A nice alternative to the PAT PEND bridge plate

I recently picked up this Squier bridge plate. (I'm not sure which model this came off from.) It's so much nicer that the Fender PAT PEND plate but still has the same look.

Chrome quality is about the same:
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Top edges of the Squier plate are much smoother:
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Smooth/flat top edge at the corner:
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No scratches on the sides!
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The Squier plate is steel and measures about .060" thick. The Fender plate is about .050" thick.

I know some people use the Wilkenson plate, but I don't care to have their logo stamped on it. I paid about $10 for this plate on eBay. It came with saddles but I won't be using those.

They are nice. Heavier gauge and well-made.

I just got a Chinese-made bridge plate off Ebay that was even cheaper, and came with basic steel (notched) saddles, and it's the same, except it's dual load, string-through and string holes in the back. It's like a Wilkinson without the logo.

Legend has it that long ago Leo found a monastery in deepest darkest Tibet where there were specially trained tone monkeys :eek:. Leo asked the monks if they could make "tone plates" for his new tone monster project. The monks said that they could do it with their eyes closed :cool:, and Leo departed with a big grin. When the first shipment arrived Leo was concerned with the finish of the supplied "tone plates" :shock:, saying that "they must have made them with their eyes closed because his customers are bound to question the quality", the monks replied that "these were manufactured by specially trained tone monkeys and that they had painstakingly filed the corners to dissipate resonant frequencies that were undesirable and made special scratches on the sides to identify their work (each one is like a fingerprint), in order that the plate gave the magic tone". Leo was happy, although he understood the average guitar player would not understand the reason for the poor finish but at least he had an answer should anyone question him.

Years later guitar players evolved to a level where they understood such engineering skills :twisted: and thought to themselves "this is good", we must profess this to the masses. And so it was told, and the legend came to be :rolleyes:.

I would have made the same decision and have done based on quality of finish against price :oops: (can't see the point of paying "OTT" prices for something that ain't finished properly), but be prepared to build something that may never end up sounding like a "true" tele, cos without the "mojo" it's just another copy:cry:.

Stay lucky and enjoy :wink:.

Sorry, had far too much spare time on my hands tonight :lol:.

Wilkingson is mark of quality these days not cheapness.

Warnz... I've had that same dream. It ends always with me falling fast, sitting atop a large Nukey (ala Slim Pickens style) and the target is the Chinese factory producing cheap knock offs of eary 1950s quality American Designed equipment. There's always a catch on the copy, the flash chorme peels off, the steel is embedded with rusty bits from poor foundry technique, one hole is misaligned, sumthin', always, every time 100%.

Proof of course is the current relationship between China and Tibet... hmm no comment. Jealous I supose of Leos affection for mojo quality tone.

The movie would be called>>>" ???????" ok I'll let the word players have this one, the pun is so well liked around here. >>>

for ex: Dr. StrangeTele visits Beijing.

The movie would be called>>>" ???????" ok I'll let the word players have this one, the pun is so well liked around here. >>>

:twisted: Was thinking more along the lines of "The final revenge of Fu Manchu 3", you know, the one where the fox is put amongst the chickens :lol:.

being "nice" is over rated.

from merriam webster:

Origin of NICE
Middle English, foolish, wanton, from Anglo-French, silly, simple, from Latin nescius ignorant, from nescire not to know — more at nescience
First Known Use: 14th century

in other words, a "nice" gal was non-discriminating - Tulsa spelled backwards.

Warnz is right - Tibetan tone monkeys all the way!

more serious - it's a matter of taste. I was in a guitar shop recently and most looked like plastic toys because they looked too perfect. - perfect parts - perfect plastic finish, etc. I'm not one for relic'd finishes, but sometimes too perfect just doesn't look right to me.

Wilkingson is mark of quality these days not cheapness.

Agree, but I just don't want their advertising on my guitar.

being "nice" is over rated.

from merriam webster:

Origin of NICE
Middle English, foolish, wanton, from Anglo-French, silly, simple, from Latin nescius ignorant, from nescire not to know — more at nescience
First Known Use: 14th century


Fortunately our language has evolved a touch in the past 700 years:roll: