Official Luthiers Forum!

Hey everyone, the build I'm presently working on, I've decided to go with a hardtail bridge, mostly for the simplicity in mounting, and the versatility of adjustment. I've never actually played a guitar with a hardtail, so I'm wondering what should I be looking for in a bridge? Does the string through vs. top mount make a HUGE difference? Are the $10 eBay ones a waste of time and money, should I be looking to fork out as much as I usually do for a floyd?
I was originally planning a tune-o-matic, but i really don't think I like them much. The one guitar that I have with one doesn't get much play time, it just feels weird to me. I'm usually a floyd guy, but I want a guitar that is easy to switch tunings on, without going through all the adjustment required for floating trems.
I love the look of the Hannes bridges by Schaller, but they seem a bit intimidating to install for a second build. Have any of you guys got experience with them, are they worth the money?
ABM makes a really sharp looking hardtail, but hard to find.
any and all advice appreciated, as always

I like Schaller's flatmount hardtail... fully adjustable, lockable.
http://www.warmoth.com/Schaller-475-6-S ... -P575.aspx

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"Act your age, not your shoe size" - Prince

Depends what you're looking for and what your budget is. I personally would not spend Floyd money on a hardtail. But there are lots of options available in all price ranges.
As to top load or string through, if you need string through holes you need some way to drill them straight, like a drill press. Unless you can live with a little inaccuracy, in which case if you're careful you can use a hand drill.
Most of the top loaders are going to be cheaply made unless you spend a decent amount, IME. An exception is GFS. Some of their tele top loaders are pretty decent. For a string through I like this one from them.
http://www.guitarfetish.com/Chrome-Hardtail-Bridge-for-Teles-and-Strats_p_158.html
A decent bridge that IMHO is almost as nice as a Gotoh of the same design at about 1/4 the price.

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Mike

The only thing nescessary for evil to thrive is for good men to do nothing.

I like the Hipshots, check them out
http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Bridges,_tailpieces/Electric_guitar,_non-trem_bridges/Hipshot_Hardtail_Bridge.html

Hipshot for flatmount, Gotoh's 510 for 'wraparound' style.

Hipshot offers the best flatmount hardtails I know of.

I've been eyeing up these hipshots, as well as the schaller roller bridge... Decisions decisions. Any ideas what sort of neck angles, if any, would be required? I suppose theres a lot of things to consider

Excellent point worth emphasizing: make sure the saddle heights are within range for your setup.

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wah
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Wah

+1 on that Mike. Also, I think GFS pickups are well worth the price on a budget build.
I installed some 'Lil buckers on a Tele build. Great twang-tastick sound.

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wah
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Wah

Hi Mark,
I just installed a Schaller roller bridge on an Explorer build.
My neck angle is only about 2-degrees, the top edge of the fretboard is 1/4" from the top of the body.
Even with the supplied spacer, I had to add a 1/16" riser plate to get the saddle height correct.
So far, this bridge is awesome: individual left/right, up/down, and intonation adjustments. Also, there's a locking screw to hold the saddles tightly together. No rattling. This bridge is better suited for a flat (Fender) build that a Gibson style build.
DZ

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wah
Wah-wah-wah-wah
Wah

I like GFS pickups as well, and not just for budget builds. I prefer their Vintage '59 humbucker over the Seymour Duncans I have used as a standard in the past(Jazz neck/JB bridge).
Nice, fat cleans, and they push an amp into distortion rather well, and sound great doing it. Better than the Duncans, IMO. That's subjective, I know, but there it is.

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Mike

The only thing nescessary for evil to thrive is for good men to do nothing.

I had a set of GFS pickups before in a Dean Vendetta. They were really good, I was very happy with them. Crunchy PATS i think they were. This build in particular is getting a set of Bill Lawrence USA L-500's, an XL in the bridge and an R in the neck. Drilling for string through doesn't really intimidate me any, as I have a drill press, but I think I will go with the Schaller roller, I've got about a degree and a half neck angle set right now, and the fretboard will be a 1/4", and I plan to use medium/highest fretwire, or jumbo. I figure with how adjustable that bridge is, I should be safe with that angle. But I like the mechanics of the bridge itself. I see they offer a string through version now, But I've yet to see any available in North America
On a side note, The other build I have on the go is a flying vee, neck through, with a string through tune-o-matic. I want to try to recess the bridge, mostly as I like the appearance, and also to reduce the neck angle needed. To get a proper 3-4 degree angle, I would need to plane too much of the face of the body. In retrospect, I should have put my angle into the neck itself before cutting anything, but I kept the neck section flat, and opted to plane the face of the body back. Live and learn, right?

Here's a tip for you:
Once you get the string spacing set with the rollers, lock them in place with a touch of clear lacquer from a small brush. It will keep the rollers from moving during string changes later. I also used clear finger nail polish.

If you need to move the rollers later, just touch the lacquer with a dot of thinner. When it dries, you'll be good to go!

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"Act your age, not your shoe size" - Prince

I have to say, I used this bridge on my one and only build and I love it.
Very German, well built and heavy bridge. Give a nice fat tone.

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