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I have an ES-175 with a wood bridge. I'm curious about how it would sound different with a steel bridge. Anyone compare the two on the same guitar?
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05-24-2014 08:54 PM
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Do you mean a metal bridge like an ABR-1, or do you mean some specifically steel bridge (which is somewhat unusual)?
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Sorry, metal bridge like an ABR-1.
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Pretty simple answer. It's a personal preference. You need to try both on your own guitar yourself to see if you notice the difference, and which one you prefer.
Originally Posted by Encinitastubes
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In my opinion wooden bridge is more clean in the sound because metal top ABR-1 can generate metal vibrations .
Wooden bridge eleminate metal vibrations.
that was my expierience with ABR-1.
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If not for the reason that it is easier to fettle the intonation on an ABR1 wood for me because it sounds, uh, woodier.
That said, there runs a gamut of ABR1 saddles of nylon, bone, brass, Graphtech, titanium, yeah, and steel that one could mess about with. The only wooden ABR1 saddles come attached to a piezo bridge, a Lashbrook.
Not scientific and purely anecdotal, a wooden saddle has a slower rise time with a more gradual decay that contributes to a woody monoligninic timbral quality. I would fail a blind test every time though without some acquaintance of said instrument.Last edited by Jabberwocky; 05-25-2014 at 04:46 AM.
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I have 2 ES175's one has a TOM and the other a wooden bridge, the TOM has a brighter more defined sound and the wooden bridge is a darker more mellow sound. The TOM is easier to get the intonation correct.
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I tried a couple of different wood bridges (both ebony) on my 175. The radius of the strings felt strange to me.
I mean it should be standard but……something felt wrong. I could put the same bridge on my Tom Painter (when I owned it) and it felt great.
I tried a TOM and liked it best for the radius but didn't like the sound. It was very metallic and bright. I went with the same brand of bridge but with nylon inserts and was at last satisfied.
I really like the nylon. You get the intonation and no metallic sound.
I'm sure if I had a skilled luthier cut me a wooden bridge specifically for this instrument I would be happy.
If a guitar has had the fretboard planed then I would imagine that the radius of the bridge should be changed to match.
this may have been the case with my guitar and the TOM with Nylon inserts just happened to match by accident…..or felt at least a bit better to me than the other bridges.
Of course the Tone Pro I liked is just a standard 12" radius. Don't know why it feels better but…..something agreeable happened.
Anyway for the OP, don't discount a nylon bridge. They do make vintage copies these days but without the silly wire brace that causes all the rattling. Good intonation is a great advantage.
Tone Pro claim to use some specially lubricated super tough nylon which is superior to the old Gibson ones. You will need a luthier to cut the slots for you. The angle and depth and position are crucial of course.
You don't need to use the posts of the Tone Pro, just pop it on to your posts.
Products | TonePros
Last edited by Philco; 05-25-2014 at 06:32 AM.
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I ran an experiment with wood, wood w/bone saddle, and metal (compton) bridges on a couple of guitars... a heavily-braced Grestch and a full-hollow Broadway.
The "more hollow" the guitar is, the more difference it makes. On the trestle-braced Gretsch, for example, which is alot like a 335 acoustically, it did make a difference, but very little. On the Broadway, it makes more difference.
Luckily, it's easy and relatively cheap experiment to run yourself, so you can hear the differences on YOUR guitar, and decide which will work best for you.
ALSO: the bridge is only ONE component of the system: change the string brand, and you may prefer a different bridge material. Ditto for pickups.
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I ended up putting a Compton bridge (Alluminum I believe) on my Benedetto Bambino, since I had a Bigsby B3 installed. I agree w/ the above post by Tony B56. For my situation I like the improvement!
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What a great phrase. Originally Posted by Jabberwocky
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indeed! :-) Originally Posted by Cunamara
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I sort of get tired of the overthinking and the search for "that perfect tone". I changed the bridge on my Sweet 16 to a tone pros tune-o-matic because I wanted the best intonation that I could get.
If Wes liked it, if Metheny liked it, and they sound fine who cares?
Now if I bought a $10K+ custom built instrument, I'd discuss it with the builder in advance and go with what we agreed on.
But to get crazy for a plywood guitar or even a carved generic guitar like mine...it's a waste of practice time.
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I use TOM's and wooden bridges for the simple reason I don't want all my guitars sounding alike, If I want a different tone I use whichever guitar I think will sound right.
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+1. To me, that's always been the point, with all my guitars, whether you're talking about bridges, pickups, or whatever. I don't want my guitars to sound the same, or even all that similar. To me, that's THE POINT in having different guitars. Originally Posted by TonyB56
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Bingo. That's the trade-off. Tone vs. intonation. Originally Posted by TonyB56
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I've used wooden bridge with out intonaTION PROBLEMS Originally Posted by fumblefingers
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well i suppose intonation "problem" is relative.
i have a wood bridge that John Buscarino made for me, that i use on a Guild/Benedetto. it works fine as well.
however, i believe that it is a simple matter of physics that an adjustable bridge can enable more accurate intonation, all things being equal. same goes for a compensated nut, although most people don't bother with that.
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