Mr. C.O. Jones Posted September 5, 2014 Share Posted September 5, 2014 A few days ago i wanted to set my action a little lower on my LPJ 2013, when i finished i went to intonate my bridge. Everything was fine until i started to adjust the g-string saddle, suddenly the screw stoped turning. I tried to turn it back and then the screw head fell of. There was no tension on the string i always de-tune when i touch the saddles. I turned the screw not like an animal, just little pressure but i have never seen a screw's head break that way. And well i think now that i have screwed my bridge i may buy new one. I heard that for example the ABR-1 is better than the Nashville bridge ( i think my guitar has a Nashville bridge not sure about). I'd like to lower the tailpiece and i read that ABR-1 style bridges are better for this purpose. Well i have to say i'm not an expert and if there is an option to buy a bridge with pre filed saddles i would prefer it. I think all original Gibson bridges have no filings at the saddles. Ok what i need to know before i order a new one is: - different brands and models that would fit perfectly on my posts - pros and cons about other bridges - and if they affect my guitars sound in any way, materials/designs (saw some roller bridges but with them i loose sustain thats not an option) Thanks and greetings! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pesh Posted September 5, 2014 Share Posted September 5, 2014 A few days ago i wanted to set my action a little lower on my LPJ 2013, when i finished i went to intonate my bridge. Everything was fine until i started to adjust the g-string saddle, suddenly the screw stoped turning. I tried to turn it back and then the screw head fell of. There was no tension on the string i always de-tune when i touch the saddles. I turned the screw not like an animal, just little pressure but i have never seen a screw's head break that way. And well i think now that i have screwed my bridge i may buy new one. I heard that for example the ABR-1 is better than the Nashville bridge ( i think my guitar has a Nashville bridge not sure about). I'd like to lower the tailpiece and i read that ABR-1 style bridges are better for this purpose. Well i have to say i'm not an expert and if there is an option to buy a bridge with pre filed saddles i would prefer it. I think all original Gibson bridges have no filings at the saddles. Ok what i need to know before i order a new one is: - different brands and models that would fit perfectly on my posts - pros and cons about other bridges - and if they affect my guitars sound in any way, materials/designs (saw some roller bridges but with them i loose sustain thats not an option) Thanks and greetings! Hello, Todeshauch! Sorry to hear about your bridge troubles. You're probably going to find a few different responses to a question like this, but I'll throw my pitch, first. One thing I'll point out is that there are differences beyond the look, between a Nashville Tune-o-Matic and a vintage ABR-1 Tune-o-Matic. The ABR-1 is normally mounted directly into the wood; there are no bushings here! The ABR-1 and Nashville have rather different dimensions; one of which is the distance between mounting posts. An ABR-1 is narrower and not as long as a Nashville, so it wouldn't sit on the posts already in your LPJ guitar. I've known and heard of people who have filled the original bushings, and drilled for an ABR-1 bridge, but this requires skilled woodworking skills, and holds the risk things could go wrong. If you're looking for a replacement Nashville bridge; I'd go with TonePros. Their stuff is locking, so there are thread screws on the bridges and tail pieces. So even when there are no strings; the bridge and tail piece won't fall off and ruin the finish on the guitar. You can get a set (shown here) which includes the locking bridge (with pre-notched saddles) and the locking tail piece, which will fit your LPJ without any messy modifications. The T3BP is the bridge that would best suit your needs. I've got a set of these on the way myself, for my 2014 Studio; along with a set of GraphTech String Saver Saddles. These are very slippery and help keep tuning stable. Roller bridges are good for the same reasons, but are possibly a bit more suited for tremolo-equipped models. They're certainly worth a consideration if you're going to put a Bigsby on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdgm Posted September 5, 2014 Share Posted September 5, 2014 Hello! TM's advice is spot-on and quite right! If you are in Europe though there are many different sites selling replacements both cheap and expensive. From what you say - is the shaft of the screw stuck in the bridge hole? Can you get it out? Either way you might try taking only the bridge, not the whole guitar, to a local guitar shop as they might even have a spare screw. If not it would be a good idea to measure as exactly as possible the distance between the string posts and the maximum height of the bridge. That's the 1st thing. I have a guitar with a wooden bridge and a Bigsby; I wanted a roller bridge so measured the post spacing and bought a cheap roller bridge from Amazon which is incredibly good for the money, really well made but I still couldn't get the action low enough; this was more due to the way the guitar is. There are a lot of choices but I would get one with pre-cut slots unless you are handy with the right type of file and (again) have measured the string spacings on the old bridge as accurately as possible. And I was also looking at Tonepros site recently.....! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidblast Posted September 8, 2014 Share Posted September 8, 2014 jeeze even with detuning (which I agree is the right way to do this)? woa, that sucks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. C.O. Jones Posted September 9, 2014 Author Share Posted September 9, 2014 First i´d like to thank you guys for the replies. It helped a lot. And i researched a bit and finaly found a shop in spain that has tonepros. Now i only have to get sure the ones i´ve seen fit on my guitar, will call them later and ask. Well looks like there are some positive things about that little issue i have. First the covers on my pickups are nickel plated and now i can order a set that maches them. And second, i read everywhere that the tonepros bridge should make my guitar sound better. And if the whole stock bridge is as crapy as the screws then i prefere not to have it on my guitar. I noticed yesteday that suddenly my guitar makes a little hum when i don´t touch the strings i don´t know but maybe the groundwire broke at the bridge stud, but its strange i only lowered it can this cause this type of issue? Well i think i will see when i change the bridge. Thanks again and greetings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pesh Posted September 18, 2014 Share Posted September 18, 2014 First i´d like to thank you guys for the replies. It helped a lot. And i researched a bit and finaly found a shop in spain that has tonepros. Now i only have to get sure the ones i´ve seen fit on my guitar, will call them later and ask. Well looks like there are some positive things about that little issue i have. First the covers on my pickups are nickel plated and now i can order a set that maches them. And second, i read everywhere that the tonepros bridge should make my guitar sound better. And if the whole stock bridge is as crapy as the screws then i prefere not to have it on my guitar. I noticed yesteday that suddenly my guitar makes a little hum when i don´t touch the strings i don´t know but maybe the groundwire broke at the bridge stud, but its strange i only lowered it can this cause this type of issue? Well i think i will see when i change the bridge. Thanks again and greetings. Any updates? Did you manage to get anything ordered? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. C.O. Jones Posted September 22, 2014 Author Share Posted September 22, 2014 Any updates? Did you manage to get anything ordered? Yes, i already ordered me a Tonepros bridge and tailpiece set. But it was not easy, i asked first at Thomann and i am still waiting for response. Found then a authorized Tonepros dealer here in spain, but they answered not to my question if the set i saw on their page was the right for me. I am realy surprised, looks like they don´t want my money. I mailed to Tonepros, and finaly they told me what set is the right one for me. Should arrive tomorrow. I hope it works. And i am wondering if i will hear a big difference. Thanks for asking and greetings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capmaster Posted September 22, 2014 Share Posted September 22, 2014 ... But it was not easy, i asked first at Thomann and i am still waiting for response. ... What do you mean saying "asked"? They have them in stock: http://www.thomann.de/de/tonepros_lpcm04_c_tuneomatic_set_chrome.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. C.O. Jones Posted September 22, 2014 Author Share Posted September 22, 2014 What do you mean saying "asked"? They have them in stock: http://www.thomann.d..._set_chrome.htm Well i asked them what set would fit perfectly on my guitar, and i saw the set, i thought it would fit but at this moment it was only available in chrome, i wanted a nickel plated one and i was not 100% sure if it woul fit. It was strange because i think Thomann has one of the best customer care services here in europe. Did not notice that you are from germany, danke für den Tip und liebe grüsse aus Spanien. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capmaster Posted September 22, 2014 Share Posted September 22, 2014 Well i asked them what set would fit perfectly on my guitar, and i saw the set, i thought it would fit but at this moment it was only available in chrome, i wanted a nickel plated one and i was not 100% sure if it woul fit. It was strange because i think Thomann has one of the best customer care services here in europe. Did not notice that you are from germany, danke für den Tip und liebe grüsse aus Spanien. Wegen Ihres deutsch klingenden Forum-Spitznamens habe ich vorher einfach die deutsche Artikelseite von Thomann verknüpft. Im Folgenden habe ich die spanische genommen. Rechts oben lassen sich auf allen Thomann-Seiten verschiedene Sprachen auswählen. Due to your German-sounding forum nickname I just linked the German Thomann article page before. In the following I chose the Spanish one. Top right on all of the Thomann pages you may select different languages. They sell them nickel-plated, too: http://www.thomann.de/es/tonepros_lpnm02_n_tuneomatic_set.htm I will be at Thomann's Service Center on Wednesday for fetching some repaired guitars and bring another one there for installing a new nut. I think I will have to have a serious word with them. They know me well and always listen to me. Can't tell anybody anything in Spanish though, but I hope this won't be a problem. ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. C.O. Jones Posted September 23, 2014 Author Share Posted September 23, 2014 Wegen Ihres deutsch klingenden Forum-Spitznamens habe ich vorher einfach die deutsche Artikelseite von Thomann verknüpft. Im Folgenden habe ich die spanische genommen. Rechts oben lassen sich auf allen Thomann-Seiten verschiedene Sprachen auswählen. Due to your German-sounding forum nickname I just linked the German Thomann article page before. In the following I chose the Spanish one. Top right on all of the Thomann pages you may select different languages. They sell them nickel-plated, too: http://www.thomann.d...eomatic_set.htm I will be at Thomann's Service Center on Wednesday for fetching some repaired guitars and bring another one there for installing a new nut. I think I will have to have a serious word with them. They know me well and always listen to me. Can't tell anybody anything in Spanish though, but I hope this won't be a problem. ;) Is schon gut mit der deutschen Artikelseite, ich schau mir bei Thomann immer alles auf deutsch an, wegen der Kundenbewertungen. Habe ihnen auch auf deutsch geschrieben, ich habe den Verdacht das mein Mail vieleicht im digitalen Meer untergegangen ist. Habe mal bei denen wegen Quick Connect Pickups nachgefragt als sie die nicht auf Lager hatten, zwei Tage später waren die ersten QC Pickups schon erhältlich. Ist ja jetzt auch halb so schlimm das Teil sollte heute ja ankommen. Ach und das Set vom Link den du mir schickst ist das metrische passt auf zb. Epiphone aber nicht auf US-Modele. Don´t be to rough with the Thomann guys when you go there, everyone can make a mistake, and i will keep buying Stuff from them, their service is one of the best. Liebe grüsse and thanks again. Nice to talk some Germglish with you, prost! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capmaster Posted September 23, 2014 Share Posted September 23, 2014 ... Nice to talk some Germglish with you, prost! Thank you, you're welcome, have lots of fun here, too. As for the link: Sorry, my fault, shoulf have looked closer at the parts. However, here's the reason repeatedly misleading me: Gibson started using metric sizes in 1958, except for period-correct part remakes like e. g. ABR bridges and historic tailpieces. Epiphone uses imperial sizes. This applies to all of my Gibsons with just one imperial among them, and my single Epiphone as well. All of my measurements proved this fact. Tja, darüber habe ich auch schon einige Male mit Thomann-Leuten geredet, aber das Gerücht von der "zölligen" Nashville-Tune-O-Matic hält sich hartnäckig, zumindest unter Leuten, die das noch nie nachgemessen haben. Nun ja, die meisten Länder der Welt sind seit Ende des 19. Jahrhunderts Mitglieder der Meter-Konvention, aber so ist das mit Theorie und Praxis - man betrachte etwa die Navigation zu Wasser und in der Luft. Due to erratingly using non-SI units, the NASA crashed a satellite on Mars: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars_Climate_Orbiter http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars_Climate_Orbiter Here's the report about the Gimli Glider incident, happened for the same reason under adverse circumstances: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gimli_Glider http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air-Canada-Flug_143 A fatal unit system error made a cargo flight crash causing eight fatalities and 42 injured persons: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_Air_Cargo_Flight_6316 http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean-Air-Cargo-Flug_6316 Fortunately, non-fitting replacement parts for guitars can be exchanged for matching ones without hurting anyone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. C.O. Jones Posted September 23, 2014 Author Share Posted September 23, 2014 Thank you, you're welcome, have lots of fun here, too. As for the link: Sorry, my fault, shoulf have looked closer at the parts. However, here's the reason repeatedly misleading me: Gibson started using metric sizes in 1958, except for period-correct part remakes like e. g. ABR bridges and historic tailpieces. Epiphone uses imperial sizes. This applies to all of my Gibsons with just one imperial among them, and my single Epiphone as well. All of my measurements proved this fact. Tja, darüber habe ich auch schon einige Male mit Thomann-Leuten geredet, aber das Gerücht von der "zölligen" Nashville-Tune-O-Matic hält sich hartnäckig, zumindest unter Leuten, die das noch nie nachgemessen haben. Nun ja, die meisten Länder der Welt sind seit Ende des 19. Jahrhunderts Mitglieder der Meter-Konvention, aber so ist das mit Theorie und Praxis - man betrachte etwa die Navigation zu Wasser und in der Luft. Due to erratingly using non-SI units, the NASA crashed a satellite on Mars: http://en.wikipedia....Climate_Orbiter http://de.wikipedia....Climate_Orbiter Here's the report about the Gimli Glider incident, happened for the same reason under adverse circumstances: http://en.wikipedia....ki/Gimli_Glider http://de.wikipedia....Canada-Flug_143 A fatal unit system error made a cargo flight crash causing eight fatalities and 42 injured persons: http://en.wikipedia....rgo_Flight_6316 http://de.wikipedia....Cargo-Flug_6316 Fortunately, non-fitting replacement parts for guitars can be exchanged for matching ones without hurting anyone. Wow, thanks for this info. It´s incredible how much damage this mesurement issue has done. Thanks again and cheers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. C.O. Jones Posted September 26, 2014 Author Share Posted September 26, 2014 Got some news! The Tonepros set arrived finaly. Already installed and ready to rock. I was kind of surprised the bridge bushings that came with the set are very small and they don´t fit into the holes in my guitars body. But the new screws do fit the stock bushings, so no problem there. It looks great with the nickel plated pickup covers. And when i was intonating it, everything seemed to be ok. Great quality and nice design. The screws turn very smooth without getting stucked. Well i have to mention that this time i lubricated the screws. If it changed the sound, well i did not notice any big changes. It sounded great with the stock hardware and it still sounds great, that works for me. Thanks to all for your replies, and special thanks TM_Fisher for the tip. Cheers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capmaster Posted September 26, 2014 Share Posted September 26, 2014 ... If it changed the sound, well i did not notice any big changes. It sounded great with the stock hardware and it still sounds great, that works for me. ... Cheers! Well, that's how it should be to my experiences. Glad you're fine with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Golden Posted September 26, 2014 Share Posted September 26, 2014 Got some news! The Tonepros set arrived finaly. Already installed and ready to rock. I was kind of surprised the bridge bushings that came with the set are very small and they don´t fit into the holes in my guitars body. But the new screws do fit the stock bushings, so no problem there. It looks great with the nickel plated pickup covers. And when i was intonating it, everything seemed to be ok. Great quality and nice design. The screws turn very smooth without getting stucked. Well i have to mention that this time i lubricated the screws. If it changed the sound, well i did not notice any big changes. It sounded great with the stock hardware and it still sounds great, that works for me. Thanks to all for your replies, and special thanks TM_Fisher for the tip. Cheers! Sustain and stability is really where the difference would be. Personally I think by now this should be stock on all Gibsons. Gotoh makes a very good after market Bridge-Stop-Tail also, but they are about the same price as above. Good Luck, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.