Bardens bridge a weird size?

[newtwanger]

A couple of weeks ago I put a Barden's bridge on my Esquire and though it's a beautiful piece and the saddles are great, I was having issues with the high E falling off the fretboard around the 12th fret.
Well I took it apart last night thinking I might have bolted the bridge down crooked or offset (I doubted that as I'm pretty anal about alignment).
I pulled out the micro calipers and started to measure the string through holes.
Fender holes 3.00mm Bardens 2.65mm (no big deal)
Fender E to E center on center 53.70
Bardens E to E center on center 55.11mm

Now while that doesn't seem like much (1.41mm), you can clearly see the high E being "redirected" outward from the hole drilled in the body, the Fender is a straight pull.
Maybe not a big deal for most necks but on a 1 5/8 wide neck with rolled fingerboard it's enough to make me pull out the saddles, put them on the Fender bridge and voila! My great guitar is great again (and the body holes line up exactly with the bridge holes).

Anyone else see stuff like this?

[mellecaster]

Have never used a Barden Bridge in my builds....but now I'm Pretty sure I won't be...thanks for the Heads up.

[boris bubbanov]

Does anyone know precisely where these Barden bridges are being made?

Given the bargain prices these things are showing up for on e-bay, one might assume they're now being made overseas by a contractor. This wider string hole array is another hint that the product has been outsourced, perhaps.

But I don't wanna assume if someone has the cold facts. Takers?

Much obliged,

[newtwanger]

Well it's a really pretty, thick, dead flat quality feeling bridge .
I just got the idea to drill some toploader holes in it, at least I'll have something to play around with
(And I won't feel like I spent $70 just to get a set of saddles and a piece of scrap)

[newtwanger]

Just to add more info to this thread, Jack (jwells393) posted this pic from StewMac in another thread but it applies to this issue too:



Note that #4583 is 53.8mm (my Fender was 53.7mm) and that #0099 is 54.61mm. So there is a variance even between Fender vintage parts (no surprise ). I guess that the Bardens at 55.11 was just a bit too far "out of spec" to work correctly (or to my fussy requirements) on my guitar, as clearly many people have them and don't notice any issues.


I reinstalled my Fender bridge with the Bardens saddles last night and it's great. The A string is a tiny bit out of intonation (.02) but the rest are bang on.

[timmer]

I had a Barden on my Nash Esquire and an ashtray cover from another guitar would not fit on it; it was too wide.

[newtwanger]

Originally Posted by timmer

I had a Barden on my Nash Esquire and an ashtray cover from another guitar would not fit on it; it was too wide.

Yup, that part I expected though as the metal is 50% thicker.

If you look at your picture you can see the Bardens holes are wider spaced than those on your body (look in the low E string hole), and it's redirecting the E and A strings a tiny bit. Mine was aligned the other way that moved the B and E strings.

By clamping it into a drill press and increasing the hole diameters to 3.00 (like Fender) from 2.65, then beveling the holes I can get them to where they should be, just requires a bunch of measuring and division to get every one aligned. (Fussy me)

[boris bubbanov]

I was frustrated because with my "rules" ( no e-bay ) I couldn't get a Barden at the lower going price.

Now, with those string holes being so wide apart, I guess I won't need one. Or, I could do surgery on it (6 new holes) and use it on an Am Se modern body.

Yep, that Stew Mac # 0099 string array has worked great for me. The Allparts TB 5125-001 has the same exact string array. The lightweight Fender "Pat Pend." are ever so slightly closer together than the #0099 and the Allparts, maybe a 1/32nd of an inch, but these are all IMO within the range of acceptible tolerance.

As for covers not fitting, I find it more desirable to cover the "butt crack" on Fender sourced bodies (not an issue on Custom Shop or USACG bodies) as can be done with the overall wider Callaham than with any other vintage type plate.


And this is a paradox since I like to keep Fender componentry on Fender guitars and build partscasters out of parts with no Fender images on them.



Oh, heck! Maybe this is why Tommy is so quiet right now. Maybe he won the contract to make all the fender custom shop bodies!

[timmer]

Originally Posted by newtwanger

If you look at your picture you can see the Bardens holes are wider spaced than those on your body (look in the low E string hole), and it's redirecting the E and A strings a tiny bit. Mine was aligned the other way that moved the B and E strings.

Actually, every string is centered in it's respective hole and I have a higher-res photo where you can see this. This E-type Nash was custom ordered to use the Barden bridge and can be seen here on his site (first one).

Here's a larger image:

[robt57]

Originally Posted by timmer

Actually, every string is centered in it's respective hole and I have a higher-res photo where you can see this. This E-type Nash was custom ordered to use the Barden bridge and can be seen here on his site (first one).

Here's a larger image:

The E, A, & D look pretty much NOT over the pole in the PUP. How does it look at the neck?? Or just camera angle ??

[timmer]

It's the camera angle.

[boris bubbanov]

Originally Posted by timmer

It's the camera angle.

Yup.


A couple more details. the Barden sites do say the hardware on the saddles is Imperial. Interestingly at GuitarPartsResource and elsewhere, the Barden bridge assembly has an Allparts style parts number , TB 51xx-xxx, just like the metric Allparts TB 5125-001 does.

Also, for those needing nickel, not chrome, the Stew Mac # 0099 is chrome, and the Allparts TB 5125-001 is definitely nickel plated.

The big disadvantage of the Allparts with its big spade bit headed height screws, if string break over the barrels is real crucial. Smaller headed height screws often will be needed, depending on the application. Otherwise they're real neat. $ 48 is Allparts MSRP, retail should be less.

Wassup with this one guy selling Barden bridge assemblies for $ 119.99?

[crowden]

I paid about $56 including shipping from this eBay seller.

I got it about a week ago to replace the stock bridge on a Squier Vintage Modified Thinline. I like the sound of it very much but I must say that I had a few disappointments about it.

First, there were 2 burrs on the upper flanges edge that I had to take a dremel buffer wheel to so it wouldn't scratch the !#@% out of me. While the plating is quite good, those burrs should have been removed before the plating - kinda makes me wonder if mass producing them is cutting in on the quality they are meant to have.

Second, I had to end up putting a neck shim in (or get shorter screws - or file the original screws) because they are quite long and to top that, they have razor sharp edges that will fillet your fingers in a heart beat.

Overall, I would say I like the saddles a lot, intonation was a breeze and went quickly except for the low E which is very close but not quite intonated (it's a tiny tad sharp). The A is right on.

Would I buy another one?

Well, I would buy the saddles again. Although the bridge plate is nice and thick, I too have the problem with the string through holes being a little wider. It just makes it a bit of a pain in the butt on a restring. I suppose that's a little nit picky...

[PJ]

Best solution is to use the Fender vintage "PetPend" bridgeplate. I solved a similar bridge problem going back to the Fender plate, with
aftermarket compensated saddles.

[jwells393]

The E, A, & D look pretty much NOT over the pole in the PUP.

That's called parallax.

[newtwanger]

Actually, this is a Parallax:



That was technically a "camera angle/lens warp-distort thingie"

[w0odman]

So is the only difference about this bridge that it has two extra screws attaching it to the body and Joe's name on it? If so just buy a cheaper Fender patent pending and drill two more holes.

[newtwanger]

Originally Posted by w0odman

So is the only difference about this bridge that it has two extra screws attaching it to the body and Joe's name on it? If so just buy a cheaper Fender patent pending and drill two more holes.

It's also 50% thicker and has the "single-cutaway". (not to mention polished up like crazy, if that's your thing.)

Since the saddles are top notch, the bridge is really only about $20 of the total price. A lot less expensive than the Fender piece.