Oldhippie Posted September 10, 2011 Share Posted September 10, 2011 Hi my international friends, I own a Wildkat and I want to know if it is recommended to change the original bridge into a Wilkinson Rollerbridge? I couldn´t find any topic about that in the forum. I do not use the Bigsby very often, but it stays in tune if. If yes, where do I find best price in Europe or better Germany? Does the LP bridge fit also in a Wildkat? Thanks in advance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
damian Posted September 10, 2011 Share Posted September 10, 2011 Dang, what's an old hippie to do ??? Well, since the Bigsby stays in tune for you, I don't really see much reasoning to changing the bridge out....I find Bigsbys very stable, and I do use them....As for the roller Wilkonson bridge, sure, you could change it out, but why ?? You could for the looks....As per a L.P. bridge fitting, I'm not sure...I do know, because I've learned this on this forum, is that Gibby and Epi L.P. bridges are different sizes ( metric VS inches ), I think......GuitarFetish sells the Roller bridges, along with lots of other fun goodies, and they do ship internationally...Check them out... I just bought a handful of the roller bridges, haven't used them yet, but they're perty though...... ( And, I sure miss Germany, my home country....).......... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete B Posted September 10, 2011 Share Posted September 10, 2011 Try http://www.thomann.de/gb/index.html or http://www.axesrus.com/axecart.htm not sure about the fitting tho. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amx05462 Posted September 10, 2011 Share Posted September 10, 2011 ive got a wilkensen on mine and old one . and a mity mite roller nut. wont hurt but dont fix whats not broke is my advice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oldhippie Posted September 11, 2011 Author Share Posted September 11, 2011 Thanks for your comments. I guess you´re right. I´m satisfied with the guitar as it is. I just thought........... My Hagstrom Swede Tremar has a rollerbridge and you can do what you want....she stays in tune. I leave the Wildkat as it is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parabar Posted September 12, 2011 Share Posted September 12, 2011 I've heard quite a few comments from owners of guitars with roller bridges that they are prone to rattle and also rob tone. More than half said they were much happier after switching to either a tune-o-matic or rocking bar bridge (the latter especially recommended for heavier Bigsby use.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaSTuS Posted September 12, 2011 Share Posted September 12, 2011 I've heard quite a few comments from owners of guitars with roller bridges that they are prone to rattle and also rob tone. More than half said they were much happier after switching to either a tune-o-matic or rocking bar bridge (the latter especially recommended for heavier Bigsby use.) I've never heard any such number of people complaining about roller bridges, especially not on this forum, your population poll seems totally bogus to me, where do/did you get your numbers from ??? If you're not using the Bigsby much and the geet is holding tune then why bother with the upgrade. If on the other hand you want to have a play with the Bigsby occasionally, then upgrading to a Wilkinson Roller Bridge can be beneficial, they don't rattle and they are built much more solidly and substantially than the standard T.O.M. bridge, if anything, they add sustain and the notes wring out a bit clearer. They only cost $20 - $25 and are better than many bridges that cost 3 and 4 times as much. Wilkinson Roller Bridge Review Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amx05462 Posted September 12, 2011 Share Posted September 12, 2011 well put i agree 100% Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parabar Posted September 13, 2011 Share Posted September 13, 2011 Quoth RaSTuS: I've never heard any such number of people complaining about roller bridges, especially not on this forum, your population poll seems totally bogus to me, where do/did you get your numbers from ??? Those comments have been posted on the Gretsch Pages (another forum of which I'm an active member) over the last several years. As you may know, Gretschophiles are frequently also Bigsby users, and the forum posters there are quite outspoken about their preferences and observations about bridges, pickups, fingerboard materials, lacquer vs poly finishes, and just about everything else related to guitars. I'm pretty up front about stating that an opinion I post is exactly that --- an opinion --- and have no need to make up bogus polls. Since I personally have no experience with roller bridges, (and hence no opinion about them) I posted the comment identifying it accurately, as something I'd heard second-hand from a number of other players, which readers are of course free to ignore, accept, or investigate further as they so choose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaSTuS Posted September 13, 2011 Share Posted September 13, 2011 Those comments have been posted on the Gretsch Pages (another forum of which I'm an active member) over the last several years. As you may know, Gretschophiles are frequently also Bigsby users, and the forum posters there are quite outspoken about their preferences and observations about bridges, pickups, fingerboard materials, lacquer vs poly finishes, and just about everything else related to guitars. I'm pretty up front about stating that an opinion I post is exactly that --- an opinion --- and have no need to make up bogus polls. Since I personally have no experience with roller bridges, (and hence no opinion about them) I posted the comment identifying it accurately, as something I'd heard second-hand from a number of other players, which readers are of course free to ignore, accept, or investigate further as they so choose. I didn't mean to imply you were dishonest (honestly, LOL), only that going by the numbers and comments on this forum there happens to be no such dislike of Bigsbys, I'm terrible at phrasing sometimes, i might make my point, but in an often too direct manner. I too am a member of several other forums and though I'm not that active in the others, i do visit reasonably regularly, and I have never encountered a dislike of them on any of those forums either, certainly not anywhere near the degree that you claimed. So I guess I was trying to make the point that I've never encountered the opposition to Bigsby's that the Gretsch forum seems display and was just interested in where you based your figures from. Sorry if it came across as personal attack, or an attack on your overall honesty, that certainly wasn't meant to be the case. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parabar Posted September 13, 2011 Share Posted September 13, 2011 No worries, RaSTuS --- you questioned my source, I answered, and as they say in sports, "no harm, no foul." And again, the comments I was citing were about roller bridges in general, regardless of manufacturer. Roller bridges, when used at all, tend to be used in conjunction with a Bigsby or similar vibrato tailpiece, and since many more Gretsch players use Bigsby tailpieces than Epi players do, I thought their experiences would be useful for this topic. I don't take offense at someone who doesn't know me asking where I got my information. We'd do well to ask that of more of the so-called "experts" in all sorts of fields! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaSTuS Posted September 13, 2011 Share Posted September 13, 2011 I didn't mean to imply you were dishonest (honestly, LOL), only that going by the numbers and comments on this forum there happens to be no such dislike of Bigsbys, I'm terrible at phrasing sometimes, i might make my point, but in an often too direct manner. I too am a member of several other forums and though I'm not that active in the others, i do visit reasonably regularly, and I have never encountered a dislike of them on any of those forums either, certainly not anywhere near the degree that you claimed. So I guess I was trying to make the point that I've never encountered the opposition to Bigsby's that the Gretsch forum seems display and was just interested in where you based your figures from. Sorry if it came across as personal attack, or an attack on your overall honesty, that certainly wasn't meant to be the case. No worries, RaSTuS --- you questioned my source, I answered, and as they say in sports, "no harm, no foul." And again, the comments I was citing were about roller bridges in general, regardless of manufacturer. Roller bridges, when used at all, tend to be used in conjunction with a Bigsby or similar vibrato tailpiece, and since many more Gretsch players use Bigsby tailpieces than Epi players do, I thought their experiences would be useful for this topic. I don't take offense at someone who doesn't know me asking where I got my information. We'd do well to ask that of more of the so-called "experts" in all sorts of fields! Actually you can replace Bigsby in my quoted post with roller bridge, I was deep in a few PM conversations at the time and overlooked the incorrect inference. Sweet, glad you understand Parabar <double thumbs-up>. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lefty Bill Posted September 14, 2011 Share Posted September 14, 2011 Hi my international friends, I own a Wildkat and I want to know if it is recommended to change the original bridge into a Wilkinson Rollerbridge? I couldn´t find any topic about that in the forum. I do not use the Bigsby very often, but it stays in tune if. If yes, where do I find best price in Europe or better Germany? Does the LP bridge fit also in a Wildkat? Thanks in advance. I forget which models' bridges have a different stud/post spacing, but accurately measuring the center-to-center spacing of the bridge mounting holes will reveal which bridge you have. I agree with Rastus and others' comments that roller bridges are a worthwhile improvement over the original t-o-m bridge. The original saddles are zinc, and the strings will displace the softer saddle metal until deep grooves begin to form, at which time string breakage will likely follow. Roller bridges will prevent these future problems and aggravation, but how long it will take for problems to arise depends upon how aggressively the strings are struck and frequent string bending. There are various types of other saddle materials available as replacement parts, including steel, titanium and synthetic (plastic). When I looked at various replacement saddles, there was too little info readily available (without turning into a research project), and the pricing was up to several times greater than a roller bridge, so I bout 2 different versions.. one is very similar in size to a t-o-m except rollers are integrated into the saddles, and the other is wider and referred to a Deluxe Locking Roller Bridge which has separate, movable saddle assemblies with rollers built into them. The price was under $20US each, although they're just generic versions without any brand name or fancy packaging. I kinda like the looks of the somewhat massive looking Schaller roller bridge, although there are other styles too (some can also adjust the string spacing). Regards, Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oldhippie Posted September 14, 2011 Author Share Posted September 14, 2011 Thank you again for your advice! I better leave it as it is. And it is ok. It doesn´t bother me to tune it sometimes....no problem at all. Another thing I have to report is about my Paula in a new topic.....need your advice too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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