Looking to change out my Tele bridge...which one?

[loudriver23]

I have a newer MIA Tele I want to sound more like a vintage Tele. One constant on this board is going back to the 3 brass barrel bridge over the 3 saddle model that comes standard these days. I'm not really looking forward to losing too much intonation stability, and I know there are a few products that help combat this while retaining that vintage Tele vibe.
So from what I've seen there are the:

Wilkenson bridges: They seem to have two offerings, on with compensated saddles, and one with pivoting saddles.

Joe Barden also had a nice looking bridge with compensating saddles.

Fender standard, but I would have to find some kind of compensating saddle system ala wilkenson/barden

Finally Callaham has a beautiful looking retrofit bridge for the Tele, it's also nice as they don't use the rolled edges for the newer MIA models. This is also the most expensive model by a long ways.

Whom here has experience with one or more of the afore mentioned models? What were your feelings on them, which would you recommend?
Thanks again.

 

[ibanezrocks]

Re: Looking to change out my Tele bridge...which one?

The Wilkinson bridges with the compensated saddles are very solid. The intonation is decent. For whatever reason I didn't like the idea of the pivoting saddles, I guess I figured they might not be as solid.

They can also be had for under 25 bucks.

 

[stevie_bees]

Re: Looking to change out my Tele bridge...which one?

The Wilkinson bridges with the compensated saddles are very solid. The intonation is decent. For whatever reason I didn't like the idea of the pivoting saddles, I guess I figured they might not be as solid.

They can also be had for under 25 bucks.

That's what I use, and they're fantastic. You're never going to get the intonation spot on with them, but it's close enough.

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: Looking to change out my Tele bridge...which one?

A bridge just by itself is not gonna take an AS Tele to vintage Tele tone but it is a start however none of the bridges you mentioned will fit on an AS Tele, you're ony real optino to going 3 saddle is a Callaham conversion kit and even at that the bridge is still much thicker that a vintage style Tele box bridge.

 

[loudriver23]

Re: Looking to change out my Tele bridge...which one?

A bridge just by itself is not gonna take an AS Tele to vintage Tele tone but it is a start however none of the bridges you mentioned will fit on an AS Tele, you're ony real optino to going 3 saddle is a Callaham conversion kit and even at that the bridge is still much thicker that a vintage style Tele box bridge.

I think my actual goal is to approach a vintage sound. Of course my newer MIA won't ever sound like a 51' but I do believe the brass saddles will more closely approach a vintage vibe than the current steel ones.

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: Looking to change out my Tele bridge...which one?

I think my actual goal is to approach a vintage sound. Of course my newer MIA won't ever sound like a 51' but I do believe the brass saddles will more closely approach a vintage vibe than the current steel ones.

It'll help...but IMO the bridge itself is just a big a part of the tone as the saddles...however Keef uses AS bridges on his old Tele's and they still sound like old Tele's!

Just remember a vintage style bridge like the Barden for example won;t fit on an AS body w/o modding the body itself...

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Looking to change out my Tele bridge...which one?

I use the Barden bridge and love it. I use Joe's pickups in my Tele as well.

Love them too!

My Tele is an original '54, BTW. I did some real soul searching before swapping out the vintage bridge and pickups.

I'm glad I did. And when I'm an old man and can no longer play the way I can now, or if I pass before my wife and she needs to sell my gear someday, the old parts are always in the case and the guitar can be restored to stock.

But until then, the Barden bridge and pickups are staying in that old Tele.

The Barden stuff was good enough for Danny Gatton's '53 - and plenty good enough for my '54.

 

[Bludave]

Re: Looking to change out my Tele bridge...which one?

I have a 52 Ri Tele. Brass saddles and all. Won't change them..... don't need to it intonates well enough for me. What I did do is swap ot the pups. I put a Vintage 54 in the Neck and a Jerry Donahue in the bridge. Love this Tele now! It was good before. Its great now. I have never been much of a fan of Barden pickups. his bridge saddles are great, but I have always found those pickups to be way to bright for my taste and hands.

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Looking to change out my Tele bridge...which one?

I have never been much of a fan of Barden pickups. his bridge saddles are great, but I have always found those pickups to be way to bright for my taste and hands.

I used to say that. At one time I thought they were to bright, to revealing and sort of hi-fi.

Then Curly and I went to a NAMM show together and got to play Bill Kirchen's old Tele outfitted with Bardens. I fell in love with the Barden tone.

After that I bought my first set of Bardens and have since put them in both of my Teles along with the Barden bridge.

I'm a big Danny Gatton fan and the Bardens were designed for Danny.

I don't mention the Bardens all that much because this is Seymour's website - but I think they're great.

 

[Bludave]

Re: Looking to change out my Tele bridge...which one?

I have a good friend of mine that has been plying Teles since he was a kid. He has Bardens in his Tele and HE makes them sound awesome, but for me..... they are just OK.

 

[J Moose]

Re: Looking to change out my Tele bridge...which one?

however none of the bridges you mentioned will fit on an AS Tele, you're ony real optino to going 3 saddle is a Callaham conversion kit and even at that the bridge is still much thicker that a vintage style Tele box bridge.

Why won't a 3-saddle bridge fit on an American Std Tele? Is it the layout of the mounting screws? I thought they were all the same dimensions...

FWIW, I'm not really sold on the Bardens myself. I have a friend who loves 'em... he does a lot of fingerpicking and has them in two guitars. I find them to be a little too "edgy" and honest, but he likes the clarity and uses his tone pots a lot more then I do.

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Looking to change out my Tele bridge...which one?

FWIW, I'm not really sold on the Bardens myself. I have a friend who loves 'em... he does a lot of fingerpicking and has them in two guitars. I find them to be a little too "edgy" and honest, but he likes the clarity and uses his tone pots a lot more then I do.

They can be clear all right. But I don't hear them as being overly edgy. At one time I assumed they were edgy but now that I've lived with them for a few years I don't hear them as being overly edgy at all. Teles tend towards being edgy anyway - its not just the pickups that make Teles bright and edgy.

The goal of Alnico 2 pickups like the Antiquity I or the Jerry Donahue is to eliminate much of the more annoying character of that inherent Telecaster edginess and the Jerry Donahue certainly suceeds at doing just that. It's a great Tele bridge pickup with strong output.

But the Bardens are strong pickups too. It's easy for me to overdrive my smallish Fenders like my Deluxe Reverb with the Bardens and get a really searing overdriven tone. And I can decrease the guitar's volume control and they clean up beautifully too. Plus, being a rails designs, they help sustain better when bending notes because the string is always over the polepiece.

When Joe was testing the design he went to some great guitarists for advice - Danny Gatton especially. But Eric Johnson was one who tested Joe's Strat pickups and offered suggestions.

Getting back to the Barden bridge: the brass saddles are angled so it plays in tune. The metalwork is beautiful and much thicker than the cheap stamped sheet metal you find on stock Teles. And the treble side is cutaway so I can get the palm of my hand in there without any interference.

I really do think the tone of the guitar is improved by switching to the barden bridge. It just sounds thicker and more solid and sustains better - less tinny.



Lew

 

[Stratman]

Re: Looking to change out my Tele bridge...which one?

Barden bridge retro fitted with titanium saddles.

Barden pups are too bright for my taste, have a set sitting back into the tool box

 

[eggman]

Re: Looking to change out my Tele bridge...which one?

Howdy,

I put a set of compensated Brass saddles from Stewart-McDonald on my Mahogany Tele. The saddles can be tilted a bit to assist w/ intonation. To be honest, they improved the intonation some, but about half the time regular saddles (3) will do just as well!
Overall, the intonation on my Tele is adequate. Excellent below the 12th fret and fair above the 12th fret. Good luck.

Eggman
PS: The big story about my flamed Mahogany Tele from USACG is the DiMarzio Twang Kings! What a pleasant surprise.

 

[Curly]

Re: Looking to change out my Tele bridge...which one?

for the money, I'd upgrade the pickups first.

to answer your question though, there are a couple others you haven't mentioned: Glendale and Pigtail.

My MIA sounded decent, but I put in a Broadcaster and Vintage Rhythm, and it sounded better.

 

[loudriver23]

Re: Looking to change out my Tele bridge...which one?

for the money, I'd upgrade the pickups first.

to answer your question though, there are a couple others you haven't mentioned: Glendale and Pigtail.

My MIA sounded decent, but I put in a Broadcaster and Vintage Rhythm, and it sounded better.

Thanks Curly,
Yeah I was having some second thoughts about the bridge. My current thinking is to change the pickups back to some nice singles and see how that goes. Then a phase 2 could be a Callaham, Pigtail, or Glendale bridge upgrade.

 

[Curly]

Re: Looking to change out my Tele bridge...which one?

I've tried quite a few different vintage style bridges and saddles. Many are excellent, but my next couple of teles will just have the vintage Fender bridge with probably the R S saddles.

I've never felt the bridge was a weakness on my MIA though.