Best Tele Bridge

[Doughboy]

I was wondering about this topic as well.  Callaham and Glendale seem to report that their tele bridges vastly improve the tone of the instrument.  Does anyone who has tried these agree? 

I have a Callaham in one of my strats; it replaced a crappy squier bridge and i have to admit that it did result in a pretty significant difference, I was/am pretty thrilled with it.  But i'm wondering how the Tele bridge is.

I have a friend who changed his Custom Shop strat bridge with a Callaham & I honestly couldn't tell the difference. He swore it sounded better, but couldn't say how. He finally admitted he was saying it because he spend the extra $ on getting a new bridge & couldn't tell the difference either.

I think if you have a cheap trem, a quality bridge will make a difference. Same as a pickup.

 

[Doughboy]

On my tonarcaster, I'm actually spending a good $170 on the bridge. Double-cut cold rolled steel blackguard-type bridge, with the twang plus (brass e/b, g/d, and a/e saddles, and am aluminum a/e, so I can switch, all compensated) saddle set. Is that more than I need to spend? Sure. I just don't want weaknesses in my guitar, so I'm going with high quality everything. Except playing, of course  :laughing7:

Can't speak for you, but if that's what you REALLY want, go for it. I've cheaped out on parts before & regreted it later. Even if the bridge sounds 10% better, it's worth it, imo, since the guitar will last a lifetime.

 

[Mor Paul]

I've cheaped out on parts before & regreted it later. Even if the bridge sounds 10% better, it's worth it, imo, since the guitar will last a lifetime.

That's exactly my thinking  :icon_thumright:

 

[Cagey]

I have a friend who changed his Custom Shop strat bridge with a Callaham & I honestly couldn't tell the difference. He swore it sounded better, but couldn't say how. He finally admitted he was saying it because he spend the extra $ on getting a new bridge & couldn't tell the difference either.

The power of suggestion is tremendous. People will believe all sorts of things, some of them absolutely wild, with no evidence whatsoever other than the suggestion by some source they trust that what's being presented is true. The belief can be so strong that even when presented with factual evidence to the contrary, they still won't change their minds. Most of the time, it's harmless and maybe even amusing. But, every once in a while you get a Scientology or a Columbine or a 9/11 or an Obama.

 

[drewfx]

But, every once in a while you get a Scientology or a Columbine or a 9/11 or an Obama.

This quote is waaaaaaay over the line and reflects poorly on your sense of comparative judgment. Let's keep the politics out of here.

 

[tfarny]

Back to bridges - I think it's clear there's a big bump in quality from indonesian / chinese squire zinc parts to something like a Gotoh / Barden level.
But at the 100$ plus Callaham level for a piece of sheet metal, some screws and bits of brass, you start to wonder what the value added really is. What exactly makes Glendale bridges better than Barden? I mean, I have a callaham on one of my guitars, and it is really nice, but that guitar doesnt stay in tune better than any of my others. I'm not making a judgement against super-high end parts, I'm just saying that when you go from premium to ultra-premium the benefits may not always be easy to see. The Gotoh bridge is at least as nice as anything that comes on any mass produced USA guitar.

 

[Super Turbo Deluxe Custom]

The 6 individual saddles are the turnoff for me on the Gotoh.  A does more for intonation and what not, but I think there's something to be said for 2 strings' pressure at the breakover angle on a 3 saddle type compared to 1 string on a 6 saddle bridge.  Just seems more Tele to me.  There's plenty of great players using the 6 though, and I can't argue with results I guess.

The Babicz looks interesting.  It does mechanically attach the saddle after intonated which would be a very solid, string cross talk kind of thing like a T-O-M.  And yes, the logo size is a dealbreaker.  I don't mind a big name brand logo, but they ain't there yet.  if anything, this cheapens the look.

Then again, a whole lot of this stuff does nothing but take up web space.  Any good bridge is a good bridge.  You still have to play it afterall.

 

[bagman67]

If you don't like the logo on the Babicz, maybe you could disassemble, beadblast it, and then re-lacquer with a matte finish - I think a beadblasted finish on that bridge would be cool looking.  Maybe some of the machinist types around here can weigh in on whether that would be a Good Thing or a Bad Thing to attempt.

Bagman

 

[bbl4ck]

If you don't like the logo on the Babicz, maybe you could disassemble, beadblast it, and then re-lacquer with a matte finish - I think a beadblasted finish on that bridge would be cool looking.  Maybe some of the machinist types around here can weigh in on whether that would be a Good Thing or a Bad Thing to attempt.

Bagman

Yea, I would like to hear about the feasibility of that idea as well...
I too really like those Babicz bridges, but that logo does indeed turn me off.
I think that look, if possible, would be great!
:rock-on:

 

[Doughboy]

If you don't like the logo on the Babicz, maybe you could disassemble, beadblast it, and then re-lacquer with a matte finish - I think a beadblasted finish on that bridge would be cool looking.  Maybe some of the machinist types around here can weigh in on whether that would be a Good Thing or a Bad Thing to attempt.

Bagman

Not only is this a pain in the ass to do, but then you have a matte bridge plate & shiney chrome everything else. At this point, the Gotoh bridge makes the most sense.

 

[bagman67]

I do agree that this idea is a huge pain in the neck.  I only put it out there as a possible way of exploiting the Babicz technology without tattooing their name on your shoulder, so to speak.  Hey, it's the internet, man, we can all throw ideas and opinions out there and see how they get shot down.    The Gotoh is definitely a much easier and cost-saving solution, and will likely give quite satisfactory results, intonation-wise (especially compared to a three-saddle bridge).


Separately, I think  a beadblasted bridge to match a set of beadblasted Sperzels (their standard finish, if I recall), and some beadblasted knurled knobs, and a beadblasted control plate, and neckplate, and maybe even pickguard could look very very cool.... but I'd have to be ready to commit the time and dough to it, which I'm not yet.

I would be genuinely interested in knowing whether  the full-contact-ness the Babicz people say is at the heart of their bridge's tonal superiority would be compromised in any meaningful way if the saddles or plate were beadblasted.  I'm sure the warranty, if any, would probably be voided, but it's solid metal, for crying out loud.

Anyways....

Bagman

 

[TonyFlyingSquirrel]

If the material is of good components, ie; steel or brass, depending on preference, and the parts are well engineered, then most of these areguments are based on pre-conceptions & cork-sniffery.

The Gotoh is not unlike many brands out there, it's just not made of die-cast zine like your Matchbox or Hot Wheels cars.

Looking at many of the designs out there that appear to be no different in appearance and function, it's a hard boast to claim that it will improve your tone because your good tone is completely subjective.

There really aren't many hardware items out there that have significantly been an innovation & new design that doesn't drastically re-think the performance of its intended function for many, many years, ie; The Floyd Rose locking bridge, locking, and even Locking tuners, which I think were first introduced by Sperzel if memory serves.  These are the only items that really come to mind that changed the industry in significant ways.

Beyond that, same old designs, same old biases, same old wives tales.

 

[Jusatele]

If the material is of good components, ie; steel or brass, depending on preference, and the parts are well engineered, then most of these areguments are based on pre-conceptions & cork-sniffery.

Beyond that, same old designs, same old biases, same old wives tales.

well said words, the difference would be in the longevity of the finish

 

[-CB-]

If the material is of good components, ie; steel or brass, depending on preference, and the parts are well engineered, then most of these areguments are based on pre-conceptions & cork-sniffery.

Beyond that, same old designs, same old biases, same old wives tales.

Well a little more than cork sniffery, but not much more.  Give some credit for care of manufacture and quality control.  A simple but excellently made part always wins in my book. 

Take the "modern" Fender bridge - not a quantum leap, but it addressed the problem of squealing, as sometimes found with the ashtray type bridge.  They made it thicker, and made it so it wouldn't vibrate on the body, and made the intonation more adjustable.  An evolutionary change, not revolutionary.

 

[Jusatele]

Although I loved the look of the ashtray
I never was a fan of the old tele bridge, cut my hand on them a few times
the new bridge I like, but you no longer can mount an ashtray
My build is going use a Am STD hardtail, for 2 reasons, first the spring spacing will be the same as my strat and second is I am putting in 2 p 90s
a huge drawback to that is I am going to have to have a custom PG made

 

[AGWAN]

I honestly think, Judging only from pictures that the Gotoh Tele Humbucker bridge looks cheap.

I'm Pretty sure my Tele will have a Hipshot 6 Bridge.

Hell, its the most un-Tele Tele I've ever seen, who cares if the bridge matches? Right?

:icon_scratch:

 

[Jusatele]

Agwan, I think teles are all about the sound, not the look, If you get that sound you just feel all nasty with a tele. Feel like tequilla shots and a hot sweaty set are heaven.

 

[AGWAN]

Agwan, I think teles are all about the sound, not the look, If you get that sound you just feel all nasty with a tele. Feel like tequilla shots and a hot sweaty set are heaven.

Well, mine isn't really going to be about the tele sound, but that wouldn't matter, because the Gotoh Tele Humbucker bridge isn't the 3 bar brass saddles, its the strat saddles on a cheapish plate.

If I'm going for any sound on my tele, it would be A nice Ibanez RG/Jem sound.

 

[Jusatele]

I think I have only bought one guitar because of look, it is my PRS ten top artist, And I loved the way it looked and loved the triple soappbars, first guitar I ever had P90s on and now that guitar is all about the tone, actually gets less respect to the finish of all my guitars, I love the tone and abuse it. I have had guys come up tp me at breaks saying they could not believe I was pounding my fist on it to keep the feed back going during a solo, but if that is what it takes, then do it. My next tele is going be all about the sound, but I want to build it myself because I want a specific look, And for me, that is strange, I have always cared less about the looks.
Max is doing an excellent job on his tele, I have really enjoyed reading about it. And from some of his threads I think sound is very important to his build, but I could be wrong.

 

[pabloman]

Wow. There are a ton of really good posts in this thread. Personally I think the best bridge for a tele would be a really high one. You could just chuck the guitar over the edge and that would take care of intonation and ice pick tones and any sqeals from the bridge plate. Then you could buy a Les Paul and have awesome guitar tone.