incompatible bridge for sg

[vtpcnk]

i bought this bridge :

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=200627941027&ssPageName=ADME:X:RTQ:US:1123

to use on a sg body i had bought earlier :

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=180681773167&ssPageName=ADME:X:RTQ:US:1123


but the studs for both the tuneomatic bridge and the tail piece are too big for the holes on the guitar. ie the existing holes are too small for those studs.

any idea what's happening? appreciate the feedback.

 

[pabloman]

Did you send the seller a message and ask him for the right stuff? There's probably a good chance he has the ons that came off the guitar.

 

[vtpcnk]

Did you send the seller a message and ask him for the right stuff? There's probably a good chance he has the ons that came off the guitar.

i checked. he thinks the sg might have had an abr bridge.

the parts from the guitar sold long before i bought the body i guess.

 

[rapfohl09]

Just gonna say, do you think gibsondependable is the same as reliablefender? :laughing7:

 

[Cagey]

i bought this bridge :
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=200627941027&ssPageName=ADME:X:RTQ:US:1123
to use on a sg body i had bought earlier :
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=180681773167&ssPageName=ADME:X:RTQ:US:1123
but the studs for both the tuneomatic bridge and the tail piece are too big for the holes on the guitar. ie the existing holes are too small for those studs.
any idea what's happening? appreciate the feedback.

How far off are they? Is the difference huge, or only minor? If it's huge, I don't know what to tell you. If it's minor, chances are you're dealing with a metric vs. imperial difference, which is fairly common. Lotta eBay sellers are buying parts for next to nothing from the far east and adding adjectives to make them sound delicious so they can mark them up 500%. Even with that kind of markup, they still often beat the price of traditional suppliers who do the same thing, but are better about providing specs so you can make an informed decision.

In any event, holes that are too small are better than ones that are too big. Much easier to fix. All you need is a drill press and the appropriate bit. It's a 15 minute job, so if you can't do it yourself, nobody's going to charge you much to do it for you.

 

[pabloman]

I'm sure its just the difference between a Nashville and an ABR.

 

[vtpcnk]

Just gonna say, do you think gibsondependable is the same as reliablefender? :laughing7:

reliablefender is based out of new hampshire. while gibsondependable is out of new jersey. but i am sure the gibson guy was inspired by the fender guy (in naming his ebay store).

 

[vtpcnk]

i raised this question to gibsondependable about the ill fitting stoptail studs :

>the stoptail studs - are they supposed to pushed (hard) in? because it doesn't look like an easy fit.

to which i got the reply :

>Hi, yes, you need to hammer them in.

is this true? i am concerned about damaging the guitar.

appreciate any insight.

 

[pabloman]

I'm not going to tell you what to do and you really shouldn't listen to anybody else if they tell you to pound them in. If you are this unsure maybe its best for a professional to step in. If you want some sound advice you really need to provide us with some measurements. Otherwise its just speculation. The bushing should be a press fit, that being said I have seen OE bushing that needed a slide hammer to get out and others came out when you flipped the body over and tapped the back. Good luck.

 

[OzziePete]

I once tried to hammer in ferrules at the rear of a finished (poly) Tele body. Now that body is 'reliced', due to the poly finish lifting during that process.

If you do not know how to do it without damage, I would strongly recommend swallowing your pride and taking what you have, to a competent repairer and let them do the rest.

Matching up miss-matching Tune o Matic bridges & studs would probably be a regular request for them, so they'd know what is required.

 

[Cagey]

i raised this question to gibsondependable about the ill fitting stoptail studs :

>the stoptail studs - are they supposed to pushed (hard) in? because it doesn't look like an easy fit.

to which i got the reply :

>Hi, yes, you need to hammer them in.

is this true? i am concerned about damaging the guitar.

appreciate any insight.

Warmoth offers to install bridge/STP bushings during manufacture because it can be some scary business if you're not familiar with the whole process . Even parts that are correct for the holes drilled for them will fight being put in. I don't know for fact, but I suspect they use a press to do it, rather than hammer them in, because even if they will eventually fit, hammering on the little rascals risks body damage such as splitting, and that's nearly impossible to repair. Not to mention what happens if you hit a glancing blow and nail the top of the guitar instead. That'll generate some new cusswords <grin>

It's not hard to do, so I can't imagine anybody would charge much to do it for you. Plus, if they wreck your body, then it's on them to replace it instead of you.

As an alternative, it's a good excuse to invest in a dial caliper.

Nobody who does guitar construction or repair should be without one. Units like the digital one pictured above rarely cost more than $20 or $30, and are usually accurate to at least .001 inches or 0.0254 millimeters, which is plenty accurate for guitar work. You can get them with better accuracy, but for guitars it's a waste. I'm pretty sure Fender and Gibson just use tape measures <grin>

Anyway, if you had one of those, you could measure the size of the hole you're trying to fill, and the size of the bushing you're trying to jam into it, and make an informed decision.

 

[OzziePete]

I swear that's the exact same digital caliper I bought a few months back, here in Australia!  :laughing7:

 

[Cagey]

I'm sure they're pretty common, since they're tough to beat at the price. I've got a mechanical Starrett caliper that I hardly ever use now since I got a few of those digital units. They're "Fabrique en Chine", of course, but who cares? They're cheap enough that you can have one in every junk drawer and toolbox in the house.

 

[vtpcnk]

i have been struggling with a manual one i got at home depot 2 years back. should get the digital one i guess.

but i doubt that's going to fit into the stud hole.

 

[Cagey]

If the mechanical caliper gives you fits, it's unlikely the digital one is going to be an improvement for you.

I'd suggest you take the body and the bushings/studs to a pro. Unless they're criminally stupid, they won't even try to install them if they don't think they'll fit. If they do think they'll fit, it won't be an expensive job. It doesn't take long, and even Warmoth only charges $10 to do it. Worst case is, the guy calls you later and says he's gotta drill the holes out, and it'll cost you an extra X dollars. Just do it, and get that behind you. Otherwise, you're dead in the water. This isn't a coil-cut switch or skull & bones decal; you gotta have a bridge.