Mustang Bridge/Stopbar

[Grim.Richard69]

Hi! I'm new here but I've already read a tonne of interesting and helpful stuff about guitar builds. I really find myself overwhelmed by the possibility of what I can actually do!

I did have a question though, maybe a few. I'll number them.

1. I want to put a Gibson style stop bar on my Mustang build, but I still want to use the mustang bridge because I personally don't like the look of TOM's. Is this possible or would it totally mess with my set-up?

2. Fender has made guitars with stopbars before (Powercasters, starcasters and some american special mustang etc) but with TOM's. What I want to know, is are Fender made stopbars with a 5.5cm string spread from E-e like other fenders or are they slightly narrower like Gibson?

3. Am I being way too pedantic? Should I just try it out and hope for the best?

Also, I'm gonna attach a photo of the body I've made out of Northern Australian Silky Oak! (One side looks darker than the other because if the light  :icon_scratch: )

Thanks heaps!

 

[stratamania]

Welcome to the forum.

Per number 3.

Possibly, but instead of trying it avail yourself of the dimensions of the parts and make a drawing in particular to see what the break angle of the strings would be from a stop tailpiece to the mustang bridge.

Alternatively use some other bridge and save a headache. A Mustang bridge pivots which it does not need to do if it has no tremolo tailpiece, it is also hard set to a 7.25" radius.

 

[Rick]

Cheers mate!  Don’t know much about 1 and 2; except I’d make sure my hardware’s measurements meshed with my wood.  On 3, that chunk of wood looks gorgeous.

 

[Cagey]

I'm not a fan of TOMs either, but since your body is pristine, the world is your oyster. You could put a Floyd on there if you wanted to. But, if you like the appearance of a 'Stanger but would rather not use the poorly designed hardware they usually do, you could see if perhaps something from Faction could help. For example, you can get "hardtail" plates from them that look like the original vibrato tailpiece, just without the springs/pivot points, etc. Lotta choices there.

 

[Grim.Richard69]

Hi Stratomania! So I actually did what you said in some CAD software and the E would be at an angle of around 8 degrees So I'm not totally sure how practical it would be.

Thanks Rick!

Hi Cagey! I think the world being my oyster is why I'm having trouble making any decisions! (This is my very first build.) I had a look at Faction, they look great! I actually saw something similar on someone else's build on this forum but couldn't find what it was exactly, so I appreciate that tip! Seeing as shipping to Australia is going to be INSANE and the exchange rate right now is even more so, I might pick up some stainless steel and just try to make one myself.

 

[Cagey]

I agree; it's tough to decide on a bridge when there's not much dictating which you must use. There are only about eleventy-bajillion designs/materials out there.

Some things I've learned, though, for what they're worth.

First, how the bridge is mounted has some effect on how much string energy the bridge absorbs, conducts, and reflects. Something that mounts on posts (like a TOM) is likely going to be somewhat more "spongy", for lack of a better term. Detrimental to all three of those behaviors. Also, most designs that mount that way will not have individual saddle height adjustment, which can make compensating for fretboard radius or fret setup anomalies somewhat trickier, and in some cases irreversible without compromise. Some of that can be mitigated by material. For instance, a part that's milled out of brass or steel will have more inertia than something milled from aluminum or die-cast from zinc.

Then, saddle configuration can change things. Something too pointed (like the edged trapezoids some use (such as the TOM) can cause tuning issues, as the string may not want move across a sharp edge during bends. Other saddles may be just stamped, roll-formed steel, as many Fender bridges use. Not sure what they're good for, other than the ability to manufacture them at nearly no cost, although some say they impart a particular "tone". I suppose you could argue that for years, and many have. They're definitely crud/corrosion magnets. A popular and effective shape is either cast of sintered metal or machined from stock, and sometimes molded from a composite material (see Graphtech). The machined/composite parts seem to be better, but again those choices can be argued forever re: tonal character.

I'm sure I've left out something important, but that's some food for thought, anyway. If I were to choose a hardtail bridge for a body that wasn't dictating to me, I'd be looking hard at something like one of these Hipshots...

...or something like one. Best of all worlds. Of course, it's not a "Mustang" kind of bridge, but I don't know how married you are to that appearance.

 

[stratamania]

Yes 8% would be not too good of an angle when you consider a Les Paul has a neck angle of around 3.5 - 4 % roughly depending on when it was made.

A flat type of bridge similar to what Cagey, suggested would be an easier choice with more practical work-ability.

 

[Grim.Richard69]

I forgot to check back on this! Thanks for all of your information and thanks for the suggestion! Something like that is probably a little out of my price range especially considering the exchange rate from US to AUD right now! But also, out of all of the millions of different choices I could make on a bridge/tail, I know for sure that I don't want to use a through body!

I've picked up some stainless steel now though, so I'm going to have a crack at making one of those Mustang Hardtails myself! My only concern then is the Mustang bridge that I'm going to use for now (simply because I already had it). I'm thinking I might make some different pole holes for the bridges poles to go into to keep it a little more snug and not allow it to move around. I'll just do that until I have something better that I can use.

I know that you can get pretty good Jazzmaster/mustang bridge upgrades that allow you to fully adjust the saddle height and also keep your strings in place so maybe I'll look into something like that ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Also, my pickups have been made and my neck isn't far off either! Exciting stuff!