Leaderboard

Hipshot fixed bridge with thicker baseplate

David.Bernstein

Junior Member
Messages
31
I built a Warmoth HH telecaster recently with the Hipshot bridge. Flat body (not carved) so neck pocket is not angled. No 720 mod. I bought both versions of the Hipshot bridge: the one with the 0.125" thick baseplate, which Warmoth recommends, and the thicker 0.175" baseplate. After setting up the guitar with fairly low action (1.25 to 1.5 mm, bottom of string to 12th fret distance) I found that both bridges work. Ended up using the thicker one because with the thinner bridge the saddle height screws were extended pretty far. I'm sure this would have been fine but I just liked the thicker plate better. Below is a (not very good) picture of what the saddles look like after the full setup. Basically posting this in case someone out there is wondering what the difference is in practice.


IMG_4799.jpg
 
Thanks for posting about this. What if warmoth could offer a slightly deeper neck pocket for use with hardtail bridges, around 0.050” deeper than standard. What do you think?
 
I don't know about the benefit of increased weight. I only tried the standard height Hipshot bridge sold by Warmoth, and it's a fairly substantial piece. However the ground wire can be a problem if it causes a "flatmount" hardtail bridge to not sit flat on the wood, so that's the first point for attention IMO.
 
I still have do do some micro measuring before committing to either the .125 or .175 but I am 'suspecting' I'd not be able to get a high enough action with the .125.

UPDATE: I measured my old 1980s hard-tail Warmoth and even the .175 won't give me a high enough action -
and I even have it set pretty low right now.

My (Unknown brand name) Bridge mesurements
Floor Height = ~.086 to ~.089
Low E from the body ~.570 Top of String - Bottom of String ~.534
Hi E from the body ~.543 Top of String - Bottom of String ~.533
Measurements of the string from the body were done as close to the saddle as possible.

Attached see the specs for the .175 model.
 

Attachments

  • Hipshot_.175_Floor_Dimensions.jpg
    Hipshot_.175_Floor_Dimensions.jpg
    130.2 KB · Views: 2
Last edited:
Back
Top