-
What's behind this notion?
My new VOS ES-345 came with them. The sustain is fine. They work okay. But was Gibson out of metal?
-
01-09-2017 05:13 PM
-
I did a little searching. Here's a little advice- the Les Paul Forum has a lot of strong opinions on it. Some make no sense. Beware. Some like nylon saddles and some hate them.
This site is calmer.
Back in the Saddle Again. | The Gibson ES-335
I'm not swapping mine out for steel because mine work just fine. No sense looking for trouble.
-
Gibson used them throughout the 60's on many ABR equipped guitars.
So another tick in the box of improving Historical accuracy of the VOS range .. they even have the correct bevel angle on the pickguards now, a huge tone shaping plus .... and worth every extra dollar they charge each year
-
Yes ... The Rusty Anderson ES-335 had nylon saddles (and nut maybe?) and it's basically a 59 reissue. I guess nylon was hot in the old days. Works just fine as far as I know.
-
My vintage 1963 Gibson Les Paul Std (SG model) had them on the ABR-1 bridge. I found it a bit odd, but they never gave reason for a change. I could not tell a difference in tone quality or sustain. i guess they were a bit cheaper to manufacture and slotting nylon yourself is also a tad easier when compared to steel. From a wear point of view, one could expact the lifetime of nylons saddles to be shorter when compared to steel.
Attachment 38626
-
For all things vintage Gibson, always worth it to check out es-335.org:
Back in the Saddle Again. | The Gibson ES-335
-
Nylon got really big back then. Remington sold a rifle with a nylon stock. It got used for all sorts of things, really became trendy. But eventually other plastics came along, and did some things better, and nylon sort of fell by the wayside eventually.
-
My Rusty Anderson did NOT come with nylon saddles.
Originally Posted by Lobomov
-
I have heard it was done as the strings were less likely to bind and it has a self lubricating property (the steel string won't bind on nylon so the bridge inserts give). They were not thinking about sustain, they were thinking about bending strings. Not sure if it is just internet folklore, but it kinda makes sense. Eventually, the string will wear to the shape of nylon based on the string gauge (without having to slot it)..... Eventually they came back around and were concerned with sustain.
-
Vibrola.
-
Nylon saddles predate a trapeze tailpiece on a 335/345 by a couple years - I figure Gibson was moving towards a certain sound, maybe a softer sound.
Nylon saddles have a bit softer sound and less edge but I really like them on an ES-335 (I have the '63 50'th Anniversary). If you want to try metal saddles don't replace them on your VOS ABR-1, it's easier to buy a Kluson or Tone Pros ABR-1 and swap out the whole bridge.
-
I have nylon saddles on my Gibson 355 1964 reissue. Wouldn't change them for anything else. The word nylon is associated with cheapness, but they really are excellent, and not a cost-cutting measure.
-
My 1967 L5CES came with nylon saddles. I liked them a lot for their smooth sound, so i got some for my 1953 L7 too when i bought it in '87.
For some decades they were impossible to get unless one would buy a complete Gotoh bridge. The saddles in the Gotoh bridge are about half the mass as the ones Gibson uses, so no wonder the Gotoh with nylon saddles didn't please my ears.
As they became available again i bought a couple of sets, actually i have a Gibson TOM ready to be tested with my L5's, just didn't get around to do it yet.
Changing saddles makes a huge difference. Once i tested KTS titanium saddles on the L5, had to take them off immediately as i couldn't enjoy the additional sustain they produced.
-
Hmmm I could be mistaken, but Im pretty sure that the RA 335 was the one with the nylon saddles. Still I could be mixing models up, guitars come and go in the shops. Originally Posted by ThatRhythmMan
My Rusty Anderson did NOT come with nylon saddles.
The RA I tried was the one of the 25 handsigned and numbered 1/25 to 25/25 ones. I almost bought it and have been kicking my self for not buying ever since.
-
Mine is actually one of the pilot run, so I guess it's also possible they used nylon saddles on the main release ones.
It's the best 335 I've played, better than any custom shop examples I've played.
-
In that case Im just mixing up models Originally Posted by ThatRhythmMan
-
I have a Tele. 2 upper strings have eaten their way into the metal on the bridge. For a long while I couldn't understand why the sound wen't bad when the strings got older than a week. Can't describe it even.. whiny kind of sound. Hm.. maybe should try those nylon ones. Mabe get a bit smoother sound also. Nice thread.
-
Yes it was great .. and we are back a few years before the Gibson raised their prices coupled with the dollar going up, so I could have bought it for 2/3rds of what something like the Memphis 63ri cost not to mention what a CS 335 costs. My local store had several of those pilot run RA's. Originally Posted by ThatRhythmMan
Oh well
But I'm posting to say that I think I've sorted out, what I was thinking of. I suspect that the RA has a nylon nut ... and upon inquiring about it, seller told me that nylon is excellent and was also used by Gibson on bridges. Am I there?
-
Nylon saddles make a nice replacement for those with archtops who don't care for a wood bridge. Brighter and more sustain than wood but not as bright as metal. In the story of Goldie Locks and the 3 Archtop Bridges - wood is too soft, brass is too hard, nylon is just right.
I just put a Kluson ABR-1 on my '59 ES-175 and it's "just right".
Amazon.com: Bridge - Kluson, ABR-1, Nonwired Nylon Saddles, Nickel: Musical Instruments
-
You're absolutely right. The RA's do have a nylon nut. That has to be what it was you were thinking of. Originally Posted by Lobomov
Yes it was great .. and we are back a few years before the Gibson raised their prices coupled with the dollar going up, so I could have bought it for 2/3rds of what something like the Memphis 63ri cost not to mention what a CS 335 costs. My local store had several of those pilot run RA's.
Oh well
But I'm posting to say that I think I've sorted out, what I was thinking of. I suspect that the RA has a nylon nut ... and upon inquiring about it, seller told me that nylon is excellent and was also used by Gibson on bridges. Am I there?
-
it was to keep strings from breaking. Easier and cheaper than replacing the casting molds for the metal parts.
-
My lord, that is one beautiful guitar. Originally Posted by hotpepper01
Reply With Quote
World’s Tiniest Most easy to use Condenser Mic to...
Today, 10:43 PM in Guitar, Amps & Gizmos