Betz Posted November 2, 2009 Share Posted November 2, 2009 Greetings from a guy and his first Gibson. I just bought a 1974 blonde ES-175 and it has changed everything. The one issue with the guitar was the bridge. It had the slim rosewood base with a chrome Tune-O-Matic. The adjustment knobs were raised so high that there were only a couple of threads showing above each of the rings. The bridge actually tips forward a bit on the rods. I did some research and found that the first 175 with a Tune-O-Matic was offered in 1977, and that this guitar originally had a rosewood top and bottom. I could not find a year-specific replacement so I ordered a William Gagnon bridge from Ultimaguitar. It has the correct string spacing (2 3/32") and adjusts up to 1 1/4", which is more than I need. It also looks fairly close to what I have seen in photos on the web. Has anyone else used these? What impact will there be on tone, changing from a high-mass metal bridge back to rosewood? Will I miss the Tune-O-Matic? Thanks! Betz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sok66 Posted November 2, 2009 Share Posted November 2, 2009 Yours would have had a rosewood bridge with brass studs, inserts and adjustment thumb wheels. Converting to one from a TOM will likely make the tone warmer. On a 175 that's as it should be. In looking at the Gagnon bridge it makes contact with the top its full width. The originals would not, they are open across the middle, with two "feet" on either side. Also, the gibson bridge was cut with string stagger (for wound third) rather than just being straight across like the Gagnon. As such it will probably render better intonation. Might want to look for an original somewhere. These are great guitars, post a pic! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Betz Posted November 2, 2009 Author Share Posted November 2, 2009 Wow, that is a lot more information than I had been able to find all week-end! I understand the string stagger and I did find a Gison bridge with off-sets for all 6 strings, but it was dated from the 50's. I also understand the studs and thumb-wheel, but what are inserts? It sounds like I will continue to look for a more authentic replacement, but until then simply correcting the forward-tip of the TOM should help the intonation. I will post before & after pics (once I figure out how). Thanks for the enlightenment! Betz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sok66 Posted November 2, 2009 Share Posted November 2, 2009 The original rosewood bridges have small brass inserts (or, sleeves) in the adjustment holes that have a surface that sits on the thumb wheels. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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