Should I change this bridge?

Eddie J.

Eddie J.

New member
My Dean hardtail select came with this bridge.

sungiizl5.jpg



It`s a Korean SUNG II bridge (i can`t find nothing more about it) and when i physically compare it to tonepros or schaller i notice that this bridge is narrower.

Probably weigh less too, I don`t know about that, actually it`s not light at all.


I plan to replace it with something else, something that could deliver superior sustain, but i`m not sure could I actually achieve it.
I mean, there are so many "i did this and nothing happened" stories, so I`m not sure about this anymore. Maybe this bridge is ok, i never changed a bridge before so I don`t know.

When I compare it to Tonepros like this one:

tonepros-gold-bridge+bar.jpg


I first notice that I could get some more space for intonation, (almost a problem with this bridge) and i suppose this one`s extra mass should give me more sustain. (I am putting the tonepros "screw it down" aspect on side now, i`m thinking on bridge basic design).



This SUNG II bridge also comes with Caddy`s and some other Dean guitars (and who knows how many other Korean imports), so if anybody have experience with this bridge swapping it would be nice to share.
Any other opinion is welcome of course.

Thanks ;)
 
Re: Should I change this bridge?

I forgot to say how all this started.
First I wanted to order Tonepros ABR-1 type bridge, cause it looks exactly the same like this sung, but I read on few places how the Dean Hardtail bridges can`t be replaced with tonepros.

That sounded very BS strange, so I wrote both to Dean customer support and Tonepros, but i never got any answer about it. I tried to find specs of this SUNG II but I just couldn`t find nothing and I gave it a rest for sometime.

In the meanwhile, I spoke with octavedoctor and learned that more massive bridge should give more sustain, and there I got an idea to try switching the bridge to that showed on the second pic. (TB type, right? ). Maybe that`s a crazy idea, be free to stop me.

Ok, i hope this is clear enough. I`m just clueless now.
 
Re: Should I change this bridge?

I have 6 Les Pauls, one with this Schaller Roller bridge and it has noticably more sustain than the others. Of course I've never played two Les Pauls that were exactly the same so your results may vary. Anyway....I really like this bridge, very adjustable too...........I can't say if it'll fit your axe or not though....sorry!

I recently added a TonePro's tail piece, no noticable difference in my opinion but it doesn't fall off when I change strings!

1266_1lg.jpg
 
Last edited:
Re: Should I change this bridge?

Nice. Very cheap too.
I wanted to ask you how the flatter bridge radius (14") couples with Les Pauls, but now i see that each of this saddles can be height adjusted. Great design.
Ok, first I have to make sure what is the exact size of my bridge posts. As I can tell, any bridge with metric (6mm) posts should fit.
 
Re: Should I change this bridge?

You can't adjust individual string height....only over-all height. But each strings spacing and intonation are adjustable. The radius works fine on my guitar........
 
Re: Should I change this bridge?

Pffff. Schaller site says something about 3d adjustment, so i improvised into wrong direction :D

Tell me, what hapenned to your tone? Some guys claim it makes every guitar brighter.
 
Re: Should I change this bridge?

Well, honestly I put this bridge on my guitar about 18 years ago, I've drank alot of beer since then so my recollection is not so good! The reason for the switch was my stock Gibson bridge was sagging in the middle! Nobody believed me but you could see it with the naked eye and lay a straight edge along the top of it and it was quite obvious! Anyway, I went with this bridge due to it's beefier design. This bridge and the addition of a Duncan Distortion pup in the bridge position has made this Les Paul my #1 guitar ever since....Haven't played a gig with out it since then. I use the DD in several LP's, the one with this bridge seems more "alive" than the rest. I tend to use things other people see as "bright" such as JB or DD pick-ups, 500k pots, and so on....I suppose my amp settings make up for this cause none of it's overly bright to me........your results may vary!
 
Re: Should I change this bridge?

I get you ;) Thanks.

One more thing, can you give me info about posts of your schaller bridge...are they large or small? They say "M5 coarse" I guess it means large, but...


Anyway, if anyone cares, I think I found the crucial detail about "no tonepros on hardtail select ". Guitar is equipped with large bridge posts, and Tonepros offer AVR II (improved ABR replacement) only on small posts, so head to head replacement isn`t possible.
But I think that anything else with large posts can fit. Only problem I see is that putting anything wider than stock bridge would cause the strings to lay down on the backside of it, which is probably the reason people say NO tonepros here. This tailpiece isn`t exactly made for raising, but it can be done by putting some washers under it and that should solve the problem with the wider bridge, i guess...

Well, enough for today, I go to sleep.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top