Telecaster Player Series Saddle Replacement

[exaN]

Very interested in getting a Player Series Telecaster, but would like to replace the saddles for the regular 3 brass saddles and Fender told me they didn't have a direct replacement. Does anyone know if such a replacement exist for this guitar?

 

[rgand]

That's a nice looking guitar. The bridge needs to be drilled differently for the three barrel saddles. You may have to change the bridge or drill that one yourself for them.

 

[exaN]

That's a nice looking guitar. The bridge needs to be drilled differently for the three barrel saddles. You may have to change the bridge or drill that one yourself for them.

I suspected as much. How hard of a job is it to do for someone with access to only a hand drill?

 

[BigSteve22]

I'm thinking that re-drill would be a total PITA. And then you'd still have the extra holes. Replacing a Tele bridge is both easy and inexpensive, especially considering that you'd need to buy the saddles anyway.

 

[exaN]

I'm thinking that re-drill would be a total PITA. And then you'd still have the extra holes. Replacing a Tele bridge is both easy and inexpensive, especially considering that you'd need to buy the saddles anyway.

Sorry for the dumb question, wouldn't changing the bridge require redrilling also? This bridge wouldn't be a direct fit, no?

 

[BigSteve22]

Pretty sure it would fit unmodified, someone else could verify this. That Tele looks like a vintage, 4 hole mount, (String through holes are behind the mounting screws), with the modern flat plate, (instead of the vintage ashtray). Need to check the dimensions of the bridges to make sure the new one covers the same footprint.

 

[Rick]

All you gotta do is have Fender give you the dimensions, I've called them before and they emailed them to me on a chris shifflet model (I was interested in the saddles, not the bridge plate), so I know they can do it, then compare it to other manufacturers, I'd suggest Gotoh, Hipshot, philadelphia luthier and Babicz.  Cheers.

 

[exaN]

Thanks for the help! I’ll see what more I can find.

 

[Mr. Neutron]

Could you possibly do with 6 individual brass saddles, or is it wanting more of a "vintage" look of the classic brass barrel saddles type of bridge? Armadillo Guitar has some really great individual brass saddles that would fit right onto that bridge.

If the string spacing is 2.125", and it has 4 screws bolting the bridge plate down, there's a gazillion bridges with 3 brass saddles that should fit that guitar. Some on ebay or Amazon are VERY inexpensive. They may not have the trick "compensated" style of saddles, but they should work. Here's one for under $12 that appears to have the "standard" spacing of the strings and mounting screws that works on my 2016 MIM Fender Tele and my Warmoth Hybrid. This one seems to have holes drilled in the plate for using either as a "top-loader", or string through the body.

You can get a complete Fender bridge and saddles for under $40, provided the holes in your guitar match those dimensions given for that cheap Amazon bridge. I'm pretty sure you got options; just dunno if there are any good ones for the bridge plate on that guitar (which, incidentally, is what I have on my MIM Tele......).

 

[exaN]

Could you possibly do with 6 individual brass saddles, or is it wanting more of a "vintage" look of the classic brass barrel saddles type of bridge? Armadillo Guitar has some really great individual brass saddles that would fit right onto that bridge.

If the string spacing is 2.125", and it has 4 screws bolting the bridge plate down, there's a gazillion bridges with 3 brass saddles that should fit that guitar. Some on ebay or Amazon are VERY inexpensive. They may not have the trick "compensated" style of saddles, but they should work. Here's one for under $12 that appears to have the "standard" spacing of the strings and mounting screws that works on my 2016 MIM Fender Tele and my Warmoth Hybrid. This one seems to have holes drilled in the plate for using either as a "top-loader", or string through the body.

You can get a complete Fender bridge and saddles for under $40, provided the holes in your guitar match those dimensions given for that cheap Amazon bridge. I'm pretty sure you got options; just dunno if there are any good ones for the bridge plate on that guitar (which, incidentally, is what I have on my MIM Tele......).

Thanks for the great info! Honestly, I have no idea if it makes a tonal difference, it's mostly for the look :icon_thumright: . It seems like Fender received complaints about the bent steel saddles and on their websites the pictures have the more modern saddles. I'll hit up Fender again about dimensions.

 

[stratamania]

You need to look under the saddles to see how many mounting screws it has. It will either be 3 or 4, then order a replacement bridge that will fit.

One thing to consider it is easier to intonate a six saddle bridge. Bent steel saddles sometimes folks replace the more modern type to bent steel to be more vintage.

But does it sound good as it is?

 

[GilmourD]

Is this the bridge you have on your body? This pic is straight from Fender's site:

If so, that looks like the same bridge that they've been using for a long time which uses the same mounting holes as the vintage ashtray bridge. I've done the ashtray swap on an older MIM Standard without drilling a single hole.

I've seen some pictures with bent steel (Strat-style) saddles but it looks like the same plate, which is the important part of your question.

 

[rgand]

If you go for the ashtray bridge, you may want to consider one with the cut down sides. Several manufacturers make them.