Of bridges

The Fender American Pro Jaguar & Jazzmaster received a feature refinement in 2017 with the addition of a 'new' bridge which isn't new. Seen above is the aforementioned bridge which is clearly visible at the manufacturer's website.

The hardware in question is actually the Mustang bridge which retrofits into the Jaguar/ Jazzmaster  readily due to identical measurements.

As you can see, the original Jaguar bridge (right)  features saddles which do not have a dedicated string slot unlike the Mustang's (left). Players with a dedicated bending technique often face the frustration of having their strings dislodged & causing unwanted tuning issues during play. This is a DIY 'upgrade' if you wish to avoid such contentions, simply purchase the Mustang bridge (available at TYMC by the way) & do a swap over. Done. 

Floyd tail

This is definitely a good alternative to all things dive-bombing from the industry standard- Floyd Rose's Rail Tail bridge. No mods necessary as explained here:

Ibanez: SRC6 bridge

Here's a close up of the SRC6's bridge- it's Ibanez's own Tight End (TE) model. This isn't a breakthrough debut as the TE is a guitar bridge already used in the RG1451 (CLICK). The implications here are that, despite wanting to go deeper into the lower frequencies, bassists would have to re-think this consideration as the slots here simply could not accommodate thicker gauges. It would also mean that this SRC6 sports a guitar string spacing so if you wish to replace the nut with some other preferred material, you can easily shop for replacements.

Poll: To Floyd or not to Floyd

We know what the Floyd Rose whammy bridge has to offer- raising/ lowering of pitch with a 'stay-in-tune' promise. There is a certain locking stealth that gives the FR an upper hand when it comes to such an extensive movement & this is the reason why we believe in it, otherwise, it would have been discontinued a long time ago but it's a testament of something that works.

Anyway, the finding here are interesting, many of us are indifferent towards the FR system; if it's there, it's a bonus. Otherwise, we won't miss anything. However, this doesn't reflect the nature of the player- is this sentiment coming from a seasoned guitarist who had enough play time to actually deduce the positive functionality of the implement? 

But the signs are clear- the FR isn't a must have feature in our guitars today, it'd be different if we were evaluating this back in the shred era where the FR is the bridge to have. From a broader perspective, the FR is actually serving our individual needs, some of us simply prefer this bridge above all else. 

Also, the FR unit- in all honesty- is a cumbersome bridge to deal with. Besides dealing with the locking components, novice players would find it a steep challenge to keep it in its 'zero' position after a string change so it's not just dealing with string tension per se.

Thanks everyone, for participating- have a good mid-week :-)

For the purpose of inclusion, Floyd Rose here would include other similar bridge types that feature a locking mechanism & the allowance to raise/ lower notes more than the traditional bridge would offer.

Selling: Floyd Rose Special (SOLD)

Brand new, sparkling (ok, maybe not) Floyd Rose Special bridge for sale...

• Selling: Floyed Rose Special locking, dual action bridge (black). Bridge & whammy arm only
• Condition: 9/10 (a few days old)
• No reservations/ no trades
• Self-collect: CCK mrt station
• Confirmation/ query: dark1349@hotmail.com
• Price: $85 (final)

Selling: Fender bridge (vintage type saddles)

Selling, this 2-week old Fender bridge (it's a genuine Fender Japan article- note 'Fender' string saddles). Not needed any more as I'm converting my project guitar to a fixed bridge unit.

• Selling: Fender (Japan) bridge (vintage type saddles)
• No whammy bar (it didn't come with a whammy unit in its original packaging)
• Condition: 9/10 (2 weeks old)
• No reservations/ No trades
• Self-collect: CCK mrt station
• Confirmation/ queries: dark1349@hotmail.com
• Price: $35 (final)

FR-8

You might have seen this in a Schecter before but it's official now; Floyd Rose has one for your 8-string guitar, the FR8... so unleash your down-tuned madness, all ye bottom dwellers...

New FRs

This has to be one of the coolest contraptions to be released this year- Floyd Rose's FRX bridge. The manufacturer guarantees a good top-mount fit for all guitars featuring tune-o-matic type mounting studs. Of course, be mindful of the weight of this one :-)

Eternally in tune

It's an emotional 2012 for me as an ESP fan. Come 2013, there will be some major changes in the offerings that might dichotomize followers. I'll leave the manufacturer to unveil their grand presentation come Winter NAMM but you can read crumbs here as we go along.

Moving on, I was invited by Davis GMC to check out the new bridge that will debut in ESP's catalogues come the new year & it's causing quite a buzz in planet guitar. It's unclear as to which range of instruments will be equipped with this hardware but judging by its price implications (it's more expensive than the Original Floys Rose model), it won't be standard fittings in the lower tier instruments. I'm talking about the Evertune bridge seen here.

Some stuff that you should know:

• It's heavy. It was fitted in an ESP Horizon NT model (which I own) & the overall weight of the instrument was on the negative register, it won't win fans who would want to play the instrument extensively, strapped on.
• It renders your tuners useless. You need to know that the Evertune bridge was conceived to overcome tuning anomalies once it's set. The bridge accommodates your preferred tuning thereafter, virtually making it tamper proof no matter the type of tuning/tension-related abuses that come its way. This is the reason why the tuners over at the machine head have no effect once the bridge is set, ditto all your bends & wide vibrato techniques; the Evertune is immune to all that. If you wish to employ a different tuning subsequently, then the Evertune needs to be set up, it's not about turning the tuners over at the headstock.
• It's space consuming. I have no idea why I didn't capture the cavity at the flip-side of the body- there was a huge hole there accommodating the mechanics of the bridge, extending all the way to the neck-body heel area. I could see springs & tension flaps overwhelming the cavity. If you wish to retro-fit this in your current instrument, it would necessitate a re-think on your part because should you change your mind & would want to revert to your guitar's original bridge, it would be a massive renovation work at the very least.

To be continued...

PS: Thanks Janet & all at Davis GMC for making this happen!

The different argument

I don't like to argue. Not me. Especially with someone in cyberspace. I don't know you that well to dismiss you for who you are. More so when you are a faceless entity out there... Please, the internet could do better than be a bickering platform. It should bring people closer to be friends, not otherwise.

Enough of that, let's get straight to the point. I was talking about the RG350 (above), which in my opinion is among the most affordable dual action whammy equipped Ibanez RG model out there as it sports a respectable (Edge Zero II) bridge.

But the individual at the other end of the conversation tersely disagreed & cited the RG350 as one of the most forgettable players in its range as it has a lemon bridge in there. But I insisted the RG350 to be otherwise so the debate continued for quite a bit, getting into the mechanics of things- it got a little fanatical until I re-checked the records only to realize that, unlike us lucky dweebs here, some people further away from us are still receiving an RG350 with an Edge III bridge. So that settled it.

And what the heck was I doing fending off criticism for a brand name which has no formal associations with me? AAAAAARRRRGGGGGHHHH...!!

Ibanez S570B: (Slight) Set up

I was rather fortunate to have acquired this particular Ibanez S570B as it manifested one of the best QC from the Indonesian plant. The neck was ramrod straight so no adjustments were required but take a look at the bridge in the above pic- it's embedded too much into the cavity implying a very low action. To many of us, we equate very low action to shredding goodness- the lower the action so the more desirable it would be, yes? But that's not the case if it impedes movements, especially so if it affects your (individual) playability.

So the objective here was to raise the action to suit my playing comfort, first up would be the unlocking of the top-lock (nut) device. Many of us tend to overlook the (bridge) fine tuners before we do this, we should level the tuners prior to unlocking the nut because we need a 'neutral' positional reference when we next fine-tune our instruments. Raise/ lower the tuners to a mid-point position, this way we get equal travel to compensate the need to sharpen/ flatten tuning after we lock the nut. 

After tuning, do check your bridge alignment (side view) to see if it's sitting parallel to the body's top surface; in my case, it wasn't. The springs-strings required a balancing act & I couldn't be more grateful to Ibanez for this exposed feature- it provided easy access to the thumb-wheel adjuster. 

And there we have it, a raised action (but still low) & a leveled bridge alignment. Since it was a slight adjustment (magnified by the big photos here) the intonation stayed true so no adjustments necessary there. Great guitar this S570B.

Balducci's bridge

The above guitars are Rob Balducci's custom Ibanez, there are others, of course.

A closer look reveals a different or variant bridge in use instead of the established Edge models. The gear section of Mr. Balducci's homepage is currently under revision. Hopefully, he will shed light on this bridge make.

New bridge

This is purportedly the patent-pending bridge Ibanez had been developing of late. A certain Mr. Vai was said to be part of the development team but until it is confirmed, it might just be just another idea in the works.

Many Ibanez fans would welcome the reinforcement of the original Edge/ Lo-Pro Edge bridge which worked magnificently & its come back in the JEM/ JS/ Universe models only serves to re-affirm the  worthiness of this bridge.

Floyd Rose

Many of us are aware the 'Floyd Rose' name refers to a (locking) guitar bridge capable of lowering & raising (vibrato) the generated pitch. Floyd Rose is itself a brand name, it is not referring to the component's technical capacity. However, we conveniently refer to 'Floyd Rose' as a bridge type instead because many of us find it a chore to explain what this hardware is capable of. The product reputation is such that the brand name itself comprehensively explains what it does.

There are many guitars out there equipped with a dual action bridge ala Floyd Rose but they are by no means a product of the brand name. Ibanez's bridges in many of their guitars feature a Floyd Rose derivative which equal the former in function & features, if not furthering the details of the original. The Edge model (pre-2003, currently discont'd except for selected models), depicted above, is a very close spin-off which allegedly exceeded the Floyd Rose version in selected attainments.

I am not trying to polarize players into believing in brand name superiority, but let's be careful when we tell others we are off-loading a guitar with a Floyd Rose bridge when what's in store is a copy/ derivative unit instead. This may be trivial to many of us until the situation takes a legal turn...

Bridging differences

The tone tinkering continues- taking cues from the PRS philosophy (keep the guitar's hardwares light & it will sing better), I gave the default tune-o-matic type bridge a rest...

Its replacement is a traditional, jazz-favoured wooden bridge & the difference was marked. With the previous metal bridge, the tone was still immaculate but there was a lack in midrange fullness. The wooden bridge refined the lower midrange, adding more definition while increasing some bottom end thump. There's a certain crisp when played clean, in driven mode, the AF105 does metal-type riffing much better & solos are more upfront through the amp.

New bridge

To many Gibson fans, the Les Paul in whole is a sacred guitar; parts replacement is heretical. Well, I have no obligations to retain Gibson parts which don't serve my needs. This would definitely hurt the guitar's re-sale value but I've never bought a guitar with the intention of re-selling them.

Gibson plates the Les Paul Standard hardware with nickel. This metal would age gracefully over time, giving the instrument a much desired relic look which many LP fans would want to achieve with theirs, the reaosn they don't react well with polish fluid/ cream (so stop doing so, you can be more dilligent with other parts). I've replaced mine with a Gotoh unit because the tarnish on the original ware was an eyesore but the chief reason here was that I wanted to experiment with a lighter tune-o-matic unit (this bridge is made from zinc) in an attempt to enhance tone. This philosophy isn't new, it's adopted by Paul Reed Smith in many of his instruments in the belief that lighter hardware would enhance resonance as the instrument's vibrations are transferred to the body/ neck more readiy & not hindered by massive parts. Doing so would also mean that the overall mass of the guitar would be affected & the tone expected would be one with accentuated midrange.

I'm definitely not one to fall for such technicality too easily but I do own a PRS McCarty & the hardware on board are indeed light-weight units; this guitar sings better than many others in my collection which are of comparable specs. In this light, the tone coming from my LP Std with the lighter bridge has added clarity with the signature Les Paul bottom end thunder still in tact. Good for me.