Why change a bridge?

[McGoldTopp]

The “Nashville” bridge was the improvement on the ABR-1 bridge but many believe the older bridge is magical in some way…

no need to change a nut unless it is broken or lost.

changing parts rarely constitutes and upgrade


i have only changed telecaster 6 saddle bridges for 3 barrel

 

[myfenderissues]

I recently picked up an inexpensive Epiphone off the used wall at Guitar Center (ES-339). I like it, especially for the price. I've been reading about it here and various other forums. Many people upgrade the nut, which seems like an easy and good idea. Quite a few other people said they upgraded the bridge. This guitar plays fine and I doubt I would feel the need do that. But it got me wondering. Why swap a bridge? What qualities do high-quality bridges have compared to ordinary "budget" bridges? Are Epiphone bridges somehow known to be poor quality? What is the value to upgrading, in general?

Not found the pot metal bridges sound better or worse than expensive Gibson bridges. As for nut I usually leave it as is no matter what. Epi uses pretty good quality hardware and nut but a Gibson replacement will cost maybe 125 dollars a lot to pay for a used epi. But if you plan to keep it then it's something to try. You likely will not hear any difference though. Unless you get a metal nut which very few pros actually use.

 

[Monoprice99]

I've only changed a Trem block on a Squier from the thinner alloy to a solid steel block. The original block was fine, I just preferred a solid steel block. there was a hesitation there even, steel or brass block. The Epiphone LP had a 1 piece Lightning bar. I installed a Bigsby B5 style Vibrato. Tuning stability is acceptable, but can't find roller saddles that will be a 1 for 1 swap with the Lightning bridge with intonated saddle line. I'd have to plug the body & redrill. My goal was to be minimally invasive/destructive when adding the Bigsby. When someone makes a roller saddle that's a 1 for 1 swap, I'll get that done. I've considered floating/pivoting roller saddles/bridge as well. Those are for arch tops, I have a flat slab LP. I may do that sometime and see what I can do to make the tuning stability better ?

 

[Wallaby]

I didn't read every post carefully, but some bridges sound different than others, to me.

For a TOM style bridge a steel bridge sounds different than an aluminum bridge, and they both sound different than a zinc bridge. Ditto for tailpieces, possibly to a greater extent. People have their preferences.

Other than material, you might change a bridge to get a certain appearance, or to get the satisfaction of using parts with closer tolerances. Or to get a bridge where the saddles don't fall out and get lost, or have a retaining wire that rattles.

Or the bridge or tailpiece might have a feature, like locking on to the posts or bushings. Or the bridge might have a narrower profile and allow back-side string clearance to the tailpiece for a guitar that has a steep neck angle.

My personal preference for TOM and stop tailpiece is zinc ABR-style bridge, aluminum tailpiece, brass saddles, NON-locking. It's just what my ears like after trying a few things, there's no right or wrong.

 

[Wallaby]

Interesting, that's actually why I don't like locking TOM bridges ( not sure what kind you tried ). I tried one and the guitar became lifeless - changed it back and there it was. I felt like the locking bridge lost overtones or harmonics or something.

It made the guitar sound "dead".

 

[Ciro]

I changed a bridge years ago on a Hamer. That didn't make much of a difference to my ear, but changing the tailpiece to an aluminum one made a big difference. Changed out a trem bridge on my PRS SE to a MannMade and there was a noticeable positive change. Both added clarity and sustain.

 

[Cyberi4n]

I changed the bridge and tailpiece on my Epiphone Les Paul last year. The spring bar was long gone (2nd hand purchase) and for the money it was just pennies to replace. The studs were also very rusty, and at the same time I replaced the tailpiece too.

 

[sk25]

Good comments, guys. Pretty much confirms what I thought.
I am not a "modder" in general. I have done a few very and selective mods over the years and have been happy with every one. But I would not shoot my guitar with a "parts cannon" as someone mentioned.

I have always been befuddled by the people who say things like, "It's a great guitar! All I had to do was change the pickups and the nut and the pots and caps and bridge and tuners and strap buttons!"
I always think: why didn't you just buy a guitar you liked in the first place?

Anyway, carry on....

This has always confused me...a lot of people here seem to have a specific set of 'mod parts' of specific brands they drop into every single guitar they own, and tell themselves it's better. In my experience, no two guitars ever, ever sound exactly alike, so you're not going to get the same sound out of different guitars without a lot of trial and error/tweaking/hundreds of dollars extra spent per guitar on the guitar-parts-roulette. All you can reasonably do is get a sound in the ballpark, basically. It's like when someone buys a $3000 custom shop guitar, says it's just about perfect (plays like butter/has mojo/insert tired old cliche here) then swaps out the pickups/tuners/bridge/pots/switch/sands off half the finish and tells themselves it's somehow 'better' than it was before.

It's not better, it's just different. Whether the end result is what you'd hoped for or not, the knowledge of the effort and money you just put into it has some effect on your observations as well, if only subconsciously. If a person can't get a useful sound out of a guitar (a complaint I see around here fairly often), it's down to the player, not the gear. Unless something's seriously, structurally wrong with the neck, someone of sufficient skill can sound just fine on it.

 

[Marc Morfei]

deleted

 

[cousinpaul]

I tried a Fender hardtail bridge and found it to be poorly machined with proud height adjustment screws. For me, this Rutters bridge is a definite improvement.

 

[Gaylord Amsterdam]

I recently picked up an inexpensive Epiphone off the used wall at Guitar Center (ES-339). I like it, especially for the price. I've been reading about it here and various other forums. Many people upgrade the nut, which seems like an easy and good idea. Quite a few other people said they upgraded the bridge. This guitar plays fine and I doubt I would feel the need do that. But it got me wondering. Why swap a bridge? What qualities do high-quality bridges have compared to ordinary "budget" bridges? Are Epiphone bridges somehow known to be poor quality? What is the value to upgrading, in general?

I can't speak to an epiphone style bridge and the difference it would make, but when I swapped out the heavy G&L bridge on my ASAT for a genuine Fender replacement it was like night and day, more twang and clarity.

 

[cyclopean]

@Marc Morfei

There's no reason to do anything unless the bridge has a problem that cannot be adjusted out.

If you've hung around guitar players for any length of time, you'll know they have rules. One very near the top of the list is, "if it ain't broke, keep fixing it until it is."

This is the sad truth: far too often, guitarists shoot their instruments with a parts cannon even when the guitar is working and sounding just fine. The reason for this is the Search for Toan.

Many players are lazy and take what they think is the easy way to achieve the sounds of their heroes: drop the cash for a part or a pedal, rather than spend an hour or two per day to work on technique. The key word there was "work," and many guitar players avoid it like accordion music.

Sorry for the rant, but ya know I'm right

Some combinations of guitars, pedals, and amps sound a certain way, and some don’t.

I can do a good Rowland S. Howard impression with a rig fairly similar to his, but it’s way harder to get that sound without a certain kind of guitar, a certain kind of amp, and certain pedals.

 

[cyclopean]

I also went out of my way to have certain things in my rig because of him. Me playing a jaguar is 50% loving the birthday party and 50% having been in a surf band and needing a single coil/vibrato bridge guitar.

 

[Phrygian77]

Funny that this thread popped up again recently because I'm about to do this. The Callaham bridge has to go. I've not really liked this guitar from day one because it's way louder and bassier than any of my other Teles. I thought it was the bridge pickup, so I finally got around to swapping it with some others. Guess what? Still ridiculously loud and bassy! This is the only Tele/Esquire out of 8 that doesn't have a thinner stamped bridge plate.

 

[Blackmore Fan]

I have always been befuddled by the people who say things like, "It's a great guitar! All I had to do was change the pickups and the nut and the pots and caps and bridge and tuners and strap buttons!"
I always think: why didn't you just buy a guitar you liked in the first place?

Oh it goes further than that. I've read posts from people who "love" a certain guitar model, and then proceed to tell us that they swapped out the pickups, the bridge, the saddles, and the neck. At that point they basically have the body left, yet they "love" that guitar model.

 

[Donny Osmond fan]

I recently picked up an inexpensive Epiphone off the used wall at Guitar Center (ES-339). I like it, especially for the price. I've been reading about it here and various other forums. Many people upgrade the nut, which seems like an easy and good idea. Quite a few other people said they upgraded the bridge. This guitar plays fine and I doubt I would feel the need do that. But it got me wondering. Why swap a bridge? What qualities do high-quality bridges have compared to ordinary "budget" bridges? Are Epiphone bridges somehow known to be poor quality? What is the value to upgrading, in general?

I hate tun o matic bridges. So I love roller bridges myself. That is why I change it. Cheap bridges are made out of cheap metal and have a retaining wire that some dislike. You must decide for yourself of it needs to be changed.

 

[Controller]

I have an Epi LP Special that came with a non-adjustable bridge. No way could I intonate the G string. Swapped in an adjustable bridge to fix it.

 

[Dan German]

I have tried to improve on the “bridge” of my Danelectro Convertible, but ended up back where I started. The only change that mattered was putting a block inside the body under the bridge. Everything else either made no difference or didn’t work as well. And that stock bridge is the worst ever invented.

 

[pbenn]

Different batches of steel have different recipies. They will ring slightly different when struck. Thinking Tele bridge plates here.