Technical challenge game to play between Tele and Les Paul bridges!

[StevesBoogie]

I have an interesting topic that I will make a game out of, just for fun, and for some good education for all of us. This game is targeting all of the wonderful luthiers and techs out there; however, anybody is encouraged to participate.

You are given a challenge to get the intonation on a guitar as perfect as possible, but you have to choose between a guitar with the traditional Telecaster 3-saddle bridge (image 1), or a guitar with the Les Paul-like traditional wraparound lightning bridge (image 2). You are free to change the material (brass, titanium, whatever you want) of either bridge, but that’s the only variable you are allowed to change. The guitar with the Tele 3-saddle bridge is your traditional Tele with traditional scale (25.5”), and the guitar with the lightning is the traditional LP with traditional scale (24.75”) and the scale cannot be changed for either guitar. If you get the intonation perfect on either guitar (each worth $5G) you get to keep it, but only one. Which situation would you choose and why? If you feel you can get both pretty darn perfect, please explain which one would likely be the easier of the two.

Image 1 - Tele

Image 2 - Les Paul

 

[user name]

Looks like the wrap around bridge is compensated. I'll take a compensated bridge over a non compensated any old day of the week

 

[Blues Twanger]

I'd take the wraparound for sure, but the stuff I play doesn't require perfect intonation up high anyway, which is why I get along with Teles and LP Specials/Jrs so much.

 

[Freeman Keller]

I build guitars with both fender style three and six saddle bridge and Tune-o-matics. I have never used a wrap around bridge for several reasons - one is exactly what you show in your picture - the lack of adjustment of individual strings. I also don't like the rotational torque on the studs - if I'm going to use a ToM I'll use a separate stop bar or trapeze tailpiece. Note however that PRS does use wrap around bridges on some of their guitars and they seem to intonate fine.

I build guitars with a variety of scale lengths, different string gauges, wound and unwound strings, acoustic and electrics. I can compensate any of them. If I know some string parameters (usually available at D'Addario's site) I can calculate exactly how much compensation is needed for any given scale length and action height - it is remarkably accurate.

Of course your requirement to "get the intonation perfect" in itself makes a bunch of assumptions. I'll take it to mean that you are using some form of Rule of 18 to locate frets, you are not compensating the nut, your goal is to have the twelfth fret harmonic zero cents different from the fretted twelfth fret note on each string. I'm assuming you measure that with an accurate tuner, ears aren't good enough.

Bottom line, I use the style of bridge that I would expect on whatever kind of guitar I'm building. Here are three of mine, they each intonate properly

 

[Freeman Keller]

I'll add one more comment to my post above. Most Les Pauls do not use wrap around bridges - the original ones had tailpieces, then they went to stop bars. Les Paul juniors and a lot of the cheaper versions did use wrap around bridges - I've had occasion to work on a few and while intonation can be adjusted they are a lot like an acoustic - some compromise is necessary. If a standard ToM (ABR-1, Nashville, Modern) is located in the right spot it should have enough saddle adjustment to intonate properly. Ditto with any standard Fender bridge.