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Faber ABRH ?

GastonG

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Jul 25, 2001
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Thinking of installing a Faber ABRH in my Les Paul ? but look at the pix posted on the Faber-Germany site : it doesn't look like a Faber, looks more like a Gibson ABR-1 style with unplated saddles ? What do you think ? On that pix, the screws are sitting on top of the bridge not like Faber's wich screws saddles are installed lower and of different shape ?
10499446_271058893098721_6445574046391205611_o.jpg

and in this second pix we see an "actual" Faber ABRH (looks very different to me)
 

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Bruce R

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I had one of these and could hear an improvement from my '06 Historic bridge.
 

kuwahara80

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Nov 11, 2005
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I canĖ‹t find the bridge from your first picture on their site.šŸ¤”
Only the one from your second picture, with a choice of 3 different saddle materials.
 

GastonG

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The gentleman I got contact with at Faber-Germany said to me that it is a Faber bridge and that there was no early issue of the Faber ABR-59 or no new ones different than that is offered on their site and on their Faber-USA site. He respond: view from different angle !
It's just that I do see differences here, but maybe I'm getting old... (and details freak...)

Here another shot taken from a Faber promo sheet showing another ? "unknown" Faber ABR-59
faber-abr-59_promosheet.jpg
This one looks like a "perfect" replica of an old Gibson ABR-1 bridge with "perfect" saddles (more vintage than what we have on our Historic LPs !
 
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Garincha

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Dec 25, 2005
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This one looks like a "perfect" replica of an old Gibson ABR-1 bridge with "perfect" saddles (more vintage than what we have on our Historic LPs !

If you are just after the saddles with their broader top, you good with any Faber bridge. The saddles are the same but the screws and the screw anchor in the body of the bridge is different (it is a stepped milled edge, that's the telltale). I have to agree with you, the bridge in your first picture is nowhere to be found on Fabers website. My Faber looks exactely like you second picture which is not totally vintage correct in the screw and milled edge departement ;)

I do have the correct saddles with mine though, which is the important part for the tone.
 

GastonG

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Garincha, you're darn right about the correct saddles; Johan Segeborn made an interesting video about this (50s saddles are bigger than Historic saddles
But the Faber saddles don't fit in our Historic bridge !
This got me searching for saddles like on the Faber bridge (bigger mass saddles do give a better tone)
I ordered a Faber ARBH, when I'll get it I'll report back !
bridgeComp_JohanSegeborn.jpg

 
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Nick-O

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Aug 12, 2015
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I can say from little experience, the wider the top of the saddle the better. Proper old bridges for the most part had lovely wide saddles. I would grab the one in the picture given the choice.

Just my .02Ā¢ though, I am sure there are wiser out there than I.
 

zombiwoof

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Feb 22, 2003
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Thinking of installing a Faber ABRH in my Les Paul ? but look at the pix posted on the Faber-Germany site : it doesn't look like a Faber, looks more like a Gibson ABR-1 style with unplated saddles ? What do you think ? On that pix, the screws are sitting on top of the bridge not like Faber's wich screws saddles are installed lower and of different shape ?
View attachment 12581

and in this second pix we see an "actual" Faber ABRH (looks very different to me)
That first pic looks like the Kluson "Made in USA" Locking ABR with the locking posts (the lockers are sitting to right of the right bridge). Does Faber even sell one with those post locking mechanisms?.
Al
 

Mr. Legit

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Sep 11, 2016
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Pigtail has a new website now, but their saddles are taller and pointier. I want to do a direct comparison with my vintage pieces, but DMC(When they were still around) and Montreux Time machine seems to make ones that are closer to 50's specifications. I want to try the Fabers because they seem to be slimmer, a lot of the newer Historic ABR1's are chunkier if you will. I apologize for going off tangent.
 
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Bruce R

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Mar 2, 2007
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... I can say from little experience, the wider the top of the saddle the better. Proper old bridges for the most part had lovely wide saddles. I would grab the one in the picture given the choice....
I agree! Todays ABR-1 saddles look so sharp in comparison. This is so visually obvious, I can't understand how it has been ignored. I had a Faber and loved it.

Johan's video pretty much says it all. Comparisons can only be accurate using identical testing conditions; Guitar, pickups, strings, amp, etc. Simply putting two "identical" guitars next to each other with different bridges may be well-intentioned, but too many variables are at play. Johan does his videos right.
 

TFLP

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Nov 23, 2008
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I bought a Faber bridge a few years ago because my CC#17A had a rattling Gibson bridge, tried new Kluson saddles, but the bridge had too much space for a couple of the saddles to sit tight. Just a bad bridge, I've seen this a few times on historics. The Faber bridge is very well made, but sounded very dull in the bass, lifeless, I lost all the tone I loved. Bought a new Gibson bridge, and it all came back. Just my experience.
 

SeƱor Verde

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I bought a Faber bridge a few years ago because my CC#17A had a rattling Gibson bridge, tried new Kluson saddles, but the bridge had too much space for a couple of the saddles to sit tight. Just a bad bridge, I've seen this a few times on historics. The Faber bridge is very well made, but sounded very dull in the bass, lifeless, I lost all the tone I loved. Bought a new Gibson bridge, and it all came back. Just my experience.

I had the same experience with the non-locking Faber. I'm usually not a fan of locking bridges or tailpieces, but the Faber locking bridge sounds very good on my ES-335s, where the non-locker dulled things up pretty bad.
 

GastonG

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Was there an earlier version of the Faber ABR-59 ? someone here ?
Faber-USA don't know anything about it ???
Faber-Germany says that there was no earlier version of the Faber ABR !!!
So what about this bridge on the Faber promo I got here ?
 

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GastonG

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This Faber looks very close to vintage spec.
View attachment 12663
No, that's a regular one (look between the 3rd and 4th saddles) it's not like the one I posted. You can see sort of a "T" between all saddles.
On the promo pix, it looks like a Gibson ABR-1 with the "correct" saddles and screws.
 
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Morgan24

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Nov 1, 2020
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No, that's a regular one (look between the 3rd and 4th saddles) it's not like the one I posted. You can see sort of a "T" between all saddles.
On the promo pix, it looks like a Gibson ABR-1 with the "correct" saddles and screws.
Look the same to me, just no nickel on the brass!!
 

GastonG

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Really ???? look at the edge on the screws side and the height of the screws; very different to me !!!!Faber_quest_11.jpg
 
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