Members Armchair Bronco Posted March 31, 2010 Members Share Posted March 31, 2010 I'm thinking about adding a roller bridge to my Bigsby B5 equipped SG Classic. Gibsons generally have a 12" fretboard radius, but roller bridges from StewMac all have a 14" radius. StewMac Locking Roller Bridge StewMac Schaller Roller Brider Looks like GuitarFetish has a couple of roller bridges that might work: http://store.guitarfetish.com/wibrrobrlost.html http://store.guitarfetish.com/robrchplfile.html Not sure if these are 12" radii, but the ad mentions "Gibson" and "Les Paul". Anyone have any suggestions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Alecto Posted March 31, 2010 Members Share Posted March 31, 2010 I had a Schaller roller bridge on my old Epiphone Dot that worked well with the Bigsby. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members danswon Posted March 31, 2010 Members Share Posted March 31, 2010 anyone find any tonal differences? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Cats-o-caster Posted March 31, 2010 Members Share Posted March 31, 2010 I had Schaller 2, no tonal differences Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Armchair Bronco Posted March 31, 2010 Author Members Share Posted March 31, 2010 I had Schaller 2, no tonal differences The Schaller bridge looks like it really well made. So does the locking bridge. Maybe 12" radius fretboard actually have a 14" radius at the bridge??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Ferdinandstrat Posted March 31, 2010 Members Share Posted March 31, 2010 Schaller are a quality company, their stuff is great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members docjeffrey Posted March 31, 2010 Members Share Posted March 31, 2010 I had a Schaller on my Gretsch 6120 and I did not like it. It did not sustain as well as the OEM rocking bar and the guitar sounded thin. But when I put it on my Guild Starfire (no Bigsby--Trapeze tail) it sounded great. I think that when I wiggled the Bigsby on my Gretsch, the rollers absorbed a lot of the vibration and killed the tone as they moved. My Rickenbacker 650 Dakota has a different style Schaller with threaded rollers and it works great, but the rollers never move when you are playing and they make a lot of contact with the screw threads. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members metallica_00 Posted March 31, 2010 Members Share Posted March 31, 2010 I have a Schaller roller on my Heritage. One thing that is a pain is that the rollers can slide around horizontally on the screws when the string is not strung. So you can screw up your string spacing by accident if you're not careful. And it seems to rattle a bit. Nothing horribly wrong with it but I plan to eventually go to a traditional Gibson style setup on mine in the near future. Just as much for aesthetics as functionality. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members tartanphantom Posted March 31, 2010 Members Share Posted March 31, 2010 With so many rattle-y moving parts, roller bridges tend to be tone-suckers. The work well on some guitars, but not on others. If you are concerned about pitch stability with the Bigsby, don't blame the bridge. Look first at the NUT, string windings, and the string gauge. If you are using 9's, forget it. Bigsbys were never intended to be used with 9's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Metalrulez Posted March 31, 2010 Members Share Posted March 31, 2010 I have a Schaller roller bridge on my Heritage 170CM and I works. It does not suck tone as stated by someone above. They are just sprewing bull{censored}. I do not have a Bigsby on the guitar but, if i was installing one I would not hesitate in installing the roller bridge at the same time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members profgalen Posted March 31, 2010 Members Share Posted March 31, 2010 I have two guitars with B5 Bigsbys Both have Wilkinson roller bridges. One is a Squier Master Series M80 the other is a Gibson LP special. They work great on both. No tone loss. Fewer broken strings. BTW I use 9s no problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members profgalen Posted March 31, 2010 Members Share Posted March 31, 2010 I have a Schaller roller on my Heritage. One thing that is a pain is that the rollers can slide around horizontally on the screws when the string is not strung. So you can screw up your string spacing by accident if you're not careful. And it seems to rattle a bit. Nothing horribly wrong with it but I plan to eventually go to a traditional Gibson style setup on mine in the near future. Just as much for aesthetics as functionality. Clear fingernail polish on the threads. or Hot Pink. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members tartanphantom Posted March 31, 2010 Members Share Posted March 31, 2010 It does not suck tone as stated by someone above. They are just sprewing bull{censored}. This coming from someone who believes there are only two kinds of music ("heavy" and "metal")? If it works for you, fine. The simple physics of bridge construction dictate that the more moving parts in a bridge, the more vibration contact points. The more contact points, the greater the absorption of vibration, i.e. sound energy. Absorption of sound energy = tone suck. The difference in sound may be minimal to your ears, some folks notice it, some don't. But that doesn't mean it isn't there. Again, if it works for your specific musical application, fine. Don't take my word for it, go buy one and see if it makes a difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members danswon Posted April 1, 2010 Members Share Posted April 1, 2010 Does anyone know an online place that supplies roller bridge for the vintage-style ABR-1 studs on Les Pauls? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members vintage clubber Posted April 1, 2010 Members Share Posted April 1, 2010 I'm thinking about adding a roller bridge to my Bigsby B5 equipped SG Classic. Gibsons generally have a 12" fretboard radius, but roller bridges from StewMac all have a 14" radius. StewMac Locking Roller BridgeStewMac Schaller Roller Brider Looks like GuitarFetish has a couple of roller bridges that might work: http://store.guitarfetish.com/wibrrobrlost.html Not sure if these are 12" radii, but the ad mentions "Gibson" and "Les Paul". Anyone have any suggestions? For your specific guitar I would say either the Schaller or the One from GF still pictured above. The other one from GF is really for imports with the larger bushings like my Ibanez Artcore or Epiphones. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Metalrulez Posted April 1, 2010 Members Share Posted April 1, 2010 This coming from someone who believes there are only two kinds of music ("heavy" and "metal")? If it works for you, fine. The simple physics of bridge construction dictate that the more moving parts in a bridge, the more vibration contact points. The more contact points, the greater the absorption of vibration, i.e. sound energy. Absorption of sound energy = tone suck. The difference in sound may be minimal to your ears, some folks notice it, some don't. But that doesn't mean it isn't there. Again, if it works for your specific musical application, fine. Don't take my word for it, go buy one and see if it makes a difference. Get out your magnifying glass and take a close look at that Tune-O-matic. How much the saddle rides on a freaking screw and might have 2 contact points at the side knotches.No there is no more or less contact. So can the psudo-science Buttercup. Most guitar players treat guitars like food.They taste/hear with their eyes before even touching,smelling a guitar. I have guitars with both bridges the only difference in the Schaller roller is there are no sharp corners from the saddles. As for the heavy and metal thing.....look at the name what the hell do you expect? To see me singing the praises of that garbage of the 70's disco? There are really only 2 kinds of music. Good or bad. They just so happen to fall into either heavy or metal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BAXANDALL Posted April 1, 2010 Members Share Posted April 1, 2010 Looks like GuitarFetish has a couple of roller bridges that might work: http://store.guitarfetish.com/wibrrobrlost.html I put this on my Hill which is very similar to a Les Paul. I'm very pleased with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members poolshark Posted April 1, 2010 Members Share Posted April 1, 2010 I put this on my Hill which is very similar to a Les Paul. I'm very pleased with it. I have one on a Douglas. It's no miracle, but it's a nice bridge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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