Hipshot fixed bridge with thicker baseplate

[David.Bernstein]

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.

 

[JohnnyHardtail]

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?

 

[David.Bernstein]

Yeah I wonder. Either bridge works technically so not sure it's worth their trouble to offer yet another option.

 

[TonyFlyingSquirrel]

Perhaps the increased mass of the baseplate may result in an increase in resonance…

 

[JohnnyHardtail]

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.