Tele with a Bigsby - do I need slotted saddles?

BlackbirdCabs

Hi folks. If I get a Bigsby and suitable bridgeplate for my Tele, can I still use my vintage style brass saddles that don't have any string slots? Or does the fact that the strings are now going back at a much shallower angle (rather than down through the body) mean that the strings will move about without slotted saddles?

WezV

There is certainly a chance they will be more likely to move when strumming, but I would only look to change them  if you have problems with your playing style.  it might not be an issue at all

another option is to shim the neck as this raises the bridge more and increases that break angle over the saddle

BlackbirdCabs

Thanks @WezV - my actual situation is that I want to convert a standard hardtail bridge to a Tele bridgeplate, but the string-through holes would need to be re-drilled about 3mm back from the current ones, so not really practical. *

So my thinking was that I get a Tele bridgeplate designed with Bigsbys in mind, with space for the strings to pass behind the bridge. I could probably find some kind of wraparound tailpiece and have it close enough to the saddles to create more of an angle than an actual Bigsby would.

* (unless I angle the new through holes so they don't interfere with the old ferrules - hmm, maybe this is the way forward)

WezV

I wouldn't be  trying to drill those holes at an angle without some clever jig to align it all , they can be hard enough to get right when done straight.

Your wraparound and tele bridge combo all sounds a bit too Status Quo for me

BlackbirdCabs

At some point in the not too distant future I'll have access to a big ol' pillar drill that can be trusted to do a decent job of drilling at an angle. My current benchtop one tends to get seduced by the grain and wonders at will so who knows where they'd end up popping out on the other side! I do love a clever jig though.

ICBM

BlackbirdCabs said:

Hi folks. If I get a Bigsby and suitable bridgeplate for my Tele, can I still use my vintage style brass saddles that don't have any string slots? Or does the fact that the strings are now going back at a much shallower angle (rather than down through the body) mean that the strings will move about without slotted saddles?

You'll be much better off with grooved steel saddles. The other problem with brass for this is that it's so much softer than steel that the strings will cut into it very quickly - which might solve the slipping sideways problem but will cause major tuning issues.





(And steel saddles sound better anyway .)

BlackbirdCabs

ICBM said:

(And steel saddles sound better anyway .)

Ha! It's actually the Callaham steel saddles in place at the moment that I'm not keen on - everything's a bit harsh and strident.

They'll go on a more Strat-y guitar instead and I'm hoping the brass mellows this one out a bit.

ICBM

BlackbirdCabs said:

Ha! It's actually the Callaham steel saddles in place at the moment that I'm not keen on - everything's a bit harsh and strident.

They'll go on a more Strat-y guitar instead and I'm hoping the brass mellows this one out a bit.

Harsh and (especially) strident is what brass ones sound like to me - steel is brighter, but doesn’t have the nasty upper-mid ‘whang’ (somewhere between whine and clang ) characteristic that really grates on me.

BlackbirdCabs

OK so there was no sensible way of making my bridge change work with the curent body, so I've bitten the bullet and bought a lovely swamp ash in stock body from Guitarbuild so I can fix this problem the right way.

The brass vs. steel debate, on the other hand, remains undecided!