Really Thick Vintage Bridge - Who Sells Em!

I am starting a build that I want to put a vintage bridge on ( probably 3 saddle string thru ). I have used some of the Fender types, but they are a bit thin on the metal. Who makes a thick vintage bridge? This bridge will go a mahogany body Tele with a set of Don Mare Zepocaster Lives. I have no issue using stainless steel or brass, I just want one that intonates easily and will subdue some of the highs tonewise. Thanks for your input!

Callaham. (http://www.callahamguitars.com/brdge_T.htm)

Theirs is made from .075" steel, compared the Fender Pat Pend "vintage" plate at .045-.050"

The Fender Highway One is a cheaper alternative and is about .060".

They are all 3-saddle string-thrus.

http://www.taipantone.com/pages/full%20bridge.html

The Classic Vibe bridge is thick as well, not quite the thickness of Callaham, but not far off. Probably the same as the H1, .060".

I am starting a build that I want to put a vintage bridge on ( probably 3 saddle string thru ). I have used some of the Fender types, but they are a bit thin on the metal. Who makes a thick vintage bridge? This bridge will go a mahogany body Tele with a set of Don Mare Zepocaster Lives. I have no issue using stainless steel or brass, I just want one that intonates easily and will subdue some of the highs tonewise. Thanks for your input!

Answer is clear at least form me.. If you not insist on 3 saddles which I really did in the past as well but not now anymore.. Go for japanese Gotoh bridge with modern look and 6 steel massive saddles. Plate is is made of very thick chromed brass saddles It is super stable and intonation with this one is always perfect. Even Keith Richards seen live change his 52 vintage style to japanese modern style. Here`s the spec>

Gotoh GTC202 chrome finish bridge for Telecaster.
Heavy brass base plate with steel saddles.
2-1/8"(54mm) string spacing.
Base plate measures 4"(102mm) x 3-1/8"(80mm).
Each of the 4 mounting holes is spaced 13/16"(21mm).

I think if I were to do this I'd jump on Ebay and find a really old 3 saddle Fender OEM bridge just for the "mojo". You can replace the saddles if they're worn out.

The other option I'd go for is to grab the part no of the bridge Fender puts on one of it's vintage reissues.

And well ... while thinking about this I didn't realize that Fender also sells a compensated 3 saddle that has the sides cut out of the ash tray much like the modern 6 saddle bridge. But I did find someone selling this interesting item on Ebay. I don't recommend it - because if you're going for the 3 saddle - you're prolly going to want the "vintage" look of the tray also.

Boris,

You are killing me man! those taipan tone parts look gorgeous and stout! I know what I want for control plates and neck plates (and maybe some other stuff...) dang... I'm gonna be putting some stuff together!

Callaham makes a really nice "thick" bridge plate. Their compensated saddles are very nice as well.

This bridge will go a mahogany body Tele with a set of Don Mare Zepocaster Lives..... and will subdue some of the highs tonewise.

With respect, you have not heard these pickups in that guitar and you already want to subdue some highs? Those are the exact highs that Don tries so hard to bring to life with the Graf Airship (Zep-O-Tone) pickups.

I am not someone who read that a guy heard a guy with this stuff, my experience with this stuff is hanging on the wall and sitting on a stand beside me.

Use a regular or thin bridge and brass saddles with a Graf Airship and you get the Zep 1 sound (in my case in an Ash body). I replaced the bridge with a Joe Bardens thick plate (same size as Callaham) and no longer had the same animal. It pulled the dynamics clean out of the guitar and made the pickup sound merely like a telecaster (not Jimmy's telecaster) , much closer to my Don Mare SuperSport equipped Esquire. If you do not want to hear what Don intended the pickup to sound like, put a thick plate on, but when you give your opinion on the pickup, remember to mention the plate.

No idea how the mahogany body will affect the sound but I sincerely believe you need to try the Graf Airship with a vintage style Fender bridge (with compensated brass saddles) before you go putting another plate, that way you too can speak from experience.
(of course once you have experienced it, feel free to disagree with me, but I don't think you will...:wink: )

Thanks for the actual user advice Newtwanger. I will give that a whirl and see where it gets me. I just applied the grain filler on the body this moring, all the hardware is ordered, the pups are ordered and the neck is on it's way. This should be fun!

I am starting a build that I want to put a vintage bridge on ( probably 3 saddle string thru ). I have used some of the Fender types, but they are a bit thin on the metal. Who makes a thick vintage bridge? This bridge will go a mahogany body Tele with a set of Don Mare Zepocaster Lives. I have no issue using stainless steel or brass, I just want one that intonates easily and will subdue some of the highs tonewise. Thanks for your input!


I just read Newtwanger's posts, and I have basically no knowledge of this model pickup Don is making. Except that all the best sounding boutique pickups verge in some way or another on the microphonic. They step right up to the edge, and that makes them brilliant.

My theory in behind not interfering with you if you put a "stout" plate on that "lead sled" 7.3 one piece 'hog body you're building, is that you're building a 'torque monster' and not the musical equivalent of a ninja bike. The only thing we won't know until the build is together, is whether this Mare model will match perfectly, on the first try, with bridge X and this Monster 'Hog body. I suggest, start real heavy, and go to gradually lighter and skimpier bridgeplates until things start going wrong; then back up one step or two. I really doubt you'll get a result that is too bright - I guess you could get some elements of brightness that were dischordant with the overall sonic signature of the guitar - but that might sound great, so can't know until you try.

I was gonna try a Joe Barden on my 4 pound 14 ounce 1 piecer Hog I just had to buy out of envy! :mrgreen: ( #3 on 1/22/09 USACG page )

(I can just see my Dad, retired design engineer, reading this and saying "WTF?" Scientific? Nope, just instinct.)

Not to hijack, but will a thicker bridge plate (say .5 from base to top of saddles vs. .4 as "stock" according to stew-mac) require a shallower neck pocket? Thanks!

How thick is the Wilkinson top/string through? It seems fairly thick as well.

I noted that the CV was thin-ish

Gary

Not to hijack, but will a thicker bridge plate (say .5 from base to top of saddles vs. .4 as "stock" according to stew-mac) require a shallower neck pocket? Thanks!

Not necessarily. Every guitar works out a little different. Yeah, I've been accused of using thicker bridgeplates to compensate for the neck join being a little high, and vice versa.

I would just see how things appear to set up with the components you have in front of you, and if the neck is sitting too high in the pocket, clean out and level the pocket, and maybe sand or level some finish or wood off the bottom of the heel. Use the plate that sounds right, and if it helps along the setup that it happens to be thick, or happens to be thin, then so be it.

where can I get/buy compensated brass saddles(vintage) that would fit directly on a Fender Bridge (Highway 1 Texas Tele)? Anyone?