Hipshot Baby Grand bridge, opinions?

[Vol. Knob]

I'm gearing up for a first build.  I'd like to get some thoughts on the Hipshot Baby Grand bridge.  Has anyone here had any experience with one?  What do you all think of them?  Good Bad, or "hey man, its just a bridge, ya dig?".

I personally think it looks like an attractive option.  Would look nice on a natural finished carved top or double F hole thinline..

 

[kreig]

Don't like the look, sorry :sad:

 

[SrDeMaFp]

I dig it.

 

[Sixbender]

Yeah, I too think it looks kinda cool. In function, it's like the Gotoh 510, or the old Leo Quan Baddass, but the look is unique!

 

[RLW]

Other than looking different, what might be the benefits of this design?

 

[tfarny]

I've only seen this used on completely over the top guitars: petrified driftwood bodies covered in peal and gold, etc.
I'd like to see how it looks on a more normal guitar, but in general I think it seems a bit gimmicky.

 

[Sixbender]

"Other than looking different, what might be the benefits of this design?"

Ideally, strings would end at the saddle. If the bridge is well anchored to the body, this will give the best sustain, all things being equal.
This bridge design gets close to that. The standard stop tail piece arrangement has a length of string behind the saddle that vibrates, adding subtle odd harmonics and reducing sustain slightly. This is why I prefer something like the Gotoh 510, which imo sustains better that the "string-thru" or "Tune-o and stop tailpiece" arrangement.

 

[willyk]

Other than looking different, what might be the benefits of this design?

Creating interesting dust patterns under the strings?
Sharpening pencils?
Enabling Eric Johnson to wax lyrical about the resonant properties of unequal dead string lengths?
Providing the solid bodied guitar with a place to have a pick dropped inside it?
                                                                                                                    :dontknow:

 

[kreig]

You read my mind willyk

seen alot of gimmicks in my days that promise all sorts of things

 

[tfarny]

to the OP: If you like it, and it doesn't require a strange route, do it, as long as you're sure  you can swap it for a badass wraparound or something normal if you end up hating it.

 

[AGWAN]

To Necropost...

when People say "it lessens sustain"

is that like "OH MAH CRAPZ, I'm a guitar geek and I noticed a ridiculously small drop in sustain"

Or

"DUDE! My little sister who still watches Barney , wants to know why your lame guitar has no sustain!?"

:help:

 

[bbl4ck]

I personally like the looks...
If it has any sonic advantages is another story  :dontknow:

Anyway, here area couple of pics of the baby grand on a nice carved top tele.  
I can't remember who this belongs to, but it is a nice tele.

 

 

[Cagey]

Damn! That's a gorgeous Tele!

I don't see any advantage to that bridge other than aesthetics, and that's going to depend on the eye of the beholder. The Gotoh 510 does the same thing without the dust bunny breeding ground. That said, it's not an unattractive bridge and I don't see any disadvantages to it. I wouldn't replace it if one ended up on a guitar of mine.

 

[tfarny]

That is a truly awesome guitar (is it a tele though?). I would rather see the pigtail aluminum wraparound on that build though.

 

[Cagey]

That is a truly awesome guitar (is it a tele though?). I would rather see the pigtail aluminum wraparound on that build though.

Good point. About the only thing it has in common with a [Fender] Tele is the number of strings.

 

[JaySwear]

i'm pretty sure that thing was in the gallery for USACG's. i remember posting a picture of that thing when this forum was lobbying for carved top telecasters

 

[bbl4ck]

i'm pretty sure that thing was in the gallery for USACG's. i remember posting a picture of that thing when this forum was lobbying for carved top telecasters

Yea, I think you are correct JS  :icon_thumright:
I just saved a pic of it because I thought it was georgous...

 

[Justinginn]

From the pictures of the tele, it looks like the string breaks a little to the right as it passes over the saddles. In general, that's asking for tuning problems, at least if it happens at the headstock side. I have no idea if that's an issue at the bridge side and even if it actually does bend to the side but that *could* be a disadvantage tuning-wise with bends.

 

[Dan025]

From the pictures of the tele, it looks like the string breaks a little to the right as it passes over the saddles. In general, that's asking for tuning problems, at least if it happens at the headstock side. I have no idea if that's an issue at the bridge side and even if it actually does bend to the side but that *could* be a disadvantage tuning-wise with bends.

what's the diference between if it breaks downward or down and slightly to the right??? angles are angles even if you rotate them slightly counter clockwise. even if it isn't an illusion i see no problems

 

[Dan025]

oh and i know this is an old topic but i think that thing looks sexy and appears to be a solid design, i'd use it on a carved top tele, vip, or ultimate les paul build. and as far as resonant properties, well there always seems to be know it alls that imagine something in there head and assume it to be true, i'll stick to testing but since i know of no tests i'll just remain neutral.