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New Bridge...TonePros


Silvercrow

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After considering the information I got from you all and my own research, I decided to go with the TonePros slotted LP replacement bridge. My thinking, convoluted as it might be, is / was; the bridge is made by Gotoh, a good company IMO; it has locking option; pre-slotted-nice if everything lines up-not so much if it doesn't!; if the notches don't work / alignment is not good, I can return the unit no problem and finally; it was a HECK of a lot less expensive than the steel offerings from Callaham or Pinnacle.

 

Disclaimer- Callaham makes superior stuff IMO- I'm just not so sure over double the price of the Gotoh/TonePros would give me double the tone, durability etc.

 

Measured twice, EVERYTHING. Pre-set the saddles in the new TonePros- should not have to do much adjusting for intonation.

 

It turned out EXCELLENTLY! One little tweak to the low E and B strings re: intonation; one little "up" adjustment to the bass side for my preferred action!

 

Pics will follow...

 

So how did I outsmart myself? Well, I ordered the darned thing in satin chrome; hey, it'll give me the whole nickle-finish vibe with the added durability of chrome. WELL, it looks good, but not many distributors carry the stop tailpiece / studs in satin chrome. I don't know how the nickle will match, so, next week I'll order the satin chrome locking super-duper stoptail/ studs from TonePros for $62.00 (!)

 

Oh well, did I mention it looks REALLY good?!

 

BTW- the jury is still out on alleged "increased tone / sustain" with the new bridge...I'll need more time, and I was very happy with the tone and sustain to begin with. The only reason for the change was the old bridge/saddles buzzed and rattled a little- understandable after 15+ years I guess.

 

But I CAN say, unequivically, the guitar is acoustically louder with this new bridge.

 

More to follow- thanks for looking / reading!

 

Brian

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Congratulations!

 

I like the Tonepros stuff.

A shame that they stoped to make Kluson tuners.

And to their bridges and tailpieces, as long they keep making them I will replace all stock stuff on my guitars with theirs.

I don't know if the satin chrome and nickel would match.

In my case I changed the covers of my PU's because they where chrom (don't like it on guitars) and my hardware was nickel wich I like a lot.

To much difference, at least for my OCD!

And yeah, It's a lot louder unplugged, and on my Traditional even more with the aluminium tailpiece.

Sustain and all that magic stuff they tell about their products, I don't know maybe a bit. But I would be equally happy only keeping the sustain the guitars came with from Nashville.

And that they do for sure!

To me over all the guitars feel more stable.

I hope you enjoy yours for a long time.

Nice that it worked!

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Hello Brian!

 

Glad to hear You are happy with the results!

 

The real meaning of modifying a guitar has been debated for so long. Many say, it makes no sense, since the audience will never notice it. But it is really all about the player: how comfortable He or She feels with the instrument. From this aspect, these slight changes can make great impact on the joy of playing. And, - probably - it will make the musical product better too, even if it is not measureable by the listener.

 

Cheers... Bence

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After considering the information I got from you all and my own research, I decided to go with the TonePros slotted LP replacement bridge...

Brian

 

Which model did you end up going for in the end? TP6?

 

Congratulations!

 

A shame that they stoped to make Kluson tuners.

And to their bridges and tailpieces, as long they keep making them I will replace all stock stuff on my guitars with theirs.

I don't know if the satin chrome and nickel would match.

In my case I changed the covers of my PU's because they where chrom (don't like it on guitars) and my hardware was nickel wich I like a lot.

To much difference, at least for my OCD!

And yeah, It's a lot louder unplugged, and on my Traditional even more with the aluminium tailpiece.

Sustain and all that magic stuff they tell about their products, I don't know maybe a bit. But I would be equally happy only keeping the sustain the guitars came with from Nashville.

And that they do for sure!

To me over all the guitars feel more stable.

I hope you enjoy yours for a long time.

Nice that it worked!

 

Pretty much +1 to everything you've just said. Big fan of TonePros myself; got a TP6 on one LP, and soon going to have one on the other. Might go and get some GraphTech saddles, too.

I had to get the covers on mine sorted the same way; OCD wouldn't leave me be!

It's strange that they seem acoustically louder; I would have thought they're both ZAMAC construction? Maybe the locking pin helps with transference?

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Hello Brian!

 

Glad to hear You are happy with the results!

 

The real meaning of modifying a guitar has been debated for so long. Many say, it makes no sense, since the audience will never notice it. But it is really all about the player: how comfortable He or She feels with the instrument. From this aspect, these slight changes can make great impact on the joy of playing. And, - probably - it will make the musical product better too, even if it is not measureable by the listener.

 

Cheers... Bence

 

Wholeheartedly agree Bence! I realized (to my surprise?) that the average listener doesn't hear the same things we do, in general. BUT those tonal complexities and nuances sure do motivate the player to play better or more soulfully, etc.

 

@ Mr. CO Jones and Pesh- thanks! (I cant seem to do multi-quotes, BTW) I got a TP3BP bridge, in satin chrome. Yeah...don't know how, if at all, it will match with the nickel; I thought at first that it would, but now I/m pretty sure it won't!

 

Either way- I'll be getting the stoptail and studs and I think it will look OK with the chrome covers on the pups. I've very happy so far!

 

Brian

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If you are replacing the tailpiece, you might consider aluminum. I did this to my own Les Paul and liked the results. I also swapped the Nashville bridge for a TonePros ABR style.

 

There's an old thread of mine on here about the aluminum upgrade - I even recorded some sound clips. The differences were subtle, but I feel it's a bit brighter and livelier and has more sustain with the aluminum tailpiece.

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I love tone pros stuff. I had no idea they were made by Gotoh, I thought they were their own company in Oakdale CA. I think they stopped making elusion style tuners. I replaced my hardware on the 95 LP Classic with all TP stuff. Love it. Rock solid.

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If you are replacing the tailpiece, you might consider aluminum. I did this to my own Les Paul and liked the results. I also swapped the Nashville bridge for a TonePros ABR style.

 

There's an old thread of mine on here about the aluminum upgrade - I even recorded some sound clips. The differences were subtle, but I feel it's a bit brighter and livelier and has more sustain with the aluminum tailpiece.

 

+1 to that, at first I was a bit nervous when I ordered the alu TP.

Very expansive for a TP.

But it makes a difference.

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Thanks to all...and Mr. C.O. Jones and Surfpup- I am looking at those aluminum tailpieces! I'm hoping to see one in person, in nickle, hoping it will "match" better than the full-on chrome. Seems there are no aluminum stoptails in satin chrome.

 

My wife, who has an artist's eye and is always straightforward with me (sometimes painfully so [unsure] ) said the bridge went well with the other (standard chrome)hardware on the guitar. Of course...she may just be thinking she's saving money by telling me that...LOL!

 

Anyway, it is "just hardware" (am I quoting RCT "It's Just A Guitar"??)and I shouldn't be concerned- no bearing on tone or function. I just shake my head at myself-I can't ever remember falling for an electric guitar like this! And it's been long enough for the honeymoon to be over, so Scarlet has earned a permanent place with me!

 

Brian

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Thanks to all...and Mr. C.O. Jones and Surfpup- I am looking at Seems there are no aluminum stoptails in satin chrome.

 

Well, that's because they are made of aluminum. [biggrin] They are pretty dull in finish - I'd say less than satin. Not sure if this pic really shows that. If I can I'll take a close up pic.

 

Screenshot2013-04-23at72221PM.png

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You might want to check out the hardware at Faber USA

 

I put a nickel finish Tone Lock system on my 2014 Traditional and love the results. Their tailpieces are extremely light, sturdy, and well finished.

 

Before today, I had not heard of this brand, "Faber". But having reviewed their site I am now itching to try one out.

 

Mike; I can't tell from the photos alone on the site; but the tone lock system you have installed; does the bridge have similar dimensions to an ABR? It looks much slimmer than a Nashville bridge.

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Before today, I had not heard of this brand, "Faber". But having reviewed their site I am now itching to try one out.

 

Mike; I can't tell from the photos alone on the site; but the tone lock system you have installed; does the bridge have similar dimensions to an ABR? It looks much slimmer than a Nashville bridge.

 

If you swap to ABR from Nashville you need new/different studs. I did a whole thread a few years back about my swap from Nashville to ABR. I used Callaham conversion studs, a Tone Pros ABR-1, and a Faber aluminum tailpiece...

 

I think the old thread is gone, but here is a slideshow link... http://s282.photobucket.com/user/morettaj/slideshow/Bridge%20Replacement

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Not sure if we're talking about the same thing here, Pup msp_biggrin.gif

 

Those Faber bridges; they have ABR replacement and Nashville replacements, but the Nashvilles look near-identical to the ABR style; quite narrow but about the same width.

 

They've got 3 ABR style bridges, too; one is standard, one sits on Nashville posts, and another for imports.

 

Quite tempted to get one of these for whatever LP is next.

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Well, that's because they are made of aluminum. [biggrin] They are pretty dull in finish - I'd say less than satin. Not sure if this pic really shows that. If I can I'll take a close up pic.

 

Screenshot2013-04-23at72221PM.png

 

Thanks for pointing that out; sometimes the obvious escapes me... [confused] I shoulda knew 'dat!

 

I'm suspicious of the pics on the sites- seems to me a duller finish that will work well, THEN MF and another, I think "Allparts" have picks of a black TonePros that the description says Gold color. MF's known for using stock photos, particularly of their accessories. Nevertheless I should have known / thought the aluminum would not be bright in finish, unless it's "chromed" of course.

 

Brian

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Before today, I had not heard of this brand, "Faber". But having reviewed their site I am now itching to try one out.

 

Mike; I can't tell from the photos alone on the site; but the tone lock system you have installed; does the bridge have similar dimensions to an ABR? It looks much slimmer than a Nashville bridge.

 

It is an exact ABR replacement and thus slimmer than the Nashville Bridge. I also went with a Tone Lock Bridge and locking tailpiece studs on my -355. It dropped right on the original bridge studs perfect.

 

On my LP I did the entire ABR Tone Lock Conversion. There are three options for modifying your bridge studs. Easy- drop in threaded studs for the tone lock method, medium - Faber Inserts which require pulling the original inserts , and hard, drilling and tapping for larger studs. I chose the medium option and am happy with the results.

 

I believe they also have a non-locking ABR style bridge that is a direct replacement for the Nashville bridge.

 

 

2014 LP Traditional With Faber Tone Lock System:

IMG_1937_zpsnqncvpnk.jpg

 

 

LP Traditional View 2:

IMG_1938_zpsi6bhgv27.jpg

 

 

ES-355 w/ Tone Lock Bridge:

IMG_1939_zpshgrui9dd.jpg

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It is an exact ABR replacement and thus slimmer than the Nashville Bridge. I also went with a Tone Lock Bridge and locking tailpiece studs on my -355. It dropped right on the original bridge studs perfect.

 

On my LP I did the entire ABR Tone Lock Conversion. There are three options for modifying your bridge studs. Easy- drop in threaded studs for the tone lock method, medium - Faber Inserts which require pulling the original inserts , and hard, drilling and tapping for larger studs. I chose the medium option and am happy with the results.

 

I believe they also have a non-locking ABR style bridge that is a direct replacement for the Nashville bridge.

 

 

2014 LP Traditional With Faber Tone Lock System:

IMG_1937_zpsnqncvpnk.jpg

 

 

LP Traditional View 2:

IMG_1938_zpsi6bhgv27.jpg

 

 

ES-355 w/ Tone Lock Bridge:

IMG_1939_zpshgrui9dd.jpg

 

Well I'm convinced; I love the idea of an ABR style bridge in place of a Nashville. I'm going to look into this much more over the next month; I've got my 2014 Studio, which was due to have some TonePros stuff replace the standard Gibson hardware, but I'm now going to try some of this out. I've found the EU distributor for Faber. I might even go as far as saying I'll be putting some Faber tech on my current build, also previously destined for something-TonePros.

 

 

Also; I believe the model to which you are referring is their ABRN model; replaces modern Nashville bridge.

Model ABRH is replacement for ABR-1, while ABRM is for metric posts on imports, Epi's etc. (from my understanding).

 

I think the model you used is similar to the ABRN, in that it replaces Nashville bridges, but with the added locking mechanisms.

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Hello!

 

To install the Faber ABRN bridge in place of a Nashville unit, You will need the iNsert posts. They go right into bushing hole. No drilling of the guitar is required. Earlier iNserts were a bit long, so some filing had to be done to them, but they revised the construction recently.

 

They include the installation tool, and a bolt for removing the bushings.

 

I have posted the whole process to the Lounge - I just can't find it now with this cellphone.

 

Tokaiguitars is the EU distributor for Faber.

 

Cheers... Bence

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Hello!

 

To install the Faber ABRN bridge in place of a Nashville unit, You will need the iNsert posts. They go right into bushing hole. No drilling of the guitar is required. Earlier iNserts were a bit long, so some filing had to be done to them, but they revised the construction recently.

 

They include the installation tool, and a bolt for removing the bushings.

 

I have posted the whole process to the Lounge - I just can't find it now with this cellphone.

 

Tokaiguitars is the EU distributor for Faber.

 

Cheers... Bence

 

Callaham makes a good set of conversion posts as well. Mine took only a few minutes to install - no filing was needed.

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Well I'm convinced; I love the idea of an ABR style bridge in place of a Nashville. I'm going to look into this much more over the next month; I've got my 2014 Studio, which was due to have some TonePros stuff replace the standard Gibson hardware, but I'm now going to try some of this out. I've found the EU distributor for Faber. I might even go as far as saying I'll be putting some Faber tech on my current build, also previously destined for something-TonePros.

 

 

Also; I believe the model to which you are referring is their ABRN model; replaces modern Nashville bridge.

Model ABRH is replacement for ABR-1, while ABRM is for metric posts on imports, Epi's etc. (from my understanding).

 

I think the model you used is similar to the ABRN, in that it replaces Nashville bridges, but with the added locking mechanisms.

 

Yes I should have been more specific. I used the ABRN on my LP with the INserts. I used the ABRH on my -355 with the original studs.

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Hello!

 

To install the Faber ABRN bridge in place of a Nashville unit, You will need the iNsert posts. They go right into bushing hole. No drilling of the guitar is required. Earlier iNserts were a bit long, so some filing had to be done to them, but they revised the construction recently.

 

They include the installation tool, and a bolt for removing the bushings.

 

I have posted the whole process to the Lounge - I just can't find it now with this cellphone.

 

Tokaiguitars is the EU distributor for Faber.

 

Cheers... Bence

 

 

Bence, I had to shave about 1.5mms off of my INserts but the rest of the process was exceedingly easy.

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Hello!

 

To install the Faber ABRN bridge in place of a Nashville unit, You will need the iNsert posts. They go right into bushing hole. No drilling of the guitar is required. Earlier iNserts were a bit long, so some filing had to be done to them, but they revised the construction recently.

 

They include the installation tool, and a bolt for removing the bushings.

 

I have posted the whole process to the Lounge - I just can't find it now with this cellphone.

 

Tokaiguitars is the EU distributor for Faber.

 

Cheers... Bence

 

Bence when you did your replacement, did you have to replace the bushings inside the guitar, and use the supplied bushings? I noticed that there's a tool for removing the current bushings, or can you drop the new bridge pins into existing bushings?

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