Members pogo97 Posted February 9, 2011 Members Share Posted February 9, 2011 I have an Epiphone Dot and the hardware is, quite reasonably, Chevy rather than Cadillac quality. If I decide to upgrade this guitar (which plays and sounds very good), the bridge would be the first thing to go. Not that it doesn't work but that the fit & finish are only okay; just bare-bones functional. It seems that there are folks who would be delighted to sell me a new tune-o-matic for anything from $50 to $200 (or more, maybe). Any comments on where the best values are? Experience in great improvements in tone (or not) after putting in a new tune-o-matic? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members cratz2 Posted February 9, 2011 Members Share Posted February 9, 2011 Tone Pros? I've never replaced a TOM so I've never compared one to the other back to back on the same guitar. I'm sure Epi isn't the creme de la creme, but I probably wouldn't pop for a $200 bridge that will only work on other imports. Going from steel to aluminium would probably make a difference, but once you had overcome rattles and settling, I can't imagine similar materials would yield notable differences in 'tone'. I have often wondered if it would sound different to get the bridge dialed in for height, then have little spacers that were thicker to go around the exposed areas of the studs. Not sure if I'm explaining that clearly. But basically more medal connecting bridge to body or bridge to insert. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members artiem Posted February 9, 2011 Members Share Posted February 9, 2011 I recently replaced the bridge on my Agile with a Gotoh TOM from Stew-Mac ($20-25) after I noticed that one of the saddles on the Agile's stock bridge had developed a "wobble". So I noticed a tone improvement there, but it was just because the old bridge was sucking away some of the kinetic energy of string. I've compared the stock bridge on my Epi LP with the Gotoh, and am not convinced there's much of an upgrade to be had. My Epi bridge fits snugly on the posts, the saddles are firm, and the slots are cut right so I have no reason to replace it. The Gotoh is wider, so that allows more range for the saddles to be adjusted to achieve proper intonation. But overall, I'm skeptical that a new bridge is going to noticeably improve your tone unless you're replacing a defective product. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ihavenofish Posted February 9, 2011 Members Share Posted February 9, 2011 boutique tunomatics are great. especially the brass ones from polar guitars. works of art i tells ya! i put one of my all brass bridges on my custom sg. the original bridge was a sung il from an agile - basically the same as on an epi.it did make a notable tonal difference for the better. "less muddy" is i guess how i would describe the change. things like gotoh bridges wont have a tonal difference as they are effectively the same bridge, just a bit higher quality. i have a gotoh on one of my guitars, it really nice. i dont think tone pros locking make a huge difference in tone either on the bridge. i think the gotoh or tone pros aluminium tailpieces do change things a little. i put one on my gibson sg and there was a subtle change - brighter id day. some of the other things you can buy are aluminium bridges from graphtech and steel ones from calaham. these should have some impact on tone, ive never tried them though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members pogo97 Posted February 10, 2011 Author Members Share Posted February 10, 2011 Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BoneNut Posted February 10, 2011 Members Share Posted February 10, 2011 Tone Pros? I've never replaced a TOM so I've never compared one to the other back to back on the same guitar. I'm sure Epi isn't the creme de la creme, but I probably wouldn't pop for a $200 bridge that will only work on other imports. Going from steel to aluminium would probably make a difference, but once you had overcome rattles and settling, I can't imagine similar materials would yield notable differences in 'tone'. I have often wondered if it would sound different to get the bridge dialed in for height, then have little spacers that were thicker to go around the exposed areas of the studs. Not sure if I'm explaining that clearly. But basically more medal connecting bridge to body or bridge to insert. I had Tone Pros on my Sherry and liked them a lot. No rattles, easier to intonate and hold, no falling off during string changes. If I ever bought another guitar that needed a bridge upgrade, yeah I'd go with Tone Pro again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Spike Li Posted February 10, 2011 Members Share Posted February 10, 2011 Gotoh. Theyre cheap, and if theyre good enough for top end ESPs, then theyre good enough for me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BryanMichael Posted February 10, 2011 Members Share Posted February 10, 2011 Faber. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jrfan Posted February 10, 2011 Members Share Posted February 10, 2011 Gotoh. Theyre cheap, and if theyre good enough for top end ESPs, then theyre good enough for me As well as Carvin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jrfan Posted February 10, 2011 Members Share Posted February 10, 2011 things like gotoh bridges wont have a tonal difference as they are effectively the same bridge, just a bit higher quality. i have a gotoh on one of my guitars, it really nice. QUOTE]It's not just the finish quality etc that's better on the Gotoh. The mass and weight is also heavier and bound to have an effect on tone and sustain. It made an absolute huge improvement on my SX guitar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ihavenofish Posted February 10, 2011 Members Share Posted February 10, 2011 things like gotoh bridges wont have a tonal difference as they are effectively the same bridge, just a bit higher quality. i have a gotoh on one of my guitars, it really nice.It's not just the finish quality etc that's better on the Gotoh.The mass and weight is also heavier and bound to have an effect on tone and sustain.It made an absolute huge improvement on my SX guitar. the mass isnt not very different. they are both zinc. the gotoh is slightly larger than a typical abr style, but overall its insignificant (about 5-10 grams). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members chqtarzan Posted February 10, 2011 Members Share Posted February 10, 2011 try screw the tailpiece all the way down and wrap strings around tailpiece before you buy anything Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jrfan Posted February 10, 2011 Members Share Posted February 10, 2011 the mass isnt not very different. they are both zinc. the gotoh is slightly larger than a typical abr style, but overall its insignificant (about 5-10 grams). They are both zinc but the weight difference to me was more than 10 grams or 0.35 ozs.To each his own. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members madrigal77 Posted February 10, 2011 Members Share Posted February 10, 2011 I upgraded the TOM on my Agile to a Tone Pros locking one, and it made a huge difference. Not so much in the actual tone, but more in the playability. It plays much smoother and just feels more solid somehow. I also love that I don't have to worry about bumping the bridge and messing up the action, or the tailpeice falling off when I change the strings. It's worth upgrading for sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ihavenofish Posted February 10, 2011 Members Share Posted February 10, 2011 They are both zinc but the weight difference to me was more than 10 grams or 0.35 ozs.To each his own. i happen to have an sx and gotoh bridge on my desk. my brass ones arent much heavier in overall mass either. 10 grams on a bridge is 20% of its total mass, it would be hard to make any more difference than that without chanigng materials or drastically altering dimensions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members pogo97 Posted February 12, 2011 Author Members Share Posted February 12, 2011 Hmm, still thinking about this. Sounds like there *might* be a sound improvement. Likely a tiny improvement in visual and tactile quality. I've adjusted the intonation very carefully recently and I'm monitoring whether it holds; that will be the deciding factor. Leaning toward Graph Tech because they're Canadian made and locally available. Or maybe leave well enough alone... On the idea of screwing the tailpiece down, I assume that a sharper angle over the bridge will result in less sustain and maybe a bit more wood.... ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members voneville Posted February 12, 2011 Members Share Posted February 12, 2011 I like the roller saddle TOM's. Helps keep tune better. I never noticed a difference in tone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members chqtarzan Posted February 12, 2011 Members Share Posted February 12, 2011 On the idea of screwing the tailpiece down, I assume that a sharper angle over the bridge will result in less sustain and maybe a bit more wood.... ? Wrapping around the screwed-down tailpiece would provide a very comfort angle which just feels right, to me. Sustain wise, it still got plenty but the tone is a bit more lively. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members pogo97 Posted February 12, 2011 Author Members Share Posted February 12, 2011 Interesting. Next string change I'll give that a try and see what it does. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Brewski Posted February 13, 2011 Members Share Posted February 13, 2011 other than chipping and turning and non-tone metals, I have not notice the difference regardless of brand. Tune-o-matics are pretty indestructable - recommend replacing the entire EPI guitar and get a Xavier from Guitarfetish.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Argh! Zombies! Posted February 13, 2011 Members Share Posted February 13, 2011 "Boutique" tune-o-matics makes me think of the rigorously made Pigtail stuff. Surprised not to see them mentioned. But you'd soon be over half the value of your guitar for just a bridge and a couple screws, so boutique might be a touch extreme for an Epi. The bridge seems to be a vital part of the natural sound an LP makes. I changed just the bridge posts in my Eddie and brightened it considerably. Look at all the people doing the MapleFlame mod. This stuff is right where the strings' vibrations transfer to the body. I think it's worth having a decent bridge, or at least posts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members OverdrivenEL34s Posted February 13, 2011 Members Share Posted February 13, 2011 ive used gotoh tunematic bridges as good replacement. i put a roller bridge (don't recall the brand) on an epiphone sg. it improved tone and improved feel. i put a graphtech reosmatic tunematic on my sparrow rat (a good relatively lightweight les paul copy with stainless steel frets). it improved the feel and should be much less likely to even break string at bridge due to the saddles. maybe slight increase in sustain too but that might be imaginary as it already had great sustain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members AxAxSxS Posted February 13, 2011 Members Share Posted February 13, 2011 Roller bridge is the way to go. no more broken strings at the bridge, easy to adjust intonation, feels smoother and sounds great to me. I put one on my studio and love it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members pogo97 Posted February 13, 2011 Author Members Share Posted February 13, 2011 - recommend replacing the entire EPI guitar and get a Xavier from Guitarfetish.com dear me, no! the Xavier may well be a better guitar, but I know this one and I have it set up just like I want and I know how to make it sing; won't be trading that any time soon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members tiltsta Posted February 13, 2011 Members Share Posted February 13, 2011 My LP standard came with a tone pros bridge. I like it, with the lack of the tailpiece and bridge falling off the body when working on the guitar being the best feature. No idea if there is a sonic difference to this compared to other models, as this was the factory bridge and I never swapped it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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