American and Mexican standard Tele owners - what did you replace your Strat bridge with?

rze99

And was it worth it?

phil_b

do standard teles have a strat bridge?

Sassafras

If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Funkfingers

Telecasters with a Stratocaster-type bridge, eh? That limits the question to variants with a humbucker, P90, Filter’Tron, Dyna-Sonic or Lace Dually pickup in the bridge/Treble position.

For a while now, the revised Am Std bridge has had bent steel saddles like an old Stratocaster. Perhaps, that is what this Discussion is supposed to be about?

I have this sort of bridge and saddle on a 2011 Tele-bration guitar. IMO, the steel saddles help a “Twisted” neck position pickup sound more believably Stratty. I have no plans to replace the saddles.

GraphTech String Savers will fit. I installed a set on my Squier VM Telecaster Custom II. The guitar sounded better for it.

rze99

Funkfingers said:

Telecasters with a Stratocaster-type bridge, eh? That limits the question to variants with a humbucker, P90, Filter’Tron, Dyna-Sonic or Lace Dually pickup in the bridge/Treble position.

For a while now, the revised Am Std bridge has had bent steel saddles like an old Stratocaster. Perhaps, that is what this Discussion is supposed to be about?

I have this sort of bridge and saddle on a 2011 Tele-bration guitar. IMO, the steel saddles help a “Twisted” neck position pickup sound more believably Stratty. I have no plans to replace the saddles.

GraphTech String Savers will fit. I installed a set on my Squier VM Telecaster Custom II. The guitar sounded better for it.

Yep that bent steel saddle bridge is what I’m talking about. It works fine. Ok. But I don’t think it matches a trad Tele bridge with 3 brass or steel saddles. The Callahan is a great alternative but it’s 90 quid which seems excessive. Perhaps better saddles are an improvement. 

Funkfingers

The current Am Std baseplate is machined from solid rather than the vintage-style stamped steel type. The traditional brass rod saddles are inappropriate.

ICBM

I may be in a small minority here but I actually thought the first version USA Standard bridge was better. Unfortunately with the saddles being offset, you can’t put those on a non-offset bridge (or vice versa if you prefer). I think the bridgeplates can be swapped on the Tele though - they both have three screws behind the string holes. Neither can be swapped for a vintage-style bridge, which has four screws in front of the string holes.

rze99

Yes, the three hole plate has some options to replace I'm looking at. There are three high quality alternatives:

Glendale Vintage "Hartail" bridge-plate (then use saddles of your choice)
https://glendaleguitars.com/the-hardtail/

Callaham American Standard Hardtail Bridge
https://www.callahamguitars.com/tele_bridge_amstdhardtail_catalog.htm

 6 String Fixed Guitar Bridge
https://hipshotproducts.com/products/fixed-guitar-bridge

Of these I'm most attracted to the Callaham. Should have more of a Tele response and look but pricey.

Or just keep the existing plate and upgrade the saddles e.g. to Gotoh S21 whihc are well made sleek and attractive.
https://www.axesrus.co.uk/Gotoh-S11-Saddles-Steel-p/ss21set.htm

Funkfingers

The Gotoh saddles are offered in two versions. Both are chrome plated but the metal beneath varies. Choose between brass or steel, depending on what overtones you desire.

rze99

Funkfingers said:

The Gotoh saddles are offered in two versions. Both are chrome plated but the metal beneath varies. Choose between brass or steel, depending on what overtones you desire.

Thanks for the tip much appreciated.

Headphones

I've tried three different bridges on my Player Tele.  It came with the version that has the Strat style saddles and thick plate.  This gave a real problem stringing it, as nothing lined up...  I swapped it for a Gotoh GTC201 (~£42), which is a very similar item to the original fit, but has chrome plated brass block saddles instead.  Much easier with the ergonomics, little difference in the sound, a bit "stronger" in the bridge if anything - nothing compared to a new set of strings though!

I then fitted the Wilkinson WTB vintage style bridge (~£18), three brass, compensated saddles.  It made it look like a vintage tele, but it changed the sound markedly; thinner, more "plinky", weaker.

If this is what a vintage Tele's like, well, it's not for me!

It looks like the relatively thin bridge plate allows the pickup to move and this affects the tone, it was also slightly microphonic as a result.  The neck pickup didn't change by much at all.

I changed back to the Gotoh.

Funkfingers

Fender juggles the pickup, bridge and body wood formula to arrive at a compromise that is acceptable to the majority of would-be purchasers.

The machined from solid baseplate suits A5 pickups with their slightly scooped midrange. The stamped steel baseplate matches better with A3 or A2 and skinnier copper wire. 

Older forumites will recall the brass hardware fad of forty years ago. On Telecasters, the all-brass bridge compensated for many of the deficiencies of CBS-era pickups (and faithfully nasty MIJ replicas).

For Blackguard fiends such as I, the microphony is part of the sound. I learned to turn it to my advantage.

YMMV

pintspiller

During my Tele testing about five years ago I thought the Standard with the Strat-type sounded most like a Tele.

Funkfingers

Which brings the debate around to what *should* a Telecaster sound like? Roy Buchanan? Jimmy Bryant? James Burton? Jimmy Page? George Harrison? Jerry Harrison? Dhani Harrison?

I'm not trying to start an argument here. I'm just pointing out that Leo's canoe paddle can be turned to all sorts of music. Some of the actual sounds produced by guitars with the same model name are nothing like each other.

Headphones

Funkfingers said:

Which brings the debate around to what *should* a Telecaster sound like? Roy Buchanan? Jimmy Bryant? James Burton? Jimmy Page? George Harrison? Jerry Harrison? Dhani Harrison?

I'm not trying to start an argument here. I'm just pointing out that Leo's canoe paddle can be turned to all sorts of music. Some of the actual sounds produced by guitars with the same model name are nothing like each other.

Absolutely!

My Tele neck pickup does exactly what I expect of the best Strat neck pickups.  Which my Strats don't (or, at least, not as well)!

ICBM

Funkfingers said:

I'm not trying to start an argument here. I'm just pointing out that Leo's canoe paddle can be turned to all sorts of music. Some of the actual sounds produced by guitars with the same model name are nothing like each other.

Indeed. A Tele is capable of producing both one of the best sounds of any electric guitar, and one of the worst. And that's just 50s blackguard ones...

rze99

OP here: I splashed out on the Callahan American Standard with brass compensated saddles.

I was a bit reluctant as I think it rather overpriced but, I'm really very glad I did.

In playing it today after the change, it has added solidity, improved note definition, clarity, sustain and evenness of response across the strings all over the fretboard. The only thing I need to do now is get their shorter saddle screws. The humbuckers here are Suhr Thornbuckers which will be the subject of a separate thread at some point.

Pics

Headphones

Even I can tell that's not a real tele...

ICBM

Just shim the neck slightly rather than use shorter screws - that will also increase the break angle and down-pressure on the saddles and might improve the tone.

rossi

Funkfingers said:

Which brings the debate around to what *should* a Telecaster sound like? Roy Buchanan? Jimmy Bryant? James Burton? Jimmy Page? George Harrison? Jerry Harrison? Dhani Harrison?

You missed out Avril  Lavigne