Bridge with raised sides, but with 6 saddles

[Floyd Tatum]

Hi, I'll start out by saying I'm a newbie, so excuse me if this is a dumb question. I did try searching for an answer, but did not find one. I'm going to be getting a Standard MIM tele, which comes with a 6-saddle bridge, the kind with no raised sides. It looks like this:



I want keep the saddles, but replace the bridge plate with a vintage "ashtray-style" bridge plate that has has 3 raised sides. Most of those kind of bridge plates are for 3-saddle bridges, but there is this one, which is a 6-saddle bridge, and has the 3 raised sides:



But, from what I've read here, those kind of saddles are not good.

The MIM Standard Tele (the 6-saddle bridge above, the top one) comes with 6 of these "modern" saddles (what's the right name for them?):



I haven't read anything bad about those kind of saddles, so I'm assuming they work well. I want to keep the saddles that come with my MIM Standard, and just swap out the bridge plate, for one with 3 raised sides. Will the saddles that come with the MIM Standard fit into the 6-saddle vintage 'ashtray bridge'? I'm thinking it will probably work as easy as pie, but has anyone here done that? Dozens, hundreds of you probably have. So, is there anything I should know about doing that? Any 'gotchas'?

Does one of the parts companies sell a bridge&saddle assembly like that? I.e, ashtray-style, 3 raised sides, with 6 'modern' saddles (or whatever they'res called)?

[varakeef]

I think you have a problem with those new saddles since the screw holes are of centre, but in the ashtray bridge they're centered.

[Floyd Tatum]

Originally Posted by varakeef

I think you have a problem with those new saddles since the screw holes are of centre, but in the ashtray bridge they're centered.

Hmmmm, I think I see what you mean.

So, do any of the parts companies make a 6-saddle bridge that has the 3 raised sides, and uses those 'modern' saddles?

[guitarzan13]

What about these?? http://yhst-50206111187217.stores.ya...tstsafitr.html
You might need longer screws... but these saddles are THE BOMB!!! I have them on 2 strats and a Tele Special.(I did not need longer screws on the special but it is a different type plate)

[yegbert]

Floyd, you won't find a bridge like you're asking for easily.

I bought this one used on ebay, seller said he thought it was made by Mighty Mite. But I can't find these for sale new or listed in any Mighty Mite catalog.



Here it is with the MIM Standard Tele saddles, mounted on my partscaster which has an MIM Standard Tele body:



The geometry of this type of saddle requires a bridge plate that has considerable length below the strings' break points on the saddles, significantly longer than true vintage style plates.

The Barden hybrid bridgeplate made to fit American Standards is long enough to be adapted to use this type of saddle, however their screw and string through holes won't match your MIM Standard.

Below are a couple of pictures of one of those I adapted to be a convertible 3-saddle/6-saddle bridge:

[Floyd Tatum]

Originally Posted by yegbert

Floyd, you won't find a bridge like you're asking for easily.

I bought this one used on ebay, seller said he thought it was made by Mighty Mite. But I can't find these for sale new or listed in any Mighty Mite catalog.

Thanks, Yegbert! Yes, that's what I'm looking for. How do you like it on your MIM Standard?

I guess this is not going to be as easy as I thought. I looked on the Mighty Mite site also, and don't see it. On the other hand, Mighty Mite doesn't have very good photos of their parts.

Perhaps I can buy a 3-saddle bridge plate and drill 6 holes in it.

The geometry of this type of saddle requires a bridge plate that has considerable length below the strings' break points on the saddles, significantly longer than true vintage style plates.

I'm not sure if I understand what you mean by that. What is "length below the string's break points on the saddles". Come to think of it, what's a break point? I'm a newbie, don't forget! Sorry!

[yegbert]

Floyd,

That bridge worked fine but I like to experiment and so there have been at least a couple other bridges on there since that one. Right now it has, of all things, a stock MIM Standard bridgeplate on it with 6 block shaped Gotoh chrome plated brass saddles! I prefer the feel of the raised sides but I do okay with a flat plate.

Those block shaped saddles have to have room to spare for the intonation adjustment screw to travel, if you tried to put them on a vintage-short bridgeplate the screw would bottom out on the upper end of the saddle, and before that it would interfere with the string passing through the saddle.

The string break point is the point where the string rests solidly on the saddle and angles down towards the hole in the plate, and that part of the string and the rest of the string below that, don't vibrate to make musical notes.