tryin' to decide ... need some opinions/suggestions ..

[tone4days]

hey guys

the bridge on my ibanez am-50 (tobacco sunburst semi-hollow in my profile pic) is a chrome Gibraltar II ...

notice the kinda funky saddles ... mine is getting a little pitted / corroded / worn ... snaps B strings too often even though i had a very good luthier try to de-burr the saddle ... so i want to replace the whole thing ...

i can't find an aftermarket drop-in replacement (need it in chrome, not gold) ...

am open-minded about other saddles (like graphtech, etc.) as long as they fit, work, etc ... but havent found any that work .. also open-minded about a whole new (tom-style) bridge, but don't know what that would involve ...

so, who's got some good ideas for me

thanks
t4d

 

[krankguitarist]

Re: tryin' to decide ... need some opinions/suggestions ..

hmmm, it looks real different in design than a standard TOM. Do you know for sure that its not compatable with other TOMs, or are the studs and inserts just too different?

If the inserts arent compatable with tune-o-matic posts, then getting a new bridge would likely involve pulling the old inserts, maybe doweling up the old holes, re-drilling, and installing the new inserts. All this would probably cost a fair deal if you hand it over to a luthier for the work.

I did a little research, and it seems that there may be a graphtech saddle that may work for you, though if I were you I'd e-mail them first to be sure.

Http://www.graphtech.com

The part number is PS-8633-00. Under the "will it fit my guitar?" section it lists the ibanez AM 200 as a compatable guitar. I did a little more research (http://www.speakeasy.org/~sven/site/) And that site says that the AM 200 used the Gibraltar II bridge, same as the AM 50.

That'd probably be your most cost-effective way to fix your problem with the snapping B string. Check it out, e-mail em, see if it'll work.

 

[tone4days]

Re: tryin' to decide ... need some opinions/suggestions ..

you rock dude! .. i did the same research and never came up with squat

thanks - i'll let you know what i come up with

the only thing i am puzzling over is whether or not i'll be screwed because the graphtech doesnt have height adjustment like the gibraltar saddles

thanks again
t4d