Vintage Style Bridge Plate with 6 Brass Saddles

[slincoln]

Anybody know of (use) a Vintage style Tele bridge plate that is setup with 6 individual brass saddles? I use EB Heavy Bottom Slinky Top strings (.010-.052) set and even the aftermarket angled saddles don't quite get the tuning right. I recently reinstalled a Fender 6 steel unit and the tone suffers without the good ol' brass (IMHO), but the tuning is a lot better. Thanks guys.

[The String King]

I think you could modify a 3 saddle bridge... I don't think they make one. They might.

[Davis]

Originally Posted by slincoln

I recently reinstalled a Fender 6 steel unit and the tone suffers without the good ol' brass (IMHO), but the tuning is a lot better. Thanks guys.

See if the bottoms of the height adjustment screws are flat and in full contact with the bridge plate. If rounded, pointed or angled, the saddles are resting on two tiny points. Flat bottoms and better contact may not solve the problem but it should improve things.

[The String King]

Yes this is a good point.

Also make sure that the bottom of the bridge plate is flat, because the same may happen. You could also upgrade your nut to a brass one. I have played a Custom guitar with all brass hardware. Very nice indeed! At only about £6 a swing the nuts are pretty good going.

Hope This Helps!

[PJ]

It seems I've seen a "modern" bridge assembly on the aftermarket, that has 6 brass saddles, that you could probably use in a vintage plate. They're round just like the Fender 6-saddle vintage bridge. Might be AllParts, I'll check it out for you.

[boris bubbanov]

I understand that the stock bridge with 6 brass saddles from a G + L ASAT Classic can be fastened right on a vintage specs Tele body.
I agree there's something missing with the Nashville 6 barrel steel saddles, and yes the G + L in brass is made much nicer and there's far less contact between the adjacent saddles, far less contact between the string ends and the intonation springs.
But I think you can compensate the 3 brass saddles as Callaham and Glendale have to get good intonation with a wide variety of string mixes, 10-46,10-50,11-49, wound G strings, and it is worth it.
I've ditched all 4 of my stock Nashville saddles for 3 barrel; my ASAT Classics get the Callaham test next.

Bubbanov

[slincoln]

I read something about a G&L unit but I didn't know if you could buy one as an aftermarket piece. Google has yielded no real results. I imagine that someone could file in some compensation on the 3 saddle unit. I've taken needlenose pliers and bent (my already slanted units) and that has maybe helped, but that's not very scientific. I appreciate the inout and hope somebody out here knows of some good option. Callaham wasn't much help when I contacted them before.

[Davis]

Originally Posted by PJ

It seems I've seen a "modern" bridge assembly on the aftermarket, that has 6 brass saddles, that you could probably use in a vintage plate. They're round just like the Fender 6-saddle vintage bridge. Might be AllParts, I'll check it out for you.

The Guitarfetish C12 bridge has 6 brass saddles, but they are gold plated. No idea if plain brass is available but it might be worth asking. Do an Ebay search for C12 bridge to see it, there is one up now, ending late Sun night.

[yegbert]

Originally Posted by boris bubbanov

I understand that the stock bridge with 6 brass saddles from a G + L ASAT Classic can be fastened right on a vintage specs Tele body.
I agree there's something missing with the Nashville 6 barrel steel saddles, and yes the G + L in brass is made much nicer and there's far less contact between the adjacent saddles, far less contact between the string ends and the intonation springs.
But I think you can compensate the 3 brass saddles as Callaham and Glendale have to get good intonation with a wide variety of string mixes, 10-46,10-50,11-49, wound G strings, and it is worth it.
I've ditched all 4 of my stock Nashville saddles for 3 barrel; my ASAT Classics get the Callaham test next.

Bubbanov

G&L was selling the set of 6 brass barrel saddles like come on the ASAT Classic, complete with screws and springs, through the G&L onlline store on the G&L website. But they aren't listed there now. I bought a set of those there a couple of years ago for around $25.

If you can find a set of those, they will fit on any bridge plate made to the specs of the Fender '70s vintage 6-barrel style. There's a recent thread all about that style bridge here.

Here's a pic of the saddles I had. Here they are installed on a bridgeplate that was stock on a '98 CII Squier Standard Tele, and I had to use longer screws and springs. The intonation screws that came with my G&L saddles were black. I sold the saddles through the garage sale here.

[GilmourD]

This may help you out.

http://www.allparts.com/store/guitar...01,Product.asp

[tele_player]

Glendale guitars sells special angled saddles for heavier strings, it's worth a try to avoid 6 saddles on a Tele.

[boris bubbanov]

+1 what tele_player says.

Even with the closer tolerances G + L rig, you've got too many saddle height screws fighting to make good contact with the bridge plate, and if just one of them loses, your gonna get noises you can't use.

Plus, three saddles can make some contact, at two locations, but the six saddle type usually make contact at five locations, increasing your odds of troublesome vibrations, I submit. I can take a pick and drive it between the 3 brass barrel barrels and avoid all contact, never be able to keep all 5 spacings right with a guitar in regular use.

Finally the string drops down off the saddle break and right alongside, usually in lengthy contact with the intonation or length spring, even some contact on the G + L. The three barrel saddle springs never ever touch the strings, so 6 more chances for problems in one than the other.

They're the top heavy monster trucks of the saddle world, and I am not entertained when they're trying to tumble over.



Bubbanov

[esteban]

http://www.fender.com/products//sear...tno=0135300332

Right?

[yegbert]

Originally Posted by esteban

http://www.fender.com/products//sear...tno=0135300332

Right?

That's the Fender reproduction six-barrel vintage style bridge assembly. The saddles on it don't appear to be brass, like slincoln was looking for. The brass G&L saddles I pictured earlier would fit.

Personally, I'm with boris, I don't like the performance of the six barrel setups I've tried. Unstable, and I think the tone was affected by that.

The Tele saddle designs with six rectangular saddles, strings centered on them, and STB holes in close proximity for a relatively steep break angle (American Standard / American Series and current production Squier Standard) seem better than the six barrel design.

The 3 barrel design is still my favorite.