Have you replaced the six "modern" Fender telecaster saddles with six brass ones?

[3-Chord-Genius]

Howdy! Have any of you with a "modern" Fender telecaster bridge, the kind with six saddles, replaced them with six individual brass strat/tele saddles and noticed a difference in tone? At one time and on a different guitar I replaced six modern tele saddles with the three vintage-type brass saddles and it made a definite difference. So I'm wondering it I replace the modern type with six brass strat/tele (is there a difference) saddles if the same difference in tone would be noticeable.

The kind I'm talking about are something like this:
(image removed)

 

[howardlo]

If so, I would sure like to find a set.

 

[USian Pie]

Wasn't that what Andy Summers had on his Tele?

 

[Old Tele man]

Howdy! Have any of you with a "modern" Fender telecaster bridge, the kind with six saddles, replaced them with six individual brass strat/tele saddles and noticed a difference in tone? At one time and on a different guitar I replaced six modern tele saddles with the three vintage-type brass saddles and it made a definite difference. So I'm wondering it I replace the modern type with six brass strat/tele (is there a difference) saddles if the same difference in tone would be noticeable.

The kind I'm talking about are something like this:
(image removed)

Q: those fit Fender or GOTOH bridge plates (metric or SAE threads)?

 

[boris bubbanov]

(image removed)

3 Chord, when are you gonna get your neighbor Bill Callaham to start making these?

He'd be able to make world class quality examples of these. Those would be worth having.

https://www.callahamguitars.com/

 

[3-Chord-Genius]

3 Chord, when are you gonna get your neighbor Bill Callaham to start making these?

He'd be able to make world class quality examples of these. Those would be worth having.

https://www.callahamguitars.com/

I wasn't referring to this set specifically, but any set of brass strat/tele saddles that are all over eBay. I just posted that photo to generally give an idea what I was talking about.

 

[SPUDCASTER]

Check out Armadillo.

 

[3-Chord-Genius]

Back to my original question:

Have any of you with a "modern" Fender telecaster bridge, the kind with six saddles, replaced them with six individual brass strat/tele saddles and noticed a difference in tone? At one time and on a different guitar I replaced six modern tele saddles with the three vintage-type brass saddles and it made a definite difference. So I'm wondering it I replace the modern type with six brass strat/tele (is there a difference) saddles if the same difference in tone would be noticeable.

 

[boris bubbanov]

I wasn't referring to this set specifically, but any set of brass strat/tele saddles that are all over eBay. I just posted that photo to generally give an idea what I was talking about.

I figured as much. I assumed you'd have just bought these if they were 100% what you wanted.

 

[Ripradiant]

i apologize in advance (im Canadian) for getting a wee bit off topic.

I think replacing six saddle with anything other than a brass 3 saddle (compensated maybe) might be telecaster blasphemy!

You might get better tone from your fingers than from any hardware "upgrade"

 

[Tone Chase]

My American Deluxe Telecaster came with chromed brass saddles. The chrome started to peel off of one saddle about a year after I bought the guitar. That flaw doesn’t bother me.

 

[knockeduptele]

Back to my original question:

Have any of you with a "modern" Fender telecaster bridge, the kind with six saddles, replaced them with six individual brass strat/tele saddles and noticed a difference in tone? At one time and on a different guitar I replaced six modern tele saddles with the three vintage-type brass saddles and it made a definite difference. So I'm wondering it I replace the modern type with six brass strat/tele (is there a difference) saddles if the same difference in tone would be noticeable.

They certainly change the tone to a degree and improve the sustain - differing results with different makes depending on the string contact but I'm with spudcaster on Armadillos and Michael down there is really nice to deal with.

 

[Rob77]

I have a modern tele with 6 saddles, but the 3 brass saddle has always intrigued me why people like them, doesn't it just make it harder to setup the intonation?
If your playing with a full band, can you actually even here a difference?

 

[nojazzhere]

Howdy! Have any of you with a "modern" Fender telecaster bridge, the kind with six saddles, replaced them with six individual brass strat/tele saddles and noticed a difference in tone? At one time and on a different guitar I replaced six modern tele saddles with the three vintage-type brass saddles and it made a definite difference. So I'm wondering it I replace the modern type with six brass strat/tele (is there a difference) saddles if the same difference in tone would be noticeable.

The kind I'm talking about are something like this:
(image removed)

I have a modern tele with 6 saddles, but the 3 brass saddle has always intrigued me why people like them, doesn't it just make it harder to setup the intonation?
If your playing with a full band, can you actually even here a difference?

I have had four or five DIFFERENT bridge and saddle sets on my #1.....six saddle, three saddle, steel and brass,string-through and top load.....not much difference in SOUND. (certainly not one far superior) But the one I like best for balance of sound, intonation, and clarity is the Wilkinson top-load with three compensated brass saddles.....and that's JUST one opinion.

 

[Musekatcher]

I'm happy with mine as-is, bone stock. I probably ought to try three compensated saddles sometime.

 

[John C]

Wasn't that what Andy Summers had on his Tele?

Similar - I think he had the entire brass bridge/plate, probably from Schecter.

 

[jvin248]

.

Try it out and experiment, saddles are easy on the wallet and easy to put on and take off.

While this is a relic style, take a look at the bridge -- a semi-purposeful mismatch of saddles. Guitar was missing some saddles and has a slightly narrower than normal bridge spacing. So until I replace that (not a rush project) I just scrounged in the parts bin. The guitar overall is a monster player -- but not due to the saddles.

.

 

[telemnemonics]

Not exactly that series of events but I built a hardtail Strat with six brass saddles like in your pic, and then made a three saddle bridge plate for it and swapped to three brass Tele saddles.
How this came about was I had an all brass six saddle Tele bridge and put those saddles on a steel hardtail Strat bridge plate I bought used with no saddles.

The three brass saddles had something the six brass saddles lacked.
I didn't try to focus on the sound or whatever, but maybe the fact that six saddle bridges don't work with the saddles as high as the three saddle Tele bridge, and IMO setting up with the saddles high enough for a solid break angle is key.
I forget if the neck needed a shim or if the six saddle was setup with the saddles kinda high and tippy on their little screws.

Coulda been confirmation bias too!

 

[3-Chord-Genius]

I thought about perhaps drilling three holes in the back of the bridge to allow me to install the classic three brass saddles (Fender Nashville Power Telecaster), but there are six holes there already for the six saddles and if I were to drill three additional holes, they would be very close to the existing ones. This is the reason I'm asking about brass strat-type saddles, essentially to retrofit what's there now.

 

[3-Chord-Genius]

I have a modern tele with 6 saddles, but the 3 brass saddle has always intrigued me why people like them, doesn't it just make it harder to setup the intonation?
If your playing with a full band, can you actually even here a difference?

Depending on your amp setup and the sound guy, you may or may not hear a difference with a full band; however, I used to have a Squier Affinity with the six modern saddles and replaced them with the three vintage-type brass ones and the tone difference was huge.... much more "twang". And I think people spend more time playing alone than with a band anyway.

The reason I'm asking about using six brass strat-type saddles is because I'm wondering if the material itself (brass) provided the "twang" I just referred to, or if the saddle type (barrel) was doing it.