Adjustabe Bridge Debate

[duluthdan]

http://http://youtu.be/rq8Yc_RHkWQ

 

Yes, I know that particular Bird - in fact it's one of my favorites.

 

Here it is in the hands of another guy :

 

 

He btw. splendidly captures the feel of this semi-old tune. .

Enjoyed that. Been struggling with these adjustable saddle models - would love to find a fifties J-50, but have always been holding out for a fixed bridge specimen. Never was a big Gillian Welch fan, never heard of her before a couple years ago - now I come to find that her guitar, which I think sounds pretty good, is a '56 J-50 with the "dreaded" adjustable bridge. Maybe its oath a roll of the dice, but these are not cheap.

 

[RichG]

For info on plastic bridges on a Gibson - replacing one.

 

Dan

 

Thanks for that. I'm going to contact him and see if he can help me like that. Clearly he has the tools and knowledge to do it right.

 

Probably make me have more $$ into it than it's worth, but that would put it in a league with some if my other "collectables"

 

Rich

[j45nick]

Enjoyed that. Been struggling with these adjustable saddle models - would love to find a fifties J-50, but have always been holding out for a fixed bridge specimen. Never was a big Gillian Welch fan, never heard of her before a couple years ago - now I come to find that her guitar, which I think sounds pretty good, is a '56 J-50 with the "dreaded" adjustable bridge. Maybe its oath a roll of the dice, but these are not cheap.

 

 

 

Good video! Worth every penny to make the change shown here. The plastic bridges really were not a good idea for any reason.

[Boyd]

Well, at least for me, the "debate" is over. Just got a 1965 J-50 ADJ and I love it! They also had a 1967 J-50 without the adjustable bridge and there was just no comparison. The 1967 sounded a lot like my 2008 J-50 - which isn't a bad thing. But the 1965 has a really unique sound, and I especially like the clarity of the low E string. I've always felt that the low E sounded a little "muddy" on my 2008, and I heard the same thing on the 1967 that I tried as well as a 1969 J-45 and new J-35 that they had in the store.

 

Like many things, I guess it comes down to personal preference, but I'm really happy with this guitar. :)

[duluthdan]

Thanks to all who weighed in here. I have always seemed to avoid the adjustable saddle/bridge models purely out of my own bias i guess, but it is plain to me that it really boils down to the individual guitar and personal taste. The reason I asked the question in the first place is that I have a track on an apparently very nice '57 one owner J-50 with that bridge. If all goes as planned, I will have it in my hands on Friday to play, and consider. Thanks again for all of the views.

[j45nick]

Thanks to all who weighed in here. I have always seemed to avoid the adjustable saddle/bridge models purely out of my own bias i guess, but it is plain to me that it really boils down to the individual guitar and personal taste. The reason I asked the question in the first place is that I have a track on an apparently very nice '57 one owner J-50 with that bridge. If all goes as planned, I will have it in my hands on Friday to play, and consider. Thanks again for all of the views.

 

 

Dan, one thing to keep in mind is that the tonal character associated with the adjustable saddle varies a lot with the material. Generally, the rosewood saddle inserts are somewhat softer tonally, and the ceramic saddles a bit edgier in tone. Using a modern bone adjustable insert--which is not really a modification to the guitar--could bring yet another tonal character.

 

The late 1950's slope J's can be very, very good guitars. When evaluating it, make sure you know what the strings are, as the right strings will make a huge difference.