Threaded saddles - what years? Does anybody know??

[natsteel]

A few weeks back I found 2 older Telecaster bridges in the guitar classifieds over here. One has the threaded saddles and the second has grooved saddles and both have the Patend No/Des numbers on it.
There is a pic of both bridges in the Telecaster book of Duchossoir on page 70. It says there the bridge with threaded saddles is end 50’s and the one with the grooved saddles is late 60’s. But to my knowledge the bridge with the threaded saddles appeared first early 60’s. Later to be changed to the grooved saddles.
Does anyone know from-when till-when the bridge with the threaded saddles was used? And from-when till-when the bridge with the grooved saddles?

All info very welcome
Thanks,
Natsteel

This is the bridge I found:

[jkats]

Threaded saddles appeared in the late 1950s and were used on Teles until late 1967-early 1968. (I owned an early 1967, and it had threaded saddles) There seems to have been a slow transition to the new "grooved" saddles (my favorite Tele bridge saddle, BTW, and I wish Fender sold these as aftermarket parts!) during that period, as well as a transition to the larger black logo, poly finish and F-tuners. I recall that grooved saddles were standard on all Teles through the late-1970s, when the 6-saddle bridge became standard.

[TerryOz]

Looks like the original bridgeplate and height adjusters for that era, but the threaded saddlepieces are way too fine for my liking, looks like early 70's ***/Ibanez, Pearl or simliar saddles to me! Just my opinion though...

[yegbert]

Originally Posted by jkats

... the new "grooved" saddles (my favorite Tele bridge saddle, BTW, and I wish Fender sold these as aftermarket parts!)

Have you tried ordering them from a Fender dealer? Maybe they are available, just not marketed. I've tried ordering a couple of parts that way, some 250k solid shaft pots and a FENDER PAT PEND bridge plate. I took parts list printouts from the Fender Support site and showed the part numbers to the dealer. The salesman was cooperative, believed it was probable I could get just about anything. The pots came in rather quickly but the plate isn't in yet. I heard Fender was restructuring how or from where they ship parts so I'm hoping I'll eventually get the plate.

Originally Posted by jkats

I recall that grooved saddles were standard on all Teles through the late-1970s, when the 6-saddle bridge became standard.

You're referring to the American Standard model and its rectangular 6 saddles, right?

[jwells393]

Got to agree with TerryOz about the saddles. Good eye Terry. Here's a comparison of your bridge with that on my 1966. Your saddles are clearly a finer thread.

...........................

[yegbert]

Do these look like an accurate recreation of the original ones? These are presumably the Fender current production of the threaded saddles, as used on the MIA '62 Custom and the MIM '60s Classic:



Did Fender keep the same thread size on the height and intonation adjustment screws for 3 saddle bridges, for the original brass and these various steel ones, and the reissues as well?

The smooth ('50s Classic MIM) and grooved steel ('69 Thinline MIM) "reissues" use common thread sizes, and those are different than the threaded ones Allparts makes (or has made), and different than MIJ grooved and threaded ones from recent production Teles.

[jkats]

I just saw the 1981 Telecaster Owners Manual posted here and checked a few Teles on gbase, and so I'll correct my previous response to say that the grooved saddles on a 3-saddle bridge were standard issue through 1981 or the early 1980s change to the US 6-saddle toploader Tele. The Custom, however, seems to have had a changeover in the late-70s to the 6-saddle bridge, and the 2-humbucker Deluxe had the 6-saddle bridge similar to the hardtail Strat. Also, the Vintage Guitar Info Tele site (Vintage Guitars Info - Fender, collecting vintage guitars fender stratocaster, strat, telecaster, tele) indicates that the change to threaded Tele saddles occurred in 1958. Finally, in response to Yegbert's very good suggestion, I was able to obtain a set of grooved saddles through my local Fender dealer. That was about 15 years ago, when Tim Emery of Buckdancers Music here in Portland kindly ordered a set of grooved saddles from the Custom Shop, and they've been in my MIJ 1962 Esquire Custom ever since. However, they're not a regular catalog item, so I don't know how readily available these are now.

[DavidE]

The saddles absolutely look original. There were two types of threaded saddles, "fine" like these, and the more common "coarse" ones. The fine ones showed up early on, so your bridge assembly is probably very early, say 1959 or so. The manner in which it's plated and other details would support and early issue as well.

cheers,
david

[jwells393]

Do these look like an accurate recreation of the original ones?

They look accurate to me.............

[FWesley]

The saddles absolutely look original. There were two types of threaded saddles, "fine" like these, and the more common "coarse" ones. The fine ones showed up early on, so your bridge assembly is probably very early, say 1959 or so. The manner in which it's plated and other details would support and early issue as well.

The late 1958-early 1960 would have a different bridgeplate without patent numbers. It would have said Pat. Pend. under the bridge pickup - stamped on a slant. Also, would have holes drilled for top loading the strings.

[jwells393]

The late 1958-early 1960 would have a different bridgeplate without patent numbers. It would have said Pat. Pend. under the bridge pickup - stamped on a slant.

Actually page 70 of the Duchossouir book shows both types of bridge plates for the late '50s although page 67 says the the later plate began in l962.

[DavidE]

Ooops, my bad! I was so focused on the saddles I goofed. The "Pat. Pend" plates are commonly found until 1963 so this one is at least that late. BTW not all '58-59 plates were drilled for top loading either.

cheers,
david

[natsteel]

Thanks all for the info,
And DavidE - you did NOT goofed on the saddles, actually you put me on track I did not look before. The fine thread saddles were indeed used earlier before the "coarse" ones. I received a reply from a vintage dealer. He has seen these saddles on a 60's Tele before and thought it is prob. 63-65.
The seller of the bridge contacted me and asked if I would be interested in the Tele neck pu which came from the same guitar as the bridge.

So does this pu look like an early 60's?

[Mur]

Btw, ever notice? ..threaded saddles diminish sustain.

[0le FUZZY]

FROM the SEARCH engine here

[benbo]

Originally Posted by natsteel

Thanks all for the info,
And DavidE - you did NOT goofed on the saddles, actually you put me on track I did not look before. The fine thread saddles were indeed used earlier before the "coarse" ones. I received a reply from a vintage dealer. He has seen these saddles on a 60's Tele before and thought it is prob. 63-65.
The seller of the bridge contacted me and asked if I would be interested in the Tele neck pu which came from the same guitar as the bridge.

So does this pu look like an early 60's?

I'm hoping the top picture is wrong. Look at the right side where the coil wire is going to the coil, the black wire side. That would be the start of the coil winding. I hope it is wax on there but it looks like a blob of solder like the wire broke and someone laid down some solder to re-join the ends. Which would be the way it would have to be repaired if it were broken due to the fact that is the start and they couldn't unwind a wrap or 2 and sand it and re-solder it into the eyelet. I would get a better pic from the top and look at it close before offering to buy it.

[natsteel]

You have a very good eye for detail benbo! Yes it was repaired, seller informed me about it. But asking price is the same as for a good RI.
Just realy would like to know how old the pu is?
And thank you Fuzzy for the link, that was very helpful!
There are so many new posts every day on the forum - I overlooked that one.

[DavidE]

Neck pickups weren't originally wax potted (any years) so at the very least that much has been done. Probably when the broken lead was resoldered? Otherwise it looks original, but these neck pickups are very hard to say...the best clues are seeing the magnets and the soldering in person.

cheers,
david