul Special, quite a rare guitar that used aluminium saddles but we're such a poor fit I switched to the Gotoh. The aluminium I'm guessing is to give a sound closer to a wrapover.

I'm checking out Faber and Pigtail and will look up Tonepros and Cream tone.

The brass ABM is quite reasonable price wise, the Pigtail is pricey but close to the original examples, which I'm still leaning towards.
As an aside; Are thumb wheels historically brass like the posts ?
And is there any consensus on the role of bridge posts and thumb wheels regarding tone ?

There's German based eBay shop selling all manner of reproduction parts for Fender and Gibson's (the name escapes me) ABR-1,s amongst them, anyone know of them and their products ?

Thanks for the input guys, much appreciated
 
Texas Blues

Texas Blues

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4,641
Tone.


Bridges.

Posts.

Wheel rings.

PUP's.

Wiring harnesses.

Pots.

Tubes.

Amplifacadores.

One day it all comes together.

Because you've spent a metric shit ton of money to get it.

And then in that place where you play.

It sounds like the best sex you've ever had.

You're Capt. Ahab.

And you've captured the White Whale.

Moby Dick.

And the next day.

You wake up.

Got to your special room.

Plug in.

Crank up.


And it sounds like canned tuna.


It ain't about the bridge.
 
LeonC

LeonC

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Aug 30, 2002
Messages
805
My typical modus operandi is to not worry about stuff that isn't broken. If the bridge on the guitar isn't causing problems...I'd be inclined to not mess with it.

If it is producing some kind of problem...then it seems like the nature of the problem might dictate what you need to do about it. I think the biggest problem I've noted with original Gibson ABR1 bridges is that sometimes, after many years, they can develop a bit of sag; but it's hard to imagine that being a problem on a new RI. And my tech also tells me he's encountered numerous examples of the bridge not being placed perfectly...resulting in the guitar not being completely intonatable. Sometimes that can be "fixed" by using a bridge with a long throw for each saddle (e.g., there's a Gotoh ToM like this). Another issue some folks have is with the saddles falling out (after breaking a string or when changing Sometimes just putting a different ABR1 fixes that. Othertimes...maybe you'd prefer one with a wire? or one with lockwashers or something that holds the saddles in. Another problem might be the saddles not being properly cut...or having a jagged edge resulting in some string breaking somewhat frequently... I'm not sure any of these really require a new bridge...probably just some new saddles.
 
S

Sol

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775
TM1 said:
All my guitar that have a Tune-O-matic have the ABM bridge: https://abm-guitarpartsshop.com/ABM...0-RE/Bell-Brass/ABM-2500n-RE-Nickel::153.html
I use the Bell Brass bridge! It is a major improvement in every aspect; better sustain, better harmonics, even response..etc, etc.
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TM1,
There is no doubt that brass has musical properties ( we don't make bells from aluminium or steel for e.g. )
Given this I'm not surprised that the ABR-1 made by ABM sounds excellent on your guitars, the company has been making some of the best engineered bridges for yrs now.

Could you elaborate on your choice of ABM over more 'historicaly accurate' options offered by Faber ,Pigtail and others for e.g. , and do you perceive a trade-off between the two in terms of musical response ?

If you could touch on your influences as a player , the kind of amp tones that inspire you would really help inform and give context to your views.

Thanks for your time with this
 
marshall1987

marshall1987

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Jan 30, 2005
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3,278
Sol said:
TM1,
There is no doubt that brass has musical properties ( we don't make bells from aluminium or steel for e.g. )
Given this I'm not surprised that the ABR-1 made by ABM sounds excellent on your guitars, the company has been making some of the best engineered bridges for yrs now.

Could you elaborate on your choice of ABM over more 'historicaly accurate' options offered by Faber ,Pigtail and others for e.g. , and do you perceive a trade-off between the two in terms of musical response ?

If you could touch on your influences as a player , the kind of amp tones that inspire you would really help inform and give context to your views.

Thanks for your time with this
Click to expand...

Just for clarification.....:dang

Bells are not made of brass. They are made of bronze. Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc, in proportions which can be varied to achieve varying mechanical and electrical properties

Bells as used in church steeples and other demanding applications are made of "bell metal". It is a hard alloy used for making bells and related instruments, such as cymbals. It is a form of bronze with a higher tin content, usually in approximately a 4:1 ratio of copper to tin (typically, 78% copper, 22% tin by mass). The higher tin content increases the rigidity of the metal, and increases the resonance.
 
El Gringo

El Gringo

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Apr 8, 2015
Messages
5,666
Texas Blues said:
Tone.


Bridges.

Posts.

Wheel rings.

PUP's.

Wiring harnesses.

Pots.

Tubes.

Amplifacadores.

One day it all comes together.

Because you've spent a metric shit ton of money to get it.

And then in that place where you play.

It sounds like the best sex you've ever had.

You're Capt. Ahab.

And you've captured the White Whale.

Moby Dick.

And the next day.

You wake up.

Got to your special room.

Plug in.

Crank up.


And it sounds like canned tuna.


It ain't about the bridge.
Click to expand...

I think we think a like , because to me the best results I have gotten was when I changed out pickups ( yes Custombuckers ) (ThroBak MXV-SLE-101 Plus with A5 magnets ) and wiring harness (also ThroBak ) . The sound improved 1,000 %. Acoustically , I can't hear the instrument and no disrespect intended .
 
marshall1987

marshall1987

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3,278
tdarian said:
Anyone make an ABR-1 with bell metal?
Click to expand...

I was thinking the same thing...i.e., is there a parts vendor that uses bell-metal, or bell bronze, to fabricate bridges, saddles, and tailpieces? Given that this alloy is used to manufacture cymbals, bells, banjo resonator ring, etc., you would think there would be guitar parts made from bell bronze.

After all ancient human civilizations did go through the Bronze Age. Not sure I have heard of a similar "Brass Age" with regard to human civilizations. :dang
 
S

Sol

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Messages
775
I've been aware of the excellent ABM vibrato bridge designs , and have recommended them to customers on a number of builds, but until TM-1 mentioned their ABR-1 design I was unaware of them

Whilst I'm on the hunt for a high quality vintage ABR-1, for my R7 , I have a '92 standard with a Bigsby B 7 and the ABM Nashville with roller saddles looks really interesting.. Anyone come across this one ?

I've a few more to check out but the Faber and Pigtail are currently top of the list for the R7 , jump in with your personal findings.

Cheers !
 
Texas Blues

Texas Blues

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Bridges on guitars don't really matter.

I don't reckon it mattered to this guy.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1-Taae2zLfA" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>



We think we'll sound better.

And be better musicians.

Because of some sheeit we spent money on.

And fine guitar details.

Like the best strings.

Or guitar amp.

Negative.

Its always been about the playing.

I don't reckon Robert Johnson gave a damn about that stuff.
 
El Gringo

El Gringo

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Messages
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Texas Blues said:
Bridges on guitars don't really matter.

I don't reckon it mattered to this guy.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1-Taae2zLfA" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture"></iframe>



We think we'll sound better.

And be better musicians.

Because of some sheeit we spent money on.

And fine guitar details.

Like the best strings.

Or guitar amp.

Negative.

Its always been about the playing.

I don't reckon Robert Johnson gave a damn about that stuff.
Click to expand...

That's the real deal blues . It doesn't matter how fancy your instrument is or your rig . Tone is in the heart and soul and hands of the blues greats . Thanks for Posting !
 
fakejake

fakejake

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I agree, but that doesn't change the fact that it is super fun to experiment with different parts for your guitar. If you have the money and time to try out various pickups, bridges, tailpices etc, by all means do it!!
Worst case: You realize that it all comes down to your own playing, and you go back to the shed and practice more!
 
Texas Blues

Texas Blues

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Apr 13, 2008
Messages
4,641
fakejake said:
I agree, but that doesn't change the fact that it is super fun to experiment with different parts for your guitar. If you have the money and time to try out various pickups, bridges, tailpices etc, by all means do it!!
Worst case: You realize that it all comes down to your own playing, and you go back to the shed and practice more!
Click to expand...


I never practice.

I rehearse.
 
A

Arnold M.

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Messages
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Callaham states that their ABR-1 is a true 12" radius ... I installed one and notched the saddles to approx. just under half the string diameter. When I hold a Stewmac 12"Under-String Radius Gauge under the strings, the Callaham is the only bridge where all six strings made contact with the radius gauge without any tweaking. I found some other bridges I tried, I had to file some of the saddle tops down quite a bit to achieve a 12" string radius ... .. works for me
 
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