Help with Hipshot contraptions.

Hi all, I have an American Standard Tele with a bunch of Hipshot stuff on it, three drop tuners, and the B bending mechanism as well as the G lever. I like it OK, but I can't seem to get the bridge (also Hipshot) set up properly with it.

I can set the radius and intonate it, but the saddles rattle. I have gone through it and I just can't get rid of it. It seems like the string, when plucked, makes the saddles rattle.

It does not seem to happen with the one string that is not altered by any Hipshot product.

I don't like the Hipshot bridge, and I really don't like the Hipshot saddles. They are cheap and flimsy, and you can see in the pictures that on the high E I used a Fender saddle, since that one rattles the worst. It's not a lot better.

My suspicion is starting to be that I'd either need heavier strings (I use .09 and .10 gauges), or raise the action up a lot higher for these to work right. But if I do that, then it becomes a guitar that I don't really enjoy playing much.

I am also wondering about getting a superior bridge, and am talking to Bill Callaham about their bridges, which are heavier and better constructed (most likely), and also have barrel saddles, which would be an improvement in this case.

I also suspect that the break angle of the string over the saddles is part of the problem here, that there just isn't enough pressure on the saddles due to the angle and the light strings. I'd rather address the break angle and hope the the light strings can stay, so I'm talking to Bill about drilling holes in the bridge a little lower.

I know a lot of folks on here use benders with barrel saddles and simply cut a groove into the top of the bridge, I'd rather not do that, but it makes me feel that the break angle with barrel saddles is less of an issue.

Or, I could be barking up the wrong tree. I thought I'd just throw this out there and see if anyone has any thoughts that I haven't considered, or can verify anything I'm suspecting. It's possible that I just suck at setting up this style of bridge in the first place, but I am not incapable of setting up guitars, and with this one I just go 'round and 'round and never get anywhere. But if people tell me that they have the same setup and have no problems with it, then I'll just accept it and take it to a pro or something, after having a more thorough whack at it Sunday.

Thanks all!

You're basically getting a top loader on every string that goes thru hipshot and the string that isn't involved with it is a string thru body.

So if you get weak response on those toploading strings you may need more angle over saddles with those. You don't have to sacrifice your low action if you shim the neck and higher the saddles accordingly.

That's a good thought. I need to shim one of my Jazzmasters this weekend also. I'll use a credit card for this, but the Tele I'm pretty sure has Micro Tilt, which I've had on guitars before and never used. I could give it a try this weekend.

Good to think I was on the right track, although I'm still considering the Callaham bridge or something else.

Thanks!

Just like Varakeef said above. I started off using the "fully loaded" Hipshots like you pictured, and on most teles I put them on, i found it worked MUCH better to shim the body side of the neck pocket to get more of an angle for better "down force".

These days I just use a B/G bender with a D-tuner, except for the one that I added an A bender to. I found thru the years that I just didn't do that much in open tunings.

Those holes are way too high. Drill them as low as you can. You're not getting much downforce at all. Top-loaded, 3-compensated-barrel bridge would be my choice. I have never liked 6 saddle bridges on a Tele. Just ain't natural!

Those holes are way too high. Drill them as low as you can. You're not getting much downforce at all. Top-loaded, 3-compensated-barrel bridge would be my choice. I have never liked 6 saddle bridges on a Tele. Just ain't natural!

Yes, need more down force.

I don't like this six saddle bridge either. You know what I like? A Mustang bridge. Rock solid, pre-radiused, there are only two screws for the height and then just the intonation.

Not like this finicky little Telecaster bridge. I think I'll see if they'll drill me the holes as low as possible on a new bridge. If that doesn't do it, then I'll shim... honestly, I have it set up perfectly right now, so I'm not sure if I really want to shim if there is another thing that'll work. Even if it'll cost me a lot more- because I just don't like this bridge at all.

This is the bridge I'm thinking about, by the way- I imagine you all know it, but maybe you can tell me if there's a better alternative out there. I don't know much about this style of bridge:

http://www.callahamguitars.com/brdge_T.htm

Thanks again!

The one on the right oughta work for you, but DANG, that's a lot of money for a bridge plate and saddles. If you have a drill and a bench vise and take your time, you can most likely make your own conversion bridge out of an Amer. Stnd. bridge (someone on here did just that and posted pics). Locate the three holes for the intonation screws, center punch them, drill them out. Locate the holes for the "bent/drop tune strings to go thru the back lip; put them as LOW as you can for more downforce, center punch them and drill and you should be good to go. I can't see the whole operation taking over 30 minutes start to finish.

To me, $130 plus shipping for a bridge plate made by ANYone is highway robbery. Callaham makes a "big deal" out of the two little holes they put at the front of the bridge plate; you can also do that yourself in 2 minutes tops with any plate.

Don't be afraid to try some of this stuff, it really isn't that hard to do and you have the satisfaction of "I did it MYSELF!". You CAN do it.....good luck.

The Callaham bridge is nice, but I have to agree with bender-freak, that's a whole chunk of change for a dang bridge! Heck, you can buy a playable "whole guitar" for that!

Give the Am. Std. bridge a try first.

Looking at those pics of your hipshot bridge, it seems like the way the strings do the over and under thing on the saddles, it would apply enough down-force, no?

Well, I never thought that it wouldn't apply enough force until recently, but I just can't see what else it could be at this point.

But yeah, I think I see the path forward. I will get a vise this weekend and drill out the American Standard bridge that I have, and put the Hipshot saddles on it. Depending on how it goes, I might drill out the saddles on the American Standard bridge also. No reason not to give it a shot, and I need to learn if that's the problem or what. The reason I was thinking of the Callaham bridge is because the barrel saddles won't require being drilled out.

But yeah, it's a lot of money. Besides, I'll need to know if this is the problem and if this will fix it, because I have another Tele coming in parts this week. I'll probably not go as nuts with her, but in time I'll likely be wanting some Hipshot G and B bending levers on her, and I'll need to know if this is going to be the solution or not.

Thanks for the help everyone... this is a fun guitar, and once I get her all properly done, she'll be even more fun. I appreciate it! I'll let you all know how it goes once I'm done.

Larry, FWIW I put a Hipshot on my CVC this morning. I started at 9:00 am. I pulled the strings off, tossed 'em. Lifted the bridgeplate off (a Barden with 3 compensated brass saddles) after dropping the bridge pickup out. Marked the holes for the B/G and big E strings, put the bridge in a vise, center-punched them and drilled. Took the bridgeplate out of the vise, and took out the barden compensated saddles (never liked 'em too much anyway) replaced them with non-compensated stock steel saddles grooved 2 strings on each saddle, NOT the all-thread type saddles. Put the pickup back in, repelaced and cinched down the bridge plate. Located the Hipshot B/G E d-tuner on the butt end, put the endpin/strap lock button back in to hold it down. Cut 3 small pieces of tubing for the "bent" strings, stuck them in the lip of the bridgplate. Strung it up, set the intonation, took the "stretch" out of the new strings. By 10:15 I was pickin' and bendin".

Any way, the whole thing from start to finish took a little over an hour. Don't pay some shop BIG money to do this sorta stuff. You CAN do it.

Yeah, I can do it. I'll do my AmStandard bridge this weekend, or whatever passes for a weekend with me, anyway. On the other hand, though, one of the things that was appealing to me about the Callaham bridge was the barrel saddles- I just don't like these Hipshot saddles, and while the Fender ones are a little better, I don't love them either.

While I'm at it, I might as well switch them out, and so far these are looking pretty good:

http://music-parts-plus.amazonwebstore.com/6-Bridge-Saddles-for-Tele-Round/M/B004MN934A.htm?traffic_src=froogle&utm_medium=CSE&utm_source=froogle

Plus there's no need to drill those out. I'll still have to switch the screws out for Allen wrench accessible ones... with all that metal back there, there's no way to get a screwdriver in there easily without stripping the screws that I can see.

Anybody have any thoughts about those saddles?

I peronally don't care much for that type of saddle. Any tele I ever played that had them, it felt like they "rocked" back and forth and "slid" around especially when doing any kind of finger bends. I suppose I'm just a die-hard fan of the straight non compensated 2 strings on a saddle guy. The ONLY "bender" tele I have with 6 saddles is my American Standard Nashville (converted it to Nashville style myself soon after I bought it new in 96) It has a P/G B bender with a Hipshot I added 2 weeks after I bought it to give me B/G/and A string bends with a drop D. The other 8 teles I own are all 3 saddle vintage style with the exception of my Squier Custom II (Indonesian scratch & dent I picked up for almost nothing).

If at all possible, I would recommend going with a dual load bridge OR just locating and drilling holes as I described and converting an "american standard" plate to a 3 saddle plate.

I'll admit this is all pretty easy to me cause I've mounted Hipshots on almost every type of guitar known to man for myself and for others. I've put them on teles, strats, les Pauls, 335's, full jazz boxes, put them on guitars with Kalher tailpieces in order to have "bender and tremolo" at the same time. Sure, I screwed up a few times, but I learned what TO do and most importantly what NOT to do. Best thing I learned was to study everything very carefully, think about it for a while, draw it out, think some more before I started "cutting and destroying".

again, good luck whatever you decide.....

I agree with b-f! I don't like those saddles. I have no problem with three compensated saddles. I just do NOT like 6 saddle Teles. With my manual bending, I can watch 6 saddle bridges sliding around. Insufficient down pressure!

A stock 3-saddle Fender-type bridge is really all you need. Then a set (depending on how sharp or mellow you like your tone) of steel, Tusq brass or whatever saddles with all contact points lubed with dry Teflon. I've had boutique saddles and while they were pretty for a while they were not significantly different in tone than any other saddle of similar alloy. Also different guitars sound better with different saddles (same with pickups, I.e. Bardens with titanium are icepick city to me...I can only use Bardens with brass).

Then, if necessary, adjust the break angle by shimming the neck. The more downward pull the better the sustain...but also a higher chance of breakage. Always polish the bending-string saddle to remove microscopic burrs.

But FWIW some 6-saddle bridges are OK. With the right neck angle and heavy springs they can be very solid. However, almost all come with wimpy (IMO) springs. The saddles in the preceding post I've found to be looser than stock 6-saddle bridges!