Shite bridge

Jim54

I've had this MIJ 62 double bound tele for years and do love how it plays (when it's behaving). However, whenever I change strings (which I've just done after fitting a Lollar 52 bridge pickup), half of the strings are dull sounding as they never seem to sit in the saddle grooves properly, and you have to faff around for ages to get it sounding right. Also never liked the way the strings contact the back of the bridge before they go under the bigsby bar.

Are there any decent replacement bridges that do a better job?

Schnozz

This calls for a caped @ICBM ;

robgilmo

Jim54 said:

I've had this MIJ 62 double bound tele for years and do love how it plays (when it's behaving). However, whenever I change strings (which I've just done after fitting a Lollar 52 bridge pickup), half of the strings are dull sounding as they never seem to sit in the saddle grooves properly, and you have to faff around for ages to get it sounding right. Also never liked the way the strings contact the back of the bridge before they go under the bigsby bar.

Are there any decent replacement bridges that do a better job?

Have you tried cleaning them?

floeighty2

Mastery 

Jim54

robgilmo said:

Jim54 said:

I've had this MIJ 62 double bound tele for years and do love how it plays (when it's behaving). However, whenever I change strings (which I've just done after fitting a Lollar 52 bridge pickup), half of the strings are dull sounding as they never seem to sit in the saddle grooves properly, and you have to faff around for ages to get it sounding right. Also never liked the way the strings contact the back of the bridge before they go under the bigsby bar.

Are there any decent replacement bridges that do a better job?

Have you tried cleaning them?

They look worse than they are but it couldn't hurt.

Ddigger

Not everyone's cup of tea (and I have no experience with them myself), but Wilkinson do 3 and 4 screw Bigsby mounts with rollers...

https://wilkinsondirect.com/product/wilkinson-wbtbr-3-bridge/

Kurtis

It seems like you'd need to make sure the string is sitting in the right groove of the saddles.

The strings look to be different distances apart in the pic. 

It's the same with a lot of tele bridges tbf. It's a rather 'basic' design, especially with the bigsby pulling the strings back and forward. 

Jim54

Kurtis said:

It seems like you'd need to make sure the string is sitting in the right groove of the saddles.

The strings look to be different distances apart in the pic. 

It's the same with a lot of tele bridges tbf. 

Yeah, the string spacing is a little off, due to having to move the strings about a bit to get an optimal ring from the strings.

Kurtis

Are the strings also dragging across the back of the bridge? 

normula1

Would one if these fit?
https://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/252063/new-uk-made-offset-bridge/p1

Jim54

If you mean are the strings touching the back of the bridge, then yes.

Jim54

normula1 said:

Would one if these fit?
https://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/252063/new-uk-made-offset-bridge/p1

Possibly, I'll have to look into it.

ICBM

Schnozz said:

This calls for a caped @ICBM ;

No idea, the one on my Bigsby Tele was fine, rock-solid and never a problem. I did threadlock the height screws, and I think I shortened the ends of a couple of the intonation screws which otherwise would touch the strings, but I don’t remember for sure.

Matt4887

floeighty2 said:

Mastery 

Agree the Mastery Bridge is the way to go.

I have the same Japanese 62 custom tele and the stock threaded type saddles are absolute shite.

Fitted a Mastery bridge about 15 years ago which solved the buzzing, alignment and strings skipping between the grooves whilst playing. Definitely a worthwhile upgrade. 

Jim54

Thanks everyone, I'll have a read about the mastery bridge.

Kurtis

Would shimming the neck and raising the saddles help at all? 

guitarcookie1

Lower the bridge & raise the saddles to compensate?

Funkfingers

Kurtis said:

Would shimming the neck and raising the saddles help at all? 

Yes. It would increase the string break angle over the bridge saddles.

Use nylon washers to keep the bridge perpendicular to the top of the guitar. Mustang saddles to maintain the radius and eliminate the problems of the intonation screws sometimes fouling the strings. 

ICBM

Kurtis said:

Would shimming the neck and raising the saddles help at all? 

guitarcookie1 said:

Lower the bridge & raise the saddles to compensate?

Yes - I did that on mine, which is why I think I had to shorten the intonation screws. The Jazzmaster/Jaguar/Bigsby Tele bridge always works best with the saddles as high as possible in my experience.

Funkfingers

ICBM said:

Kurtis said:

Would shimming the neck and raising the saddles help at all? 

guitarcookie1 said:

Lower the bridge & raise the saddles to compensate?

Yes - I did that on mine, which is why I think I had to shorten the intonation screws.

This is one of the modifications that I inflicted on a Squier VM Mustang before it went to thecolourbox.

Kurtis

ICBM said:

Kurtis said:

Would shimming the neck and raising the saddles help at all? 

guitarcookie1 said:

Lower the bridge & raise the saddles to compensate?

Yes - I did that on mine, which is why I think I had to shorten the intonation screws. The Jazzmaster/Jaguar/Bigsby Tele bridge always works best with the saddles as high as possible in my experience.

The saddles could do with being thicker. 

I'd be tempted to make some new ones. An old bit of threaded bar isn't very...fancy.