duluthdan Posted March 28, 2015 Share Posted March 28, 2015 Casually looking around at early 50s J-45s and SJs - many i ee have the long saddle thru the bridge, a few have drop-ins??? If I stumbe upon a 52 or 53 with a drop-in saddle, is that a fairly good sign tht the bridge has been replaced? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-1854Me Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 DD, My sense is that the transition was '53/'54 for that switch. My '53 SJ has the saddle-thru type, and all '54s I've seen have the drop-in style saddle: This applies to other models that sport that bridge type too, AFAICT. My own interest includes the J-185, and my approach is that if the guitar is serialed and FON'd as a '51 or '52 and has the shorter, drop-in saddle, it is likely a replacement bridge. Here's an example of a FON'd '51 sporting a later bridge: This guitar also has the telltale later pickguard that began in 1953, so that strongly suggests a possible visit to the factory to 'freshen' it up, post-'53. I work on the idea that some '53s may have either bridge style, but pre-'53s should be saddle-thru while post '53s should be drop in types. Caveat: But this IS Gibson, so YMMV. Hope that helps, Fred Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duluthdan Posted March 31, 2015 Author Share Posted March 31, 2015 Thanks Fred - what sparked this question is an SJ stated as a '53, but it has a drop-in. Many other pictures I've seen sport the thru bridge. I'll probably just keep my eyes open for another, some day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
windyville1 Posted May 13, 2015 Share Posted May 13, 2015 I've been wondering the same thing since I picked p my '51 J-45. The wear patterns indicate that the bridge sporting a drop in saddle has been there for a very long time. A luthier with experience working on vintage instruments agrees and sees nothing to indicate the bridge has ever been replaced or reset. Brad Barr also swears that his '51 J-45 is all original and has a drop in saddle. I tried to post a picture of the bridge but the forum says that I have met my upload limit... bummer. you can kinda see it in my 1951 J-45 post earlier today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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