Hannes Bridge Project

[blackbook]

I wrote about my Hannes Bridge telecaster project in this posting

http://www.tdpri.com/forum/telecaste...ers-goods.html

Here’s the story in a nutshell. I am a product designer. I helped an inventor named Roland Hannes get his idea for a revolutionary new bridge prototyped a few years ago. Really all I did was connect him with a machinist friend of mine. Since then Schaller has picked up his bridge and is now selling it.

http://schaller-guitarparts.de/hp105...nes-Bridge.htm

I met Roland through my old friend, luthier Stephen White. I was at Stephen’s shop last January and he showed me a prototype guitar that he was getting ready for NAMM. It did not yet have its pickups in it, but I tried it out. IT BLEW MY MIND. It was one of the most resonant instruments I have ever played. I immediately decided to build up a tele (I had been jonesing for a tele) with Roland’s bridge.

I’m not sure what part of the magic formula makes this bridge so sweet, but I think it has something to do with the fact that the saddles sit right on the wooden top of the guitar. But there are a lot of other innovations in the bridge besides that.

One thing I did not like about the bridge was the aesthetics of the anchor piece. The saddles themselves are fine--in fact kind of nice. But I knew it would not look right on my tele with that anchor. So, being a designer, I redesigned the anchor piece and had a few machined for me.
The new anchor makes the bridge feel a lot more compact. It feels like a 21st century tele bridgeto me.

So here’s the axe. Its a USACG one piece light swamp ash body (4lb5oz) flatsawn with the ovals running right down the center (thanks Tommy) with a USACG quartersawn maple with dark indian rosewood, .880” at the first fret with a super soft V profile. The pickups are a Lindy Fralin vintage wind tele bridge pickup with a Fralin P90 in the neck, underwound 10%. The paint was shot by Pat Wilkins in LA, who really did a killer tobacco sunburst for me in poly. The guitar was assembled and set up by Stephen White, whose attention to detail is astounding (e.g. the pickguard screws are grounded). Stephen is the man.

How’s it sound? Incredible. First of all, that resonance is there. I’ve never felt the top of a solidbody guitar give off so much vibration. It has awesome sustain. The bridge pickup is not too bright, but still can benefit from rolling off the tone a little. The neck pickup is brighter than most P90 neck pickups I’ve played. The parallel sound is amazing--in fact its extraordinary. The series sound is nice for the extra output.
Roland tells me that USACG is going to offer routing and drilling for the Hannes Bridge as an option soon. Or you can download his PDF or DXF (for the CAD inclined) at his website.

http://rolandhannes.com/hannesbridge.html

[po-boy]

beautiful guitar !

can you post sound clips ?




- i'm not a complete idiot ... some parts are missing -

[Phil Jacoby]

Very interesting. Is a version going to Winter NAMM on a guitar to check out?

Its tough for me to make out in the pictures, but how is the height adjustment accomplished?

[Nick JD]

This will help. Looks like a Floyd-Rose without the tremolo.

[blackbook]

I'm sure that there will be several guitars (maybe even mine) at the winter NAMM show. Schaller is really getting behind this bridge.

The height adjustment is by the button head screw under the string. Each saddle is two pieces that hinge together around a plain bearing. The top half sits right on the domed surface of the button head, which is threaded into the bottom half. To adjust the scale length, the whole assembly (both halves and the screw) moves back and forth on another screw, which is in the metal anchor. The anchor is bolted to the guitar with two M5 flat heads. The block in the back of the guitar that retains the ball ends of the strings is grounded--since that's the only metal thing that touches the strings.

Oh I should mention that the saddles themselves are made by graphtech--they are the same material their other saddles are made of. They also offer them in Tusq, which is a bit brighter.

[mowcheeba]

Really nice, I like that guitar a lot. Did you order the
neck without fretboard markers?

[1962guitargeek]

Kewl now i really can be a hi tech red neck!

That's a beautiful guitar!!!!

[Dan German]

Originally Posted by blackbook

The guitar was assembled and set up by Stephen White, whose attention to detail is astounding (e.g. the pickguard screws are grounded). Stephen is the man.

It's a killer-looking bridge (and tele). But p'guard screws are through plastic into wood. Why ground them? Is it for safety, in case lightning hits one of them?

[blackbook]

Mowcheeba: yup, I ordered the neck without face dots. My previous #1 also has no face dots. It still has side markers. I can't see the face dots when I'm playing standing up anyway.

Dan German: On this guitar the pickguard is shielded and the shielding is lightly pierced at the screw holes so that the screws make contact with the shielding. The pick guard shielding is grounded through a little tab of sheilding that peeks up out of the conrol cavity. The reason to ground the pick guard screws is to prevent static build up on the top of the pickguard. I have experienced this in the studio. It makes a crackly sound, like you'd expect static to make. If you look closely the bridge pickup coil is also shielded. Its very quiet for a single coil guitar.

[Dan German]

Originally Posted by blackbook

Dan German: On this guitar the pickguard is shielded and the shielding is lightly pierced at the screw holes so that the screws make contact with the shielding.

Well, OK then. Shielding is good.

[Motor]

Gorgeous guitar, can't wait to hear sound clips.

Cheers,
Motor

[Marcel]

What's the differents between the 2Tek bridge and this?

I thought the 2Tek bridge is the business as it also has separate saddles for each string - and its made in the good old US of A.

[blackbook]

Originally Posted by Marcel

What's the differents between the 2Tek bridge and this?

I thought the 2Tek bridge is the business as it also has separate saddles for each string - and its made in the good old US of A.

I had never heard of the 2tek bridge before! I have found some pix of the bass version(attached)--and its sort of the opposite idea of the Hannes bridge.

The 2tec had a huge metal block running through the body of the guitar, screwed on from the back. Its about being a big heavy chunk of metal.

The hannes bridge is about the vibration of the stings moving the WOOD of the guitar--the saddles sit on directly on the wood, not a metal plate, or a big metal chunk. Each one of those has its own sound. The Hannes bridge is a sound you haven't heard before.

BTW--USACG now offers routing for the hannes bridge as a stock option! For folks making their own bodies there are both DXF(for cad) and PDF(for hand marking) templates available on Roland Hannes' website.
http://rolandhannes.com/hannesbridge.html

[Marcel]

Mmmm, separation of each string saddle for better tone of each sad string is what the 2Tek bridge is all about. Some people love this bridge. You can see them drooling all over it on The Gear Page Forum or Birds & Moons (PRS) forum. Master Luthier Ron Thorn installs these bridges.

[apossibleworld]

Are there sound clips anywhere?

[Marcel]

Originally Posted by blackbook

The 2tec had a huge metal block running through the body of the guitar, screwed on from the back. Its about being a big heavy chunk of metal.

Not exactly, I believe the material most used for 2Tek is lightweight high grade Aircraft Aluminium.

Sorry, apossibleworld. You have to surch for a sound bite.

[SixShooter]

Where can you buy the Hannes bridge and what do they cost? Are they on the market yet?

[Hackguitarist]

Originally Posted by apossibleworld

Are there sound clips anywhere?

Not much of a demo, but saw this on youtube:

[yegbert]

Originally Posted by Marcel

Mmmm, separation of each string saddle for better tone of each sad string is what the 2Tek bridge is all about. Some people love this bridge. You can see them drooling all over it on The Gear Page Forum or Birds & Moons (PRS) forum. Master Luthier Ron Thorn installs these bridges.

I can believe that this bridge design's increased degree of separation of each string isolates the tone of each string from the others. But it is subjective whether that makes it better or worse than other bridges. I perceive some of this affect in 6 separate saddles compared to three; and in the saddles not touching each other, or not doing so as solidly, compared to them touching and pressing more solidly against each other. I generally prefer the sound of my Teles that have three instead of six, and/or that have the saddles pressed against each other more solidly instead of isolated from each other. Maybe it's in part because I play relatively clean without effects and at a relatively low volume.