Members jr_vw2 Posted February 7, 2011 Members Share Posted February 7, 2011 Looking for a hardtail bridge like this one to convert a strat body b http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Custom-Shop-Parts-Hot-Rod-Drop-Top-Convertible-Bridge?sku=361537 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Belva Posted February 7, 2011 Members Share Posted February 7, 2011 Just get a hardtail body. Trust me, I tried this. You'll never get the filler pieces to hide.If you don't mind a guitar that looks like a hardtail conversion I'd consider a Squire '51 bridge. GFS gots 'em for about 15 bucks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jr_vw2 Posted February 7, 2011 Author Members Share Posted February 7, 2011 Yeah I know it probably won't be pro. But I really like the faded walnut finish on this body. I know I can just block the trem but I would rather just get rid of it all together. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Spellcaster Posted February 7, 2011 Members Share Posted February 7, 2011 "Where can I find a bridge like this?" You're probably out of luck. The company that built the drop top bridges was Custom Shop Parts and I'm pretty sure they're out of business. There was a bit of bad press about the bridges when people discovered that it was neccesary to shim the neck to get the right string geometry. I tried one and liked it, but by the time I decided that I could use a couple more the product was listed as discontinued and the company website was down. There's a guy in Australia that sells on eBay and he seems to have a stock of the "flamed" Telecaster bridgeplates and matching control plates, but I can't find anybody with any stock of the Strat versions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jr_vw2 Posted February 8, 2011 Author Members Share Posted February 8, 2011 http://www.guitarpartscentral.com/nighthawk-style-guitar-bridge.html this looks like it could be made to work? it would take some fab work for the long side of the trem cavity. But for $15 i might try it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members honeyiscool Posted February 8, 2011 Members Share Posted February 8, 2011 Just block the trem. It's good enough for Eric Clapton and is easily reversible and causes no damage to your guitar whatsoever.. Why do you need to fully hardtail it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jr_vw2 Posted February 8, 2011 Author Members Share Posted February 8, 2011 its not a need it.....more of a want it and a why not Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Spellcaster Posted February 8, 2011 Members Share Posted February 8, 2011 That Nighthawk bridge looks interesting, jr_vw2. I'm assuming that the trapezoidal shape of the plate will cover the offset in the body where the bar would be. I notice that this bridge is a string-through - Are you thinking of plugging the cavity in the back and doing string-through holes and ferrules? I'm on the same page as jr_vw2, as far as vibratos on Strats....I don't use them and they're just one more variable in setup and tuning stability that I don't need. I really liked the Custom Parts Shop bridge because it was a toploader, but if there's a way to use this Nighthawk piece I might try one too. Three of my four Strats never get played because of this issue. They're decked and blocked, but it doesn't feel the same as a hardtail. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members cratz2 Posted February 8, 2011 Members Share Posted February 8, 2011 Every once in a while someone will ask a question about converting a trem strat to a hard tail. I say, more power to you. If you feel the need, then do it. Having said that, for the life of me I don't understand why someone would want to put a bit clunky looking baseplate on their strat while at the same time, taking away mass from the bridge area (by removing the trem block) and most likely reducing sustain by a bit. I just simply do not get it at all. I mean, do you just want the functionality of the adjustable saddles but hate the relatively svelte look of the stock trem? If you had one of those bridges in your parts drawer, how could it possibly look or function even 1% better than adjusting the stock trem flat down against the body via extra springs, trem claw adjustment and adding something to actually blocking the trem? Not trying to be a jerk... I actually want to know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jr_vw2 Posted February 8, 2011 Author Members Share Posted February 8, 2011 cratz I hear ya. This is more of a "I wanna say I tired it" kinda thing then anything else. Its a cheap Ibanez that I got in trade. I have the trem springed and blocked ATM. But why not dick around and try something new. and I think I will actually try to fasten the trem block to the hardtail. Shouldnt be too difficult. at the end of the day I would rather say........Man I really F***ed that guitar up. Rather then keep scratching my head saying I wonder if that would work. if it doesnt work im out $15 and two new screw holes in a guitar that I really dont care about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members honeyiscool Posted February 8, 2011 Members Share Posted February 8, 2011 I think that those bridges actually have a block. But yeah, basically, that. Why not get a larger mass block, block it, tighten the springs, etc. I'm pretty sure that at the end of the day, it would provide better performance than any cheap aftermarket solution. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Spellcaster Posted February 8, 2011 Members Share Posted February 8, 2011 Everyone's entitled to an opinion and I'm not offended by someone questioning something I've done. As I said in an earlier post there's a difference in the feel with a true hardtail. I have two near identical partscaster Strats that I've put together....Both have an aftermarket alder body loaded with Fender American Standard pickups, both have 1986 MIJ Contemporary Squier 24 3/4" scale necks, both have Steinberger gearless tuners and both are strung with Gibson Brite Wires 10-46's. I wouldn't have built a second guitar so much like the first except that I had almost a complete set of chrome hardware and then discovered that the only Custom Shop Parts drop top bridge I could get was gold. So I built two, and frankly they're very different guitars to play. The "chrome one" with the vibrato is set up with the claw screwed in, five springs, and a hardwood block, while the "gold one" has a top loading hardtail. They don't *sound* different, but there's a sense of a very different guitar. Maybe the perception is heightened because it's a shorter scale, but the chrome/vibrato guitar feels sloppier.....Bends are a bit wilder and less controlled. This whole issue is too complex for there to be any one right answer that'll satisfy everybody, but from my perspective ( an admitted guitar hack for 46 years) Strat hardtails play nicer. It just occured to me that the way we're nattering away at this, we're as bad as the Tele guys arguing about three or six saddles bridges, LOL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members cratz2 Posted February 8, 2011 Members Share Posted February 8, 2011 Good info... probably will never use it, but it's good info. I'm a life-long strat user, but never much of a trem user so I usually have a couple strats setup for trem use, and the rest with 5 springs, baseplate flat against the body... I have one that is actually blocked, but I don't think that one sounds or feels any different than the others. Yeah... you definitely wouldn't be out anything and the extra screw holes wouldn't bother me either. I just absolutely feel it would be a step backwards in function (sustain) and probably in tone. It's all good though... good luck finding the right bridge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jr_vw2 Posted February 8, 2011 Author Members Share Posted February 8, 2011 Well I ordered the nighthawk bridge. I will start a new thread when I start the rebuild. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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