ross g Posted October 24, 2008 Share Posted October 24, 2008 (SEE LAST POST FOR UPDATE) hello, first post... i have a '99 Sheraton on which i put a Bigsby vibro...doesn't seem to want to stay in tune as well, it has been suggested i should put on a roller bridge...i spoke to a guy from Allparts, he said sizing for these guitars is tricky and i might have to replace the bushings...this is the part he suggested (no pic): http://www.allparts.com/store/gold-roller-tunematic,Product.asp i saw a few others on ebay said to be for a LP, unsure on the sizing though...so does anyone have a tried-and-true part suggestion? thanks.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stan 58 Posted October 24, 2008 Share Posted October 24, 2008 If your bridge looks like this one below, your going to have trouble fitting any new bridge on it. Welcome to the forum. Stan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ross g Posted October 24, 2008 Author Share Posted October 24, 2008 seem to be the same, but i'm kind of committed either way at this point...i may buy the Allparts bridge and just figure it out, i'd rather do it myself but i know a good guitar tech... any suggestions/experiences would be helpful.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ross g Posted October 24, 2008 Author Share Posted October 24, 2008 i was also looking at this, less expensive: http://cgi.ebay.com/GOLD-Tune-O-Matic-ROLLER-Bridge-Gibson-Others-bt06_W0QQitemZ380074068635QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item380074068635&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1205|66%3A2|65%3A12|39%3A1|240%3A1318 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcwillow777 Posted October 24, 2008 Share Posted October 24, 2008 Welcome, and nice Sherry. Some of the earlier Sheratons had a different spacing on the bridge and it is hard to find bridge that will fit. I have a Maestro on one of my G-400s with the original bridge. I took it to my tech and he filed the saddles. I have not problem keeping the guitar in tune and I use my Maestro all the time. He also touched up the nut. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carverman Posted October 24, 2008 Share Posted October 24, 2008 Metric vs Imperial sizes... ..this is the main issue with conversion of asian t-o-m to a roller bridge. The roller bridge in the link from Allparts is 2 29/32" which is like (basically) saying 2 15/16" spacing between the centers of the posts. OTOH, the standard asian bridge posts (putting metric aside) are (approx.) 2 14/16" from center to center so there is a descrepancy in the post width, AND the post diameters (the small part of the post) will be different between the two, so I doubt very much that the roller bridge will fit over the original posts. As well, the post bushings will be a lot larger in diameter for a roller bridge, which means that you will have to remove the old bushings, enlarge the holes carefully, for the new bushings AND shift the holes (slightly) for the correct final center to center spacing. You may be able to DIY, but don't get that hole sizing wrong. Best to take it to a guitar tech and get it done properly. unless you have the tools and the confidence that you can do it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ross g Posted October 24, 2008 Author Share Posted October 24, 2008 looks like i'm taking it in...it has been suggested i might be able to use String Savers (teflon saddle replacements)... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TWANG Posted October 24, 2008 Share Posted October 24, 2008 I was going to suggest graphtech saddles.. and take a look around, too. I tend to think with the Samick sheri you're better off rounding off the saddles it has.. toward the tail side..and using some nut sauce. that's safest, and cheapest. there are metric bridges, but I don't have enough of them in stock to compare to the sheri so I can only go by the stats.. so check the measurements you have against anything you want to try. will be watching since I was planning on adding a bigs myself. TWANG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iansmitchell Posted October 24, 2008 Share Posted October 24, 2008 store.guitarfetish.com It fits them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stan 58 Posted October 24, 2008 Share Posted October 24, 2008 Mr. Mitchell, you mean all GFS bridges wil work? Stan, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ross g Posted October 24, 2008 Author Share Posted October 24, 2008 store.guitarfetish.comIt fits them. you've used it, that will pop in easy as a replacement? nice looking bridge, it would make my life easier... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iansmitchell Posted October 24, 2008 Share Posted October 24, 2008 I used it on a dot. But they're direct replacements. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TWANG Posted October 25, 2008 Share Posted October 25, 2008 I think the problem is the Samick manu. sheri and the dot differ....? TWANG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ross g Posted October 25, 2008 Author Share Posted October 25, 2008 I think the problem is the Samick manu. sheri and the dot differ....? TWANG that's what's not clear, no way to really know without ordering... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcwillow777 Posted October 25, 2008 Share Posted October 25, 2008 that's what's not clear' date=' no way to really know without ordering...[/quote'] I'm not positive, but I would say it will not fit. There are some guys that are no longer here that have much more experience than me because they were banned. What ever happened to jerrymac? Some of these guys had first hand experience with older Sherrys. I think Twang has an older one too. The post spacing is different on them and the newer bridges don't fit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carverman Posted October 25, 2008 Share Posted October 25, 2008 store.guitarfetish.comIt fits them. I think the OP was talking about a roller bridge. I bought one from GFS from my project guitar. It comes with the large oversize bushings and is slightly wider.. (76mm center to center of the posts) ..vs ..73mm for the stock asian t-o-m bridge. The difference is 3 mm which is .118" or about 3/16 of an inch wider on the roller bridge. The posts are also different sized diameters at the top (the part of the post that fits into the actual bridge). I suppose that even if you could get the threaded posts of the roller bridge to fit into the existing stock Epi t-o-m bushings, you would still need to shoehorn that roller bridge onto the posts, and it would not be easily adjustable. GFS Roller bridge posts: M8 x 1.25 (M8 is 8mm in diameter) Stew-Mac roller bridge: M8 x 1.25 Schaller Roller bridge: M5 x ?? (M5 is 5mm in diameter) Nashville style t-o-m : M5 x 0.8 ABR-1 post threads: M4 x 0.8 Examine the post holes on the standard ABR-1 vs the roller bridge and you will see the difference.. http://store.guitarfetish.com/gistbr.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbirchett Posted October 25, 2008 Share Posted October 25, 2008 Ross, If all of these answers are confusing, it is only because this is an extremely confusing area and one that has caused a great deal of confusion. First of all, who made your Sheraton. You can tell that from the first letter of your serail number. If it begins with S (Samick) you may or may not have a great deal of difficulty. Mine is by Unsung (U) and the GFS roller bridge fits it just fine. Just slides right on. I don't have it mounted on the guitar at this point but it does fit. Samick used a custom sized bridge that no one else used and no one else makes a replacement bridge for. Really the only fly in the ointment for an otherwise outstanding guitar. The following is my understanding. It may be wrong and if it is, other forum participants will correct me, I'm sure. There are two different Tune-o-matic styles. One is usually referred to as the ABR-1 the other as the Nashville style. They are easy to distinguish at a moment's glance. The ABR-1 has skinny threaded posts. The thumbwheels underneath are turned to adjust the height of the bridge. This is the bridge that most vintage Gibsons have used. The Nashville bridge has wider screws and they end with a big slot. The bridge is raised and lowered on these by sticking a slot-head screwdriver in the the slot and raising or lowering the posts. The thumbwheels are used only for support of the bridge and for decoration. If you have a Samick Sheraton, that lessens your options considerably. Twang may have a bridge to fit it (I think he cornered the market on the remaining replacement bridges) or there are some adjustable post bridges that MIGHT work. If you have one made by another company, such as Peerless, Unsung, Saein or others, you may have other options including the GFS bridges. The only way to be reasonably sure is by careful measurements. The only way to be absolutely sure is to try them. One final note, If you have an ABR-1, Guitar Fetish may have a roller bridge to fit it but it is the roller bridge for archtop guitars. It comes with a rosewood base that you would throw away. Good luck and let us know how you make out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TWANG Posted October 26, 2008 Share Posted October 26, 2008 ditto dbrichet. they change companys and specs sometimes so you gotta measure first. TWANG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ross g Posted October 26, 2008 Author Share Posted October 26, 2008 i gotta say: thanks for all the responses... i think it's obvious there is no replacement roller bridge for the '99 Samick Epi i got (already looked up the serial #)...tuesday i have to take my son into the city (chicago) for a doc appt, i'm going to take my guit and my amp (a 70's twin that needs a bit of tlc) in as well, gotta get things running...the dude is good, i met him in the 80's, knows his stuff: http://www.specimenproducts.com/ the guy i talked to on the phone (not the main dude) seemed to think the String Saver saddles would do the trick, but i'm going to wait and see what happens when i go there.....i'll be sure to let y'all know what happens.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ross g Posted October 29, 2008 Author Share Posted October 29, 2008 well, i brought my Epi in...the main guit tech suggested installing a Schaller roller bridge, other options most likely won't give the results i'm looking for...the Schaller is one of the more expensive options i looked at (63-88 bucks depending on where i get it), and install will take 1-2 hours at 60 per hour...i could live with 60 bucks, but 120 plus the price of the bridge is pretty steep, not sure if going with a less expensive bridge is a good idea...i could also remove the Bigsby and put on the old tailpiece i suppose (and try to fill the holes or something)... oh yeah: another 45 bucks for set up....i do like the Bigsby, i can upgrade the tuners myself later and have a killer ax...i only paid 250 w/case for the Sheraton, so i don't mind putting a few bucks into it, but again, it's getting steep! i can't play the guit now, so i have to do something... i'd appreciate opinions, and thanks again... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcwillow777 Posted October 29, 2008 Share Posted October 29, 2008 $120 seems a little steep for installing a bridge, unless that is covering a setup as well. I would suggest having your tech file the saddles down. That's cheapst thing to try first, unless you are having problems with the saddles, like rattling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ross g Posted October 29, 2008 Author Share Posted October 29, 2008 $120 seems a little steep for installing a bridge' date=' unless that is covering a setup as well. I would suggest having your tech file the saddles down. That's cheapst thing to try first, unless you are having problems with the saddles, like rattling.[/quote'] the setup is extra, i'm really hoping the bridge won't take two hours... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TWANG Posted October 30, 2008 Share Posted October 30, 2008 with the samick sheri and bridge tail replacements. don't worry about the studs or inserts.. you can use the stock set on the new bridge, at least I did. the new set needed larger holes in the guitar, but not larger holes in the bridge or tail, so I just settled for the old ones, rather than drill it out. I just bought myself a roller bridge for the lp studio.. I'll have a chance when it arrives to compare it to the sheraton and see if it swaps out. The roller bridge I bought in chrome was 45.00 list. TWANG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lostindesert Posted October 30, 2008 Share Posted October 30, 2008 Graph Tech string saver saddles for Les Paul. They come in four different sets. 1. ABR-1 tune-o-matic bridge pre-1971, 4/40 inch 2. Nashville tune-o-matic bridge, 3mm 3. Gotoh tune-o-matic bridge, 2.5mm 4. Schaller tune-o-matic bridge, 3mm Also Epiphone tune-o-matic saddles. 1. Epiphone I thread 3mm 2. Sheraton thread 3mm 3. Epiphone II thread 3mm www.graphtech.com Peter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TWANG Posted October 31, 2008 Share Posted October 31, 2008 I ordered a roller bridge for the lp studio.. I'll report on that when I get it in. I thought about gtech saddles but I always preferred bone in the nut so I hesitated.. fearing tone reduction. TWANG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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