Gotoh 510UB/Lightning Bolt replacement positioning

[Guest MarriottLuvr]

Hi guys,

 

I have a 2015 LP Jnr with the Lightning wraparound fitted. I'm replacing it with a Gotoh 510UB which I use on a PRS I have and find it an excellent unit. The posts are specific to Gotoh so I can't use the Gibson originals. The inserts are different threads and diameters so I had to pull them and plug the holes which has been done successfully. I'm at the point of drilling the new mounting holes now.

 

I hadn't realised how different the bridge designs are in terms of their saddle positioning. It really looks to me as though the holes will have to be set at a different length from the neck to have the saddles correctly placed. I know I can set the bridge up temporarily for correct intonation with a dummy tailpiece but I just wondered if there was anyone out there who had already done the conversion and perhaps found that, despite what it appears, the positioning turned out to be the same.

[Guest MarriottLuvr]

Yes. The fit on the posts is atrocious. The lean forward of the original bridges are well documented and there is a surprising amount of side to side movement too. The intonation is fixed and optimised for a set of 10s. I use it for slide with 12s so I prefer to have a slightly higher setup which again affects intonation and I like to level off the strings to less than the 12" radius which is less intrusive if you have a bridge with individual saddles which can be replaced cheaply. It's not that it's really bad at all, I just want to make it more flexible and keep that original lightning bar so I can more easily put it back to stock. The Gotoh bridge is a very usable unit at a fairly sensible price rather than the other favourites with the "money is no object or I'm an also ran" crowd.