Gemini75 Posted May 22, 2013 Share Posted May 22, 2013 Dear Gibson, As an SG owner, I would like more than anything for you to make new, compatible "harmonica" style bridges again. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sgplayers Posted May 23, 2013 Share Posted May 23, 2013 is that the one with the already set and nonadjustable intonation? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjsinla Posted May 26, 2013 Share Posted May 26, 2013 No, they are the really wide, shaped like a harmonica, ones. I always thought they looked funny because I'm so used to seeing the thin bridges. I used to see those on used guitars in shops in the early 80's and wondered what the deal was with them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vexorgtr Posted May 28, 2013 Share Posted May 28, 2013 A picture is worth more than words....... so here's an SG with that type bridge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vexorgtr Posted May 28, 2013 Share Posted May 28, 2013 Also, although I believe it is aftermarket, there are some of these in production. http://www.guitarpartsresource.com/gbridge_harmonicagibson.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*sgstandard* Posted May 28, 2013 Share Posted May 28, 2013 Considering that Gibsons are not only fine instruments, but collector items as well, it's important to try to match the guitar with components from the correct era. There are advantages and disadvantages to this wider-style bridge. It allows more room to move the individual saddles for intonation. But if you like a steep-break string angle from the bridge to the tailpiece, the string may touch the back of the bridge. (NOTE: Historically, there was supposed to be a steep string-break, achieved by lowering the tailpiece, but this can cause problems, ESPECIALLY with '57 Classic pickups, for some reason.) My new 2013 SG Standard sounded like crap with the tailpiece set low (crappy sound, no sustain), and the strings were NOT touching the back of the tailpiece. Once I raised the tailpiece, so the break wasn't so steep, the problems went away. Incidentally, I read that on the internet by someone else who had the same pickups and same problem. If you use the recommended string gauges on your SG (.010-.046), the smaller Tun-O-Matic bridge should work fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gemini75 Posted June 1, 2013 Author Share Posted June 1, 2013 I'd previously owned a MIJ Ibanez with one of those bridges and really liked the feel of them. Really, really wish Gibson would make an updated version of them for its contemporary guitars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capmaster Posted June 3, 2013 Share Posted June 3, 2013 My ca. 1973 L6-S (the model later called Custom) and my 1978 SG Standard do have this bridge. It was described as "long travel tune-o-matic bridge" in the 1970s and offers an intonation adjustment range that virtually suits all strings available without ever reaching the upper or lower limit. There also is no need to revert bridges as with other tune-o-matics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
btoth76 Posted June 3, 2013 Share Posted June 3, 2013 These were made by Schaller for Gibson. "Wide-travel bridges" a.k.a "Harmonica". There are plenty of them on eBay: http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_trksid=p2047675.m570.l1313.TR0.TRC0&_nkw=Harmonica+bridge&_sacat=0&_from=R40 Cheers... Bence Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vexorgtr Posted June 4, 2013 Share Posted June 4, 2013 These were made by Schaller for Gibson. Schaller made lots of the stock bridges for Gibson... the '79 LP I have came stock with a Schaller. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AjaxLepinski Posted January 23, 2016 Share Posted January 23, 2016 An excellent suggestion deserves a bump. Harmonica bridges look awesome!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SG player Posted January 24, 2016 Share Posted January 24, 2016 No, thanks ! Norlin SG is flat, badly shaped , ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capmaster Posted January 25, 2016 Share Posted January 25, 2016 The harmonica bridges were the best Tune-O-Matics ever. They had enough travel to match any string's compensation at any string action. Moreover, the 1970's S-Gs (spelled with a hyphen then) had the deeper neck set I prefer. Here are my 1978 S-G Standard and my ca. 1973 L6-S, later called L6-S Custom. The S-G features the Super Humbucking tarback pickups, the L6-S the special-design tarbacks. The are perhaps the best humbuckers ever made. They have rather low DC resistances, thus little losses, a moderate inductance and a quite high magnetic flux. They generate hot levels, still have lots of treble, and their string pull is moderate nonetheless. Sadly the stock 100 kOhms tone pots of the S-G choked their fantastic tone. It took me some years to find out, and I switched to 500 kOhms then. The late Bill Lawrence truly was a genius. I guess the wrong pots weren't his idea. He knew very well what he did. Sadly Gibson is not alone with disdaining his legacy. Fender discontinued the SCN (Samarium Cobalt Noiseless) pickups about three years ago. In the late 1990's they have been Bill's latest big step forward in pickup design and in my opinion are the best Fender pickups ever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie brown Posted January 26, 2016 Share Posted January 26, 2016 Well, they were certainly "adjustable" over a wide range. BUT...to me, they're an eyesore! If a bridge is set correctly, in the first place, you don't need a very wide adjustment pattern, more than the current "Nashville"...IMHO. CB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L5Larry Posted January 27, 2016 Share Posted January 27, 2016 Well, they were certainly "adjustable" over a wide range. BUT...to me, they're an eyesore! I'm in this camp. Never liked the look of them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Col Mustard Posted January 27, 2016 Share Posted January 27, 2016 Some people revere '70s Gibson (and Fender) guitars, and others scorn them. As usual, the truth lies somewhere in between the two extremes. During those days, both of our favorite guitar companies had been taken over by soul-less corporations for the purpose of profit. Fender was owned by CBS, and Gibson was owned by a weird conglomerate named "Norlin." The Harmonica Bridge was a Gibson "innovation' which was invented to address one of the problems of those days: Light gauge strings. In the fifties, when the Tele and the Les Paul and the ES-335 and the Strat were invented, there were only a few brands of strings and only one gauge... heavy. So when you listen (if you listen) to music of those days, remember it was all done with like 13s. Some players made their own light gauge strings by using banjo strings on the two higher ones and then moving each string over one and throwing away the low E. *laughs That worked fine, actually, and some of the Sixties music was made with lighter gauge strings than fifties style. But the SG was equipped with either the tuna-matic or the wrap-over bridge from the (discontinued) Les Paul design, So players who wanted to use lighter gauge strings would run out of travel on a tuna-matic, and not be able to intonate them properly. Users of the wrapover bridge also had intonation issues with lighter strings. I don't think Fender guitars ever had this problem. Towards the end of the sixties, about the time of the Gibson take-over by Norlin, Earnie Ball began marketing strings aimed at players who wanted more choices. Other makers quickly followed suit, and by the start of the 70s guitarists were slapping on strings way different from what the guitars were designed for. And complaining bitterly to Gibson about lack of intonation. Presto! The Harmonica Bridge. This piece of gear did what the players wanted, intonated properly with lighter strings. But Gibson bashing then was like it is now, except no internet. So lots of guitarists have never forgotten their hatred for the "new and improved" SGs of the 70s. Norlin Gibson also made a number of other much more dubious (even pointless) innovations, and the SGs of the early 70s achieved a notoriety as the low point of Gibson's design slump. But let's remember that a lot of great music was made on them. Later 70s SGs have been recently rehabilitated in the public's fickle opinions and now are sometimes reverenced on internet sites... people now bash the new ones. *shrugs The 70s Gibsons are the nearest thing to a 'Vintage' guitar that most players will ever lay eyes on, or be able to afford. Pete Townshend even went to Kalamazoo in the early 70s, trying to get Gibson to make his SG specials the way they used to, but he got nowhere, and told them he wasn't ordering any new ones, and went around buying up all the old ones he could find. Many 70s Gibsons have been mercilessly butchered, because Mod Fever was sweeping the country, and people noticed that Eric Clapton had removed the covers from his pickups, so everyone had to copy that. Aftermarket pickups were coming into vogue, and people had to rip out their tar-backs and install the flavor of the week. People tore off the harmonica bridges because they didn't like the look, and then wondered why they had trouble with intonation. *laughs ...People had to install heavy Grover Rotomatics 'to get more sustain" and then wondered why their guitars were neck diving. But the real reason why Gibson doesn't re-issue the Harmonica bridge is because the studs are not in the same place, so they are NOT interchangable. Norlin guitars studs are drilled straight across, and Gibson's tuna-matic is offset slightly. Nobody wants to rock the boat IMHO, because that would be a can of worms. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cody78 Posted January 29, 2016 Share Posted January 29, 2016 Well, they were certainly "adjustable" over a wide range. BUT...to me, they're an eyesore! If a bridge is set correctly, in the first place, you don't need a very wide adjustment pattern, more than the current "Nashville"...IMHO. CB I also agree CB. They looked pretty awful Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capmaster Posted January 29, 2016 Share Posted January 29, 2016 I'm in this camp. Never liked the look of them. I also agree CB. They looked pretty awful The beauty is in the ear of the listener, and long before of the player. The "harmonica" bridges are simply perfect. ABR-1 and Nashville Tune-O-Matics are very compromised for string sets with a plain G3rd. <_< My experiences with my arsenal and the guitars owned by pals say that any Fender with six adjustable saddles works better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darling67 Posted February 8, 2016 Share Posted February 8, 2016 Well, they were certainly "adjustable" over a wide range. BUT...to me, they're an eyesore! CB I'm in this camp. Never liked the look of them. I agree with you guys. They're.... interesting-looking. But the thinner modern ones give a more sleek appearance. These "harmonica" bridges are a bit horsey, and overwhelm the face of the guitar. Like an additional humbucker set in a weird spot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old mark Posted February 20, 2016 Share Posted February 20, 2016 I have an old original Schaller "harmonica" bridge that I was selling on eBay, but I bought an old beater '71 SG Standard that has a replacement TOM, so I will use the Schaller on that someday. If you want a better and slightly wider - more adjustment - bridge than the Gibson TOM, buy a GOTOH. Solid, no loose parts, wider travel and IMO a bit more sustain...about $35. I have them on most of my Gibson and Epiphone guitars. They are a noticeable improvement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merciful-evans Posted February 23, 2016 Share Posted February 23, 2016 I had not noticed these 'harmonica' bridges before. I for one like their looks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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