Vintage Bridge?

[TeleBlaster13]

I know the 3 brass saddle vintage bridge comes highly recommended, and I also love the way it looks. I'm going for the Fender pat. stamped one and I'm just curious as to the actual benefits of this bridge. I am aware of the intonation problems, but still not put off.

[mellecaster]

Hello fellow Marylander !...don't be put off with the "Group think" that one must have compensated saddles....I've been at this game a long time, and with the other factors involved in a good Set-up, many times straight saddles will intonate just fine (not always) but more times than you would think....Just sayin.

[boris bubbanov]

Teleblaster, which model Tele are you playing?

I think the 7.25 board guitars can be intonated pretty good using straight barrels, depending on your choice of string sets.

A Tele with a 10-16 inch compound radius IMO just fights you with straight saddles. I relent and use compensated ones there.

Not every guitar or guitarist needs compensateds and they do have certain disadvantages of their own.

[fendorst]

Ditto to everything said above. 7.25 radius can work real well with non compensated saddles. On some guitars intonation works fine with straight saddles no matter what the neck radius. Play and listen to your guitar a lot and you may find no problems at all. It's a very individual thing, so following the "group think" is definitely not the best way to decide for your situation.

No one has mentioned the stamped bridgeplate yet, the "ashtray." I prefer those for a lively, twangy/clanky Tele sound. It's a matter of personal preference, not a better vs. worse thing. I've tried Callaham and other aftermarket bridgeplates that are heavy steel rather than stamped. They do what they say... even out the tone, even out the volume among strings, reduce the attack spike so the attack and decay are more consistent which the player interprets as more sustain. But I prefer the more lively, attack-heavy honkin' quackin' Tele sound, and the original Fender stamped ashtray delivers in spades. For around $14, I might add.

Can't help but repeat a cliche I see hear a lot: Leo pretty much nailed it the first time around. Lots of aftermarket parts can make it sound different. Whether they make it sound better is just a matter of your personal taste. You should be able to intonate your guitar just fine with an ashtray and non-slant saddles. If you want to play around with different sounds after that, it's a lot of fun learning what different bits can do.

[Strongpersuader]

Originally Posted by mellecaster

Hello fellow Marylander !...don't be put off with the "Group think" that one must have compensated saddles....I've been at this game a long time, and with the other factors involved in a good Set-up, many times straight saddles will intonate just fine (not always) but more times than you would think....Just sayin.

This is exactly my experience on this issue. I have just finished assembling a Partscaster (look for the thread 51 Tele Inspired Partscaster) with the stock vintage Fender bridge and saddles and I became quite surprised to see that the intonation is almost spot on. I was thinking about putting some Glendale's on her, but by now I think I will be putting my hard earned money on something else (new amp, pedals...you know the stuff).

[casterway]

I never cease to be amazed that I never hear about intonation problems from acoustic guitar players, with fixed bridges.

[KevinB]

The OP never really mentioned compensated saddles

Originally Posted by TeleBlaster13

...I'm going for the Fender pat. stamped one and I'm just curious as to the actual benefits of this bridge...

My answer would be that it's hard to quantify, but the thin, metal bridge plate paired with the relatively large and massive saddles seems to give the Tele much of its characteristic sound. Brass saddles in particular, seem to warm that sound a little.

[mellecaster]

Originally Posted by KevinB

The OP never really mentioned compensated saddles

But he did say he was aware of the Intonation problems...which is why I brought it up.

[Kickin']

I just got done with a partscaster and a Fender pat. bridge. I wanted to see if how
good it would sound with this bridge. It sounded ok, but after I ground the bottom of
the bridge completely flat it is like a different guitar. More presence, more snap, more
everything. Whatever you do make absolute sure the bridge is flat on the bottom.

[KevinB]

Originally Posted by Kickin'

I just got done with a partscaster and a Fender pat. bridge. I wanted to see if how
good it would sound with this bridge. It sounded ok, but after I ground the bottom of
the bridge completely flat it is like a different guitar. More presence, more snap, more
everything. Whatever you do make absolute sure the bridge is flat on the bottom.

That's good advice. The standard Pat Pend bridge plate can produce great tone but it is very poorly manufactured. Sand it dead flat before you install it.

[KevinB]

Originally Posted by mellecaster

But he did say he was aware of the Intonation problems...which is why I brought it up.

Fair point, but he did say he wanted info on the bridge plate itself. I just thought the thread was getting a bit off topic.

[Mark Davis]

Ive never used compensated saddles on any of my Teles and they all intonate just fine.

Look at all the artists who sounded just fine with stock guitars and saddles. I could write a list but it would take all day, Id have to include every Teke player from 1950-1998

[boris bubbanov]

Originally Posted by Mark Davis

Ive never used compensated saddles on any of my Teles and they all intonate just fine.

Look at all the artists who sounded just fine with stock guitars and saddles. I could write a list but it would take all day, Id have to include every Teke player from 1950-1998

Most every player, 1950-1965 and some later, who stayed with big guage strings.

I think the big problem stems from people using 8s and 9s.

Too late to ask Leo now, but I sometimes wondered if he went from 9.5 to 7.25 because someone suggested the guitars intonated better than in that form, in addition to this factor and that one also in favor of the 7.25 type.

[UncleJarmo]

I use the traditional non-compensated saddles on both my Muddy Waters tele and my '55 Thinskin. They are both 9 1/2" radius and both intonate fine. It can be a problem on some guitars but isn't on these 2 that I own, luckily.

I'm definitely into the tone of these with the ash tray bridge and brass saddles. I've use some compensating saddles on other teles and liked them fine but haven't needed them in this case.

[allen st. john]

Originally Posted by casterway

I never cease to be amazed that I never hear about intonation problems from acoustic guitar players, with fixed bridges.

The saddle on an acoustic is slanted (to a greater or lesser degree) which provides some level of compensation. Some luthiers take it a step further and compensate the saddle itself, moving the actual contact point forward or back by the width of the saddle, usually on the b-string.

The one in the picture below is a pretty extreme example.



Obviously the bridge and saddle slot have to be in exactly the right spot for an acoustic to intonate properly. During the early and mid 1970s, Martin increased their production of dreadnoughts by so much that the measuring stick got worn, and many guitars went out with bridges in completely the wrong place, which subsequently wouldn't play in tune (or even close to it) up and down the neck.

[TeleBlaster13]

I went ahead with the FENDER pat. ashtray bridge this morning. I got a professional setup just to be safe and it plays like magic. Intonation is great as of now.

Originally Posted by boris bubbanov

Teleblaster, which model Tele are you playing?

I think the 7.25 board guitars can be intonated pretty good using straight barrels, depending on your choice of string sets.

A Tele with a 10-16 inch compound radius IMO just fights you with straight saddles. I relent and use compensated ones there.

Not every guitar or guitarist needs compensateds and they do have certain disadvantages of their own.

I picked up one of the updated 2009 MIM's. The fingerboard is 9.5". I'm not sure if that was the same with the older pale necks. I have a feeling Fender made these bit thicker in addition to the switch to the tinted finish.

[HBamps]

Originally Posted by Kickin'

I just got done with a partscaster and a Fender pat. bridge. I wanted to see if how
good it would sound with this bridge. It sounded ok, but after I ground the bottom of
the bridge completely flat it is like a different guitar. More presence, more snap, more
everything. Whatever you do make absolute sure the bridge is flat on the bottom.

What's a good method to sand it?

I put some sandpaper down on a flat plate and held the bridge in my hand. It was slow going and don't know if I really achieved what I intended to...

[ADK Teleman]

I have a 3 saddle compensated bridge on my 2009 HWY 1 and absolutely love it! I also have the modern bridge on my 2009 MIM and MIA standards..and I love them...but in a different way. The 3 saddle compensated gives me that Traditional Twangy Tele sound. The modern bridge is easier to set up and has a bit more sustain IMO, but you have to choose what you like and enjoy playing. This whole thing is subjective..:) I prefer not to change a thing on my Teles(other than adding the ash tray cover for the HWY1).

[Kickin']

Hey HBamps, like KevinB said we are getting off topic here. I would rather not highjack
this thread, but if you would like to start a new thread I will tell you how I do it.