strat bridge replacements?

bigmack209

bigmack209

New member
i always see these guys with graphtech bridges (or whatever brand). and i had one on my old strat plus but i never knew much about it. i've been thinking about putting one on my am. std. strat but wanted to know if it was worth the upgrade? and if it is what brand am i looking for? is this a job i can do myself. for picture reference, the bridge looks like the one on this guitar someone's selling in the trading post right now.
StratUs97Front-800.jpg
 
Re: strat bridge replacements?

That pic just looks like a stock 2-point trem and saddles.

TBH, there are many brands that offer upgraded saddles, but I've heard of few people who've said they've made a vast difference. Raw Vintage is a case in point.....a noticeable change for most users with the springs, but no change with the saddles.

It may be different if you continually break strings at the saddles though.

I would look to changing the block and the springs if you want tonal improvement. Look up the thread on the Killer Guitar Components trem blocks for reference.
 
Re: strat bridge replacements?

As far as I'm concerned, you can't go wrong with GraphTech saddles. They made such an immediate difference in my tone that it was hard to comprehend.
 
Re: strat bridge replacements?

AlexR said:
Hellion, what bridge was this on?
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I'm not sure I understand the question. The guitar in question was a Squier Strat, and also both of my Teles have had the saddles replaced with GraphTech.
 
Re: strat bridge replacements?

I use the Graphtech saddles and I really like them...They do tend to slightly darken the tone,but not in a bad way...On a strat it tends to be a good thing,though I use em on my SG and my Artie 335...String breakage at the bridge/saddles is no longer a problem.

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Re: strat bridge replacements?

if I may ask what specifically do you dislike about your existing two point tremolo system? what are you hoping to achieve by upgrading?

I can tell you right now from experience the graphtec saddles are all hype, I rarely break strings and I played an 02 American Deluxe strat until a year and half ago. They never improved tone on any guitar I'd tried them on, and since I didn't really break strings in the first place I never noticed much difference with them improving string life.

I prefer vintage style saddles made of nickel/brass any day, the graphtecs really suck a lot of life out of your tone for lack of a better word.

My favorite modern tremolo design for a strat is the G&L Dual fulcrum, this is what I'd advise you upgrade to if you make an upgrade, just beware you may have to do routing.

I think the trem block would make a bigger tonal difference personally.

I used to play strats all the time (really out of all my guitars) I haven't broken strings in years. If you play with half decent technique and have well setup instruments string breakage really shouldn't be an issue. I don't even break strings when I try stock guitars out (strung with 9's), this is coming from a guy that usually plays 12's and 13's.

I should add that it's important to set the saddles radius to match the fingerboard, use a well cut bone nut, and set your intonation properly. Once you get your strat setup well with the tremolo action and all those mentioned items you should be home free.
 
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Re: strat bridge replacements?

dominus said:
They made the tone sound.. "pingy".
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Fair enough. I haven't heard that, but everyone's ears are different. What were you using them in? With the Squier I was referring to, it gave it a bit more of a "woody" edge.
 
Re: strat bridge replacements?

Hellion said:
Fair enough. I haven't heard that, but everyone's ears are different. What were you using them in? With the Squier I was referring to, it gave it a bit more of a "woody" edge.
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They made the tone sound.. "pingy".
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I've not heard "pingy' but they do shave a small amount of highend shimmer away...I had a bad B and E saddle on my SG and she'd break strings all the time on me...I replaced the saddles but still had the problem..It was the only reason that I tryed the Graphtech saddles...

I Liked them enough that I also stuck a set on my 335...I Like em and they do the job...Different strokes! Whatever works........works!
 
Re: strat bridge replacements?

i reckon the fender two point bridge is really good - especially the ones with the pop in trem arm. I dont know if graph tech saddle set would be so much as an upgrade as opposed just a change.
 
Re: strat bridge replacements?

gibson175 said:
i reckon the fender two point bridge is really good - especially the ones with the pop in trem arm. I dont know if graph tech saddle set would be so much as an upgrade as opposed just a change.
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I sold my American Deluxe strat...It stayed in tune very well,but I don't care for the look of the flat saddles and the 2 point bridge...Also the guitars sound different to me with different bridges..

I do like Fender's new 2 point bridge that has the correct vintage style lookin saddles.
 
Re: strat bridge replacements?

if you really don't like the trem system that's easy to swap....I've done it for a few clients I usually recommend the G&L Dual Fulcrum system and everyone I've mod'd with that seems to love it. It does require a little bit of routing though, and depending on the guitar you may have to add/fill holes. But as far as function and tonality are concerned it's my favorite next to the original vintage style tremolo.

As I said before Graphtec saddles really aren't an upgrade imho they diminish the quality of the tone, for what I believe to be a negligible trade off (supposedly better string life w/ fewer breaks). Part of a strat's mojo imho comes from the bent steel saddles. So any non-metal (particularly brass/steel) to my ear doesn't really sound like the Fender sound.

Since I started doing professional setups on all my guitars and doing preventative maintenance on them I've never had issues with string breakage as I said earlier I can't remember the last time that I broke a string while playing. And yes I do use tremolos when I play bigsbys and strats.

I'd blame setup or technique before blaming the saddles or other parts of the guitar? It's not their fault people are inexperienced at setting them up or using them properly.

My experience comes from recording and gigging in semi-professional band settings (i get paid to play, but I don't do it for a living). Maybe you might like something better solo'd in your bedroom but when you play with a band having dark sounds and such aren't always desirable qualities. Having brighter overtones helps you cut in a mix.
 
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