Winston Psmith Posted May 22, 2012 Share Posted May 22, 2012 Recently picked up a nice used Epiphone SG, and, like every modern Epi I've seen, it has that funky ABR-style bridge, with the little retaining wire (I call it the Bobby Pin). One thing I've always wondered about - why in Perdition do they turn the bridge screws so they're facing towards the pups, instead of the tailpiece? I've always found it easier to adjust the intonation from the tailpiece side, and I've seen those retaining wires come loose, producing an instant pseudo-sitar sound, when your 1st string starts vibrating against it. I tend to flip the bridges around, on my Epis, and it doesn't seem to hurt the tuning nor intonation. I've seen older Gibsons with the ABR bridge, but sometimes they're turned one way, sometimes the reverse. I know there's supposed to be a Tone Pros bridge that will drop in with no drilling or routing, but I don't remember which it is - would also help if the bridge is already notched. Any help, or suggestions would be appreciated. Also, anybody who has anything good to say about the ABR design, I'd like to hear it. I've always hated them, but like with anything else, I could be wrong. "Monsters are real, and Ghosts are real too. They live inside us, and sometimes, they win." Stephen King http://www.novparolo.com https://thewinstonpsmithproject.bandcamp.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pinkjimiphoton Posted May 22, 2012 Share Posted May 22, 2012 i love the abr bridge, have used them pretty much exclusively. but...the little retaining wire? it IS supposed to be towards the tailpiece. alot of idiots who don't know how to assemble guitars overseas don't realize it, and install them backwards. the adjustment screws too should face the back. my advice? just flip it around and re-intonate, and you're good to go, bro. http://www.sweetrelief.org/ https://www.wepay.com/donations/memorial-stone-for-juliane-pocius Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Winston Psmith Posted May 22, 2012 Author Share Posted May 22, 2012 Thanks, brother, that's what I tend to do with them, anyhow, and I've never run into a problem. There wouldn't have been any question in my mind, but I had seen some photos of older Gibsons, mostly LP's, with the ABR bridge turned so the screws faced the pups - doesn't mean someone hadn't put them on wrong-way around. Now, if I could only figure out why the Epi necks still seem nicer than most of the new Gibsons!?! "Monsters are real, and Ghosts are real too. They live inside us, and sometimes, they win." Stephen King http://www.novparolo.com https://thewinstonpsmithproject.bandcamp.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Fraser Posted May 22, 2012 Share Posted May 22, 2012 Now, if I could only figure out why the Epi necks still seem nicer than most of the new Gibsons!?! Yeah, I don't get it. Both my Epiphone archtops ($700-ish) have much better necks & finish than a Gibson ES137 ($1300-ish) I tried out in a GC a few years back. Scott Fraser Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caevan O’Shite Posted May 22, 2012 Share Posted May 22, 2012 Of course, flipping the ABR around, you'll want to switch the saddles around, too, so that the one with a notch cut for the 6th/"Low-E" is under the 6th/"Low-E", etc. Otherwise the width and depth of the notches respective to the strings will be screwed up, and the depth affects the radius of the strings relative to the frets. Like most, my LP came with the T-o-M oriented with the intonation-screws and retainer-wire facing the pickup. I have replaced the wire once, and sometime will try putting six little tiny rubber-bands around and under the bridge stretched between the screw-heads and tails. The Nashville bridge? I used to have another Les Paul that had the Nashville, along with the one with the T-o-M; I was able to compare the two and pondered their respective qualities. The Nashville makes a Les Paul sound more steely and less woody; maybe more sustain, but less woody character and bloom. Not only does the Nashville bridge have more mass than the T-o-M, it also uses those massive threaded-inserts instead of the threaded posts screwed directly into the wood. The Nashville bridge will make a Les Paul sound a little more like a big, full Tele or a pedal-steel, while the T-o-M has less steely sustain and fullness and more "wood" and blooming envelope. Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do? ~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~ _ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pinkjimiphoton Posted May 23, 2012 Share Posted May 23, 2012 Now, if I could only figure out why the Epi necks still seem nicer than most of the new Gibsons!?! Yeah, I don't get it. Both my Epiphone archtops ($700-ish) have much better necks & finish than a Gibson ES137 ($1300-ish) I tried out in a GC a few years back. gibsons are "plekk'd" epis set up by soylent....errr, people http://www.sweetrelief.org/ https://www.wepay.com/donations/memorial-stone-for-juliane-pocius Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caevan O’Shite Posted May 23, 2012 Share Posted May 23, 2012 Oh, another thing about the Nashville bridges- with their larger bodies, the tail-piece can't be lowered as much as with a T-o-M without the strings hitting the back of the bridge. They do allow for a greater range of travel for the individual bridge-saddles when adjusting intonation, though. The tonal qualities of the Nashville that I cited above- the steely Tele and pedal-steel like tone, sustain and enhanced fullness- lent themselves nicely to that Les Paul that I used to have; it had P-90 "soap-bars", and I strung and set it up for Open-D tuning with three "benders" on the tail-piece for pedal-steel effects. Regardless of the tuning or benders, it was easy to pick it just so and get a sparks-shootin' veritable Tele impersonation out of it. ________ With the first of three EZ-Benders installed ________ http://img514.imageshack.us/img514/3489/kp900cv.jpg Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do? ~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~ _ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Winston Psmith Posted May 23, 2012 Author Share Posted May 23, 2012 So much for the 'plek' tech, in that case. "Monsters are real, and Ghosts are real too. They live inside us, and sometimes, they win." Stephen King http://www.novparolo.com https://thewinstonpsmithproject.bandcamp.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pinkjimiphoton Posted May 23, 2012 Share Posted May 23, 2012 a 64th of a turn of a truss rod or bridge height or tailpiece screw, can make a difference that no freekin' machine can match. human expertise needs to determine a setup, not a generic machine that's big claim is that it makes 'em all generic and feel the same...and they do. i'll take an indonesian child luthier over a computer any day of the week. http://www.sweetrelief.org/ https://www.wepay.com/donations/memorial-stone-for-juliane-pocius Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Fraser Posted May 23, 2012 Share Posted May 23, 2012 a 64th of a turn of a truss rod or bridge height or tailpiece screw, can make a difference that no freekin' machine can match. human expertise needs to determine a setup, not a generic machine that's big claim is that it makes 'em all generic and feel the same...and they do. i'll take an indonesian child luthier over a computer any day of the week. I thought the Plek deal had to do with fret dressing, not set up. Dunno. Scott Fraser Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pinkjimiphoton Posted May 24, 2012 Share Posted May 24, 2012 it does do the fret dressing..maybe i'm mistaken. i have noticed that every "plek"'d guitar i've played has felt pretty much exactly the same. http://www.sweetrelief.org/ https://www.wepay.com/donations/memorial-stone-for-juliane-pocius Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caevan O’Shite Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 it does do the fret dressing..maybe i'm mistaken. i have noticed that every "plek"'d guitar i've played has felt pretty much exactly the same. I'm sure of two things: A Plek-job is only as good as the person running the machine The resulting set-up feel can be deliberately varied, its quality depending on the skill and knowledge of the person running the machine Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do? ~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~ _ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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