Intoneable bridge which sounds like a wooden bridge ?

[gitman]

I have a problem getting the intonation just right on my Ibanez GB15, which has the original ebony bridge/bridge base. So far I've tried everything in the book, spent hours adjusting and also swapped out the bridge for a metal tunomatic version. This got the intonation right where I want it but the tone suffered, it lost a great deal of ít's woody character and developed a slightly plinky coloration. Now I wonder whether there is a tune-able bridge out there that does NOT have this (for me) negative effect on the electric tone of a guitar ? I really don't get what happens here since on my '63 Super-400 CES the original tunomatic sounds just fine, clearly better -to my ears- than a wooden bridge. Both guitars are strung with med-heavy flats. Any suggestions/explanations except having a new bridge made ?

[kris]

This is a problem.
You can experiment with other tune-o-matic saddles.
I tried the KTS titanium saddles and the Graphtech saddles made of a material other than metal- I think Teflon.
There are also whole tune-o matic with plastic saddles on the market, which I haven't tested-TonePros AVR2 G-formula.
I also think that in the arch-top, the type of the bridge base has a big influence on the sound.I mean full contact base or not.
Besides, each guitar has a different internal design.

[ThatRhythmMan]

I wouldn’t say that it sounds exactly like a wooden saddle, but I usually like nylon saddles on a TOM that is on an archtop.

[Emperor]

Which strings are off? What kind of strings are you using? I have Stewmac's rosewood bridges on a couple of guitars, and they're dead on with TI JS112s.

[Herbie]

I wouldn’t say that it sounds exactly like a wooden saddle, but I usually like nylon saddles on a TOM that is on an archtop.

+1 on this.

I have had big doubts on nylon saddles (I prefer ebony ones) but a while ago I played one ES-175 copy Ibanez with them and it sounded great. Worth testing.

[Stringswinger]

I prefer wood to metal or nylon, but nylon is a close second to the wood on a guitar with set in pickups. On a purely acoustic archtop, if the wood saddle made intonation impossible, I would get a TOM, adjust that bridge to perfect intonation and then I would take that TOM to a luthier and get a custom wooden saddle to match the TOM.

[kris]

I prefer wood to metal or nylon, but nylon is a close second to the wood on a guitar with set in pickups. On a purely acoustic archtop, if the wood saddle made intonation impossible, I would get a TOM, adjust that bridge to perfect intonation and then I would take that TOM to a luthier and get a custom wooden saddle to match the TOM.

This is the best method.
I mean I made by myself not saddles but all wooden top of the bridge.
According to tune-o-matic saddle settings.

[Herbie]

I have a problem getting the intonation just right on my Ibanez GB15, which has the original ebony bridge/bridge base. So far I've tried everything in the book, spent hours adjusting and also swapped out the bridge for a metal tunomatic version. This got the intonation right where I want it but the tone suffered, it lost a great deal of ít's woody character and developed a slightly plinky coloration. Now I wonder whether there is a tune-able bridge out there that does NOT have this (for me) negative effect on the electric tone of a guitar ? I really don't get what happens here since on my '63 Super-400 CES the original tunomatic sounds just fine, clearly better -to my ears- than a wooden bridge. Both guitars are strung with med-heavy flats. Any suggestions/explanations except having a new bridge made ?

And then there is the rabbit hole of different TOM bridges. You can choose from the cheap brass Gibson bridge or Titanium saddle Gibson bridge or cold-rolled carbon steel Callahan bridge or milled bell brass ABM or milled Zamac KMS bridge or or or...

So good luck!

Take it to the bridge!

[ggjaguar]

I have a Graph Tech ResoMax TOM bridge on my Guild T-500 and I think it sounds less metallic and more woody.