guitarbuild tele bridges

imalone

People who have used guitarbuild tele bodies, what bridge do you use?
I have this one from Axecaster, "Fender Modern 6 Saddle Telecaster Bridge"
http://www.axecaster.co.uk/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=38&products_id=121
Which is supposed to be vintage spaced (four screws, right spacing etc), but seemed a little too long (not so long it was impossible to get it together, but pickup is pressed against the cavity at the neck end). I'm wondering about changing it if I ever change the bridge pickup.
I quite like the individual saddles, but having to remove them to get at the bridge screws is a pain. Is the 6-barrel saddles model fender do any use and does it have the same problem about screw access? Is a hipshot one noticeably better (which would probably have to be three saddle)?

ThePrettyDamned

Funny you say that, I use a Gotoh 4 screw one and, while everything lines up, the bridge pickup will also be pushed against the front of the route. 

So I'd assume the route is fractionally off - I'll probably just sand it back, or even use a drill bit as it's just a tiny, tiny bit that needs removing.

imalone

Thanks, that is interesting. I looked up the gotoh and found StewMac's drawing for it. At that point I had it and the Axecaster fender modern drawing and tried lining them up, then I thought I'd get a few more, then this happened:

From

The above are all adjusted to the same scale for both height and width (the image should be at 100dpcm). So you can overlay them, lined up on the screw holes:

From

Two come out a little shorter than the others screws-to-pickup: the StewMac vintage bridge and the Wilkinson drawing from Axecaster (pictures of the Axecaster and Stewac bridges are different, since wilkinson is made under license they could well be slightly different). The others are pretty much the same, though I'm not sure about the Axesrus drawings, all their vintage-tele-style drawings that I could find show the same dimensions, so I think it's probably just illustrative. Looks a bit of sanding may be the only way to go, or a wilkinson if I do decide to change.

impmann

I used this one:

http://www.axesrus.co.uk/Axesrus-Vintage-Bridge-p/bt005.htm

Perfect.

I also used a genuine Fender 3 saddle and that fitted perfectly too.

I have no experience of 6 saddle 'Modern' Tele bridges... as they are the devils work! ;-)

Bron_Yr_Aur

Yup. I used the Wilkinson vintage jobby, and it fits fine, but the pickup is touching the edge of the route. Just inconsistency in tolerances while machining the body I should think...

imalone

Thanks all.

impmann said:

I used this one:

http://www.axesrus.co.uk/Axesrus-Vintage-Bridge-p/bt005.htm

Perfect.

I also used a genuine Fender 3 saddle and that fitted perfectly too.

I have no experience of 6 saddle 'Modern' Tele bridges... as they are the devils work! ;-)

What I've got in should be a genuine fender plate too, so either it's slightly different to the three saddle (possible, but not sure why they'd do that) or it's a tolerance issue like Bron_Yr_Aur suggests.
Might drop guitarbuild an email to see if they've had other reports of this, might be they're cutting it a little shorter than it needs to be and running into a tolerance issue as a result.
@Bron_Yr_Aur, when you say touching the edge of the route, is it only just touching? On mine I had to drop it on with the pickup and then actually push the plate up into place and hold it down to put the screws in.

Bron_Yr_Aur

imalone said:

Thanks all.

impmann said:

I used this one:

http://www.axesrus.co.uk/Axesrus-Vintage-Bridge-p/bt005.htm

Perfect.

I also used a genuine Fender 3 saddle and that fitted perfectly too.

I have no experience of 6 saddle 'Modern' Tele bridges... as they are the devils work! ;-)

What I've got in should be a genuine fender plate too, so either it's slightly different to the three saddle (possible, but not sure why they'd do that) or it's a tolerance issue like Bron_Yr_Aur suggests.
Might drop guitarbuild an email to see if they've had other reports of this, might be they're cutting it a little shorter than it needs to be and running into a tolerance issue as a result.
@Bron_Yr_Aur, when you say touching the edge of the route, is it only just touching? On mine I had to drop it on with the pickup and then actually push the plate up into place and hold it down to put the screws in.

Yep. It was really tight. It was pushing on the pickup and stopping it from adjusting properly. I actually took a sharp chisel to the pickup route this morning, took a couple of mm off the top, and it's miles better now. I was worried it was going to damage my new Oil City!

imalone

Bron_Yr_Aur said:

imalone said:

Thanks all.

impmann said:

I used this one:

http://www.axesrus.co.uk/Axesrus-Vintage-Bridge-p/bt005.htm

Perfect.

I also used a genuine Fender 3 saddle and that fitted perfectly too.

I have no experience of 6 saddle 'Modern' Tele bridges... as they are the devils work! ;-)

What I've got in should be a genuine fender plate too, so either it's slightly different to the three saddle (possible, but not sure why they'd do that) or it's a tolerance issue like Bron_Yr_Aur suggests.
Might drop guitarbuild an email to see if they've had other reports of this, might be they're cutting it a little shorter than it needs to be and running into a tolerance issue as a result.
@Bron_Yr_Aur, when you say touching the edge of the route, is it only just touching? On mine I had to drop it on with the pickup and then actually push the plate up into place and hold it down to put the screws in.

Yep. It was really tight. It was pushing on the pickup and stopping it from adjusting properly. I actually took a sharp chisel to the pickup route this morning, took a couple of mm off the top, and it's miles better now. I was worried it was going to damage my new Oil City!

Yes, that sounds familiar, thanks.

ThePrettyDamned

impmann said:

I used this one:

http://www.axesrus.co.uk/Axesrus-Vintage-Bridge-p/bt005.htm

Perfect.

I also used a genuine Fender 3 saddle and that fitted perfectly too.

I have no experience of 6 saddle 'Modern' Tele bridges... as they are the devils work! ;-)

Yuk.  Bridges should not have lips on the sides, only the back!

I wonder if it's just a very very tiny deviation with Gotoh then... In any case, a sharp chisel will sort it without any trouble. Mine is less than 1mm out, and only in the top left bit of the route, so it's hardly a big issue.  I expect a bit of fettling with any body, they have tolerances on parts!

davedave

Wilkinson worked fine with two of mine.

imalone

Still uncertain what I want to do now. I think my main criteria is to not have an ashtray bridge. I kind of like having individual intonation, but taking the saddles off to get the bridge off whenever you want to get at the pickup drives me crazy. On the other hand about the only rimless bridge with vintage saddles is the Hipshot, which might be a bit expensive for a partscaster that doesn't get much use. Yet another possibility is change to a short bridge and body-mount the pickup, but I kind of want it to be somewhat 'classic tele' and the bridge plate is meant to be a part of that sound.
Decisions...

(In case of further objection to separate saddles on a classic tele, take a look at Keith Richard's 'Micawber')
Edit: option #4, Wilkinson bridge + hacksaw?

impmann

If you want a Wilkinson short bridge, I have one here. I'll be honest, I'm not a fan of them... I bought it new and have never fitted it. Yours for a tenner delivered.

imalone

impmann said:

If you want a Wilkinson short bridge, I have one here. I'll be honest, I'm not a fan of them... I bought it new and have never fitted it. Yours for a tenner delivered.

Thanks, but I think if I went with a short bridge I'd stick with modern saddles, my "option 4" is cutting the sides off a full bridge. What don't you like about the short bridges? Having the pickup wiring uncovered (GE Smith tele style) would make me a bit nervous.

ThePrettyDamned

Have you thought of the gotoh gtc bridges?

imalone

The one I've got is a Fender the same shape as the 'Gotoh standard tele' one (6 block saddles, no sides). Gotoh do do a 3-saddle with no sides: BS-TC2, but I haven't found anyone that sells it. Hipshot do it, but it would be the most expensive single component on the guitar and I'm not convinced I really want to do 3 saddles. Reasons for thinking of changing:
1. The pickup positioning problem - after this thread I'm approaching the 'just take a chisel to it' school of thought.
2. The annoying thing about needing to take the saddles off/completely reset the bridge if you want to get at the pickup - there's a 'do you really do this that often' question at the back of my mind here. I might change the bridge pickup once more, but after that? Three saddles may not really make any difference anyway as the barrels sit fairly close to the fixing screws.
3. Slight ringing on E and B string - going to try fitting string trees first (was trying to get away without them with staggered tuners) to see if it's the neck or the bridge. It might be this is something worth changing the bridge for anyway.