Default said:callahamguitars.com/abr1.htm
It's a buck and a half, pretty pricey ( I know) for a tunematic, but the people who have bought one hav e raved about it. TruArcs are another option, but I have a weird ear. Using an unwound g on my sf3's wound g bigsby bridge sets my teeth on edge and I can't understand how a bar bridge can intonate properly. That being said, folks that use them love the sound too. It may be that Truarcs intonate better with heavier gage strings than I use.
kakerlak said:If it's just that the slots are too deep, I'd sand down the top of the bridge to the point that they're no longer so. Would be simple, free and you'd get to keep the OEM part on the guitar. You'd end up spending some time sanding the underside of a new bridge to match the top's contours anyway...
alw said:kakerlak said:If it's just that the slots are too deep, I'd sand down the top of the bridge to the point that they're no longer so. Would be simple, free and you'd get to keep the OEM part on the guitar. You'd end up spending some time sanding the underside of a new bridge to match the top's contours anyway...
Thanks for the advice. I thought of this, but had a couple of concerns. Because I'd probaby need to take it down a 1/16" or so, not changing the top radius of the bridge and because the saddles are tapered the thickness at the top when done.
kakerlak said:alw said:kakerlak said:If it's just that the slots are too deep, I'd sand down the top of the bridge to the point that they're no longer so. Would be simple, free and you'd get to keep the OEM part on the guitar. You'd end up spending some time sanding the underside of a new bridge to match the top's contours anyway...
Thanks for the advice. I thought of this, but had a couple of concerns. Because I'd probaby need to take it down a 1/16" or so, not changing the top radius of the bridge and because the saddles are tapered the thickness at the top when done.
You won't actually change the radius of the strings themselves, unless you re-file the string slots; you'll just be clearing away some of the excess wood that's standing proud of the strings. If the bottoms of the string slots form a resonably useable radius as-is, then I'd give it a shot. Particularly true if you're going to scrap the bridge anyway.
You are correct, though, in noting that the saddles will be wider across the strings. Depending on the time you want to spend, you could needle-file the tapers a bit to restore them to a narrower width. If the slots are appropriately tight laterally, it shouldn't make too much difference how ling they are (width of the wood the strings cross). Theoretically, the strings vibrate from the leading edge of the saddle forward.
Default said:I can't understand how a bar bridge can intonate properly. That being said, folks that use them love the sound too. It may be that Truarcs intonate better with heavier gauge strings than I use.
guildman63 said:alw,
I just recently purchased an original rosewood X-170 bridge and a harp tailpiece from Hans to convert my orange X-170T to an X-170, so if you are interested in replacing your bridge with the real thing give him a shout as he should be able to help you out. Good luck!