The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
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  1. #1

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    I have a Washburn semi-hollow guitar (HB35) I bought about 12 years ago.

    The saddles look worn and an adjustment screw head is damaged so I am thinknig about replacing the bridge.

    What should I think about when I choose a new bridge?

    Will most of them fit or is there some mm vs. inch issue?
    The guitar is made in Korea (I think the same model has also been manufactured in Japan and China depending on which year it is made).

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  3. #2

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    There is not that much to think about, but:

    The center-to-center distance between the holes has to match your posts;
    The radius (curve) of the saddles should match your guitar as closely as possible;
    Some come with pre-grooved saddles, which is cool;
    Some have a retaining wire on one side, some don't;
    They come in gold, chrome, and nickel (plus possibly aluminum).

  4. #3

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    I'd also add to think about hole diameter.

  5. #4

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    That's what she said.

  6. #5

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    If it was made in Korea, it probably used metric dimensions. So, look for a TOM bridge with metric dimensions. Ones from Gotoh will work very well.

  7. #6

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    Here the highest quality TOM bridges you can get :

    http://www.tokaiguitar.de/produktdetail.php?id=18


    I bought mine there and I would buy one again if I had to. I also got an aluminium tailpiece from them, great products at reasonable prices.

  8. #7

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    There is some good information available on the Stew Mac web site. How to slot the saddles, measurements, specifications, etc., for ABRs, Nashvilles, Gotohs:

    http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Bridges,...c_bridges.html

  9. #8

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    I have read some players' accounts about the anxiety of slotting the saddles. Some techs recommend that you just install the bridge, or saddles (in my case), then install the strings. If you are lucky, the strings will create their own slots.
    My new saddles were brass and soft enough so that the strings did seat themselves. I appreciated that since: filing slots can be tricky, and easily screwed up. Too deep, or rough - leading to string buzzes at the saddle, esp. when bending strings.

    You should not need slots. Let the strings ride on the top of the saddle. Stratocaster saddles have no slots. If the strings tend to move, go to Plan B.

    Plan B: install old strings, not new ones yet. Space the strings properly. Then lightly tap with a mallet on the stings where they sit on the saddles. This will create a very small slot - and should be enough. This will be abusive to strings, so use an old set. If doing this on an archtop, you'll prolly need to remove the bridge from the guitar once the spacing is marked, then tap on the saddles with the bridge on a hard surface - not on the guitar!!!

    Go lightly and do less rather than more. Avoid filing slots into saddles if possible. If you must, you need the right size file per string. And go very lightly! Epiphone saddles are junk metal and wear out all by themselves. When I tried to fix them, I only made them worse. New TOM brass saddles from Stew - Mac were perfect, and no filing was needed, just the above procedures.

    I have never done this with a wooden bridge - yet!

    It's not that difficult if you proceed slowly - carefully. Or have a tech do it, a trusted one.

    Best of Luck
    Last edited by Jimmy Mack; 11-27-2013 at 10:41 PM.

  10. #9
    thanks everyone for your replies.

    I've done a bit of research. This model seems to have a bit narrower space between the posts compared to most Tune o'matic bridges. something like 72mm rather than 74mm.

    It seems very difficult to find something that fits without much effort.

  11. #10

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    Orri, what does your TOM bridge say on its bottom? Is it a Jinho bridge?

  12. #11
    Orri, what does your TOM bridge say on its bottom? Is it a Jinho bridge?
    It doesn't say anything on the bottom

    bottom:


    top:



    the distance between the posts seems to be about 72mm
    the threads of the posts that go into the guitar are 8mm and the part of the post that goes into the hole in the bridge is about 6mm.

  13. #12

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    Just replace the bridge saddles and screws instead of the whole bridge.

  14. #13

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    Quote Originally Posted by cosmic gumbo
    Just replace the bridge saddles and screws instead of the whole bridge.
    I would also just replace the saddles, but I would replace them with graphtech saddles. They sound warmer than brass.

    http://www.graphtech.com/products/br...-tune-o-matics

    Keith

  15. #14
    That sounds like a good idea.
    If I only knew which saddles and screws can fit.

    Maybe I'll just take off the bridge and bring it to a guitar shop and see if they have bridge or saddles + screws or advice or something.

  16. #15

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    I would keep digging on the internet. Learn all you can. Look at spec sheets, e-mail people/suppliers. Do searches on the forums. I just have a 50% favorability rating for guitar techs and even less for guitar shops. Sorry.

    I have done most of my own repairs, and when someone else does them, I feel like the job was only 75% correct. There are exceptions to that, to be sure.

    Your saddles look cut way too deep. that could be a problem right there,no doubt in my mind. You should be able to get new saddles and screws. Drop that bridge down with the new saddles installed and follow my above regimen.

    Best o luck.

  17. #16

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    Those Washburns were made by Samick and that looks like the somewhat unique "Samick Harmonica Bridge" that no other manufacturer seems to use. I would send your picture to Graphtech, tell them what guitar it is from and see if they know what saddles will work on it.

  18. #17

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    Quote Originally Posted by Jimmy Mack
    : filing slots can be tricky, and easily screwed up. Too deep, or rough - leading to string buzzes at the saddle, esp. when bending strings.
    Is this ever true. I had a 'tune-up' done on a guitar a few years ago : before I left the shop I gave it a quick play and the 1st and 2nd strings sounded just like a sitar. The tech looked astonished. With a large magnifying glass he inspected the slots in the saddles, then took one extremely light, very short pass in each with the tiniest file I'd ever seen. Problem solved. He said there was a burr in each slot no larger than a spec of dust, but that's all it takes.

  19. #18
    I contacted washburn customer service and they recommeneded the site guitarfetish.com
    They have a bridge called 'import fit'
    http://www.guitarfetish.com/Import-f...T-_p_5929.html

    I then contacted guitarfetish to ask for more details and they said that the space is 72mm and holes are 6mm (just like mine).

    I'll probably place an order soon.

    Again, thanks everyone for your helpfulness.

  20. #19

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    Great that you found a solution, orri. And va3ux, yeah, them gremlins. Drives you batty when you try to locate the source and can't. Turns out to be the tiniest burr. Who would have thought of that?

    I found a buzz that wouldn't go away once on my guitar. Tried this and that, adjusting the action, truss rod, tuning machines, etc. Wouldn't go away. Tried damping the springs in the humbuckers. Wouldn't go away. I was tearing my hair out. Just couldn't trace it.

    As I was putting the guitar away in tears, my little finger happened to brush against the pickguard bracket and I felt something turn. It was the damn pickguard bracket NUT that had worked itself just that little bit loose and it was buzzing with each stroke of the strings!
    Last edited by Jabberwocky; 12-02-2013 at 01:28 PM.

  21. #20

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    Quote "As I was putting the guitar away in tears, "

    To all members here

    I'm sure you feel and appreciate the passion we all have for our beloved instruments now ??? I do.

    This is why I try to do my own work, be thorough, and never give up. And Orri, I'm glad you found it.

    I praise the internet, and wager, we learned a lot from your post. Thanks

  22. #21

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    Orri...could you let me now how you made out with that bridge when you get it...I've been looking for a 72mm replacement for a 99 Epi Dot with your identicle bridge...I also contacted GuitarFetish and was told all their bridges measure 74 mm
    Thanks, Nick

  23. #22
    Quote Originally Posted by Nick K
    Orri...could you let me now how you made out with that bridge when you get it...I've been looking for a 72mm replacement for a 99 Epi Dot with your identicle bridge...I also contacted GuitarFetish and was told all their bridges measure 74 mm
    Thanks, Nick
    Sure
    I placed an order this morning. Should arrive in 7-14 days they say.

    I also found some bridges made in China on ebay that had narrower space between the posts (between 72 and 73 mm)
    I think I found them by searching for "import tuneomatic" or something similar.

  24. #23

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    Doesn't Stew Mac have replacement saddles for you bridge????

    I went thru this and ended up learning that: my Epiphone "ES Tuneomatic" bridge is superior to even some Gibson bridges! It was the saddles that sucked.

    So after replacing them with Stew-Mac brass saddles (for imports) I am extremely pleased with the results. And friends are too. Comparing to my buddy's '64 ES345, my guitar is every bit as good and sounds it too, side by side.

  25. #24

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    Problem with my bridge is one of the screws broke or I would just change the saddlles....Bought my guitar as a project guitar....it was stored for many years there was lots of corrosion on bridge and other chrome....everything cleaned up beautiful.....the guitar is amazing!!...very pleased with quality....and bridge is also in nice shape after a good cleaning...but screws and saddles not so good... can't find replacement screws for this bridge...

  26. #25
    The bridge has arrived earlier this week.

    The spacing was a bit too wide about 1mm to wide. Seemed to be about 73 mm not 72.
    (I just used a measuring tape, which isn't that precise, but I've put a vernier calliper on my christmas wishlist).


    I could press it with some moderate force to put it in place, but it was then too stuck then, I couldn't adjust the bridge height (by turning the posts) without taking the bridge off (also with force) and putting it in place again.

    I filed a bit from one of the post holes in the bridge and made it slighly oval shaped. Now it isn't as stuck but still a bit tight. (I don't need to remove bridge to adjust the posts, but I need to loosen the strings and lift the bridge a bit).

    The saddles were not slotted so I had to make slots.
    I used the old bridge as a reference and noticed that the space between the saddle screws is bigger on the new bridge, so the slot does't end up in the center of each saddle.


    I haven't yet had time to do fine adjustment of bridge heigt, intonation and truss rod (I trying to decide if I should string it with my prefered rock strings (regular nickel wound 10s) or my preferred jazz strings in it (flat wound 12s)), still has a lot of fret buzz issues I need to figure out, so I don't want to say anything about how much improvement this bridge is.

    The quality of these photos aren't that good:

    Replacing a Tune-o-Matic Bridge ?-jxufvij-jpg
    The old bridge and posts on the left. In the right are the parts that arrived. The new posts fit perfectly in the screw holes in the guitar so I didn't need to fit the new screw holes (or what ever I should call that part) into the wood in the guitar.


    Replacing a Tune-o-Matic Bridge ?-ummq61t-jpg
    New bridge (above) before slotting and old brige below. You can see that the space between the saddles is a bit wider.