Can you recommend me a "Vintage Type Bridge and Tailpiece" set?

[Masterm!nd]

I want to replace my Gibson Les Paul Traditional's bridge and tailpiece (for louder acoustic sound, brighter sound, pure vintage looking, lighter overall weight of guitar, etc.). Stock bridge and tailpiece's material is zamac. I want to replace them with a lightweight aluminium tailpiece and an ABR-1 bridge (stock bridge is nashville). Which one do you guys recommend me? I'm looking Gotoh, Faber, etc. brands. Is Gotoh good enough and stable? I can buy Gotoh bridge (35 euros) and tailpiece 35 euros). It's cheaper and Japan craftsmanship is looking very good. Thanks for the replies.

 

[MSB]

I like PLT's stuff, wouldn't waste my money on Faber again. Any bridge will work with a drill bit and a couple minutes. If you think you'll notice the weight difference from a TP you're kidding yourself.

But still, your question is quite open ended and has far more options than you've listed. Not only the brand/type/etc but the material of the saddles will play a part, which no one other than yourself is really going to be able to say is better.

 

[ashbass]

I used KLUSON. It's an ABR-1 type with holes large enough that you can just use your nashville posts. So you got vintage and easy.

 

[David Garner]

Faber is insanely good quality. In my experience, their system really opens up the guitar. It's not "vintage spec" in that the bridge and tailpiece are locking. But I do think it's an improvement to the Nashville system by a mile, and honestly to the ABR-1 bridge and standard tailpiece. It's worth the price.

 

[MSB]

Faber is insanely good quality. In my experience, their system really opens up the guitar. It's not "vintage spec" in that the bridge and tailpiece are locking. But I do think it's an improvement to the Nashville system by a mile, and honestly to the ABR-1 bridge and standard tailpiece. It's worth the price.

You lost me when you said the ABR was an improvement. Does it look "better?" yes, an improvement, not a chance in hell.

 

[David Garner]

You lost me when you said the ABR was an improvement. Does it look "better?" yes, an improvement, not a chance in hell.

I didn’t say the ABR-1 was an improvement. I said the Tone Lock system is an improvement over the Nashville and stock ABR-1.

 

[ashbass]

Isn't the faber stuff around $400 for the full set of locking stuff?

Gotoh, Kluson, others, offer what the OP wants for under $75 full kit. For a new player with new ears who will not likely be able to hear the difference between all of these options, I think that the high-end stuff is unwarranted and way-overkill. I'd give my kid $100 and tell him to throw in a strap while he's at it.

 

[David Garner]

Isn't the faber stuff around $400 for the full set of locking stuff?

Gotoh, Kluson, others, offer what the OP wants for under $75 full kit. For a new player with new ears who will not likely be able to hear the difference between all of these options, I think that the high-end stuff is unwarranted and way-overkill. I'd give my kid $100 and tell him to throw in a strap while he's at it.

Around $250 for the bridge and tailpiece.

 

[edselman]

Gotoh or Kluson will do nicely. But, your Traditional with the Nashville bridge is most likely chrome plated, and most ABR 1’s are nickel plated. There is a definite difference in how they look. I also Agee that there is likely little sonic difference between Zamak and aluminum or ABR vs Nashville. I much prefer the looks of the ABR 1, but I think the Nashville is a superior bridge.

 

[David Garner]

For what it's worth, I agree the Nashville is superior from a number of standpoints to the old ABR-1. The main problems I have with the Nashville are construction (it's kind of cheap metal) and width. The latter is to correct a perceived inability to intonate, though I have never had a problem getting a guitar to intonate with the Faber bridge by just flipping the saddles. The former is just being cheap, though the design of the bridge allows the construction faults of the ABR-1 to be corrected with mass instead of better quality metal, so it does fix that problem, albeit in a way I don't really prefer.

The Faber as noted doesn't really have the intonation problem, and the structural deficiencies with the old ABR-1s, where they tend to bend or lean, aren't present with the Tone Lock system. I'm not sure I'd like a Faber ABR-1, but the ABR-1 styled Tone Lock bridge is a fantastic solution. It will not lean, and it will not bend in the middle under string pressure. And because it's narrow like the ABR-1, it not only looks better (a superficial issue for me), but it also keeps the strings off the back of the bridge, especially in conjunction with their tailpiece, which has spacers to allow the tailpiece to be bottomed out without leaning itself or creating any structural issues. This has an audible benefit to my ears, though "different" isn't necessarily "better," so I grant that's subjective. Some folks might hate what it does to their guitars.

They aren't for everyone for sure. My guitars sounded and played great without them. But I think the benefits in construction and tone are worth it for me. Others' mileage may vary.

 

[JohnnyN]

Faber

 

[edselman]

For what it's worth, I agree the Nashville is superior from a number of standpoints to the old ABR-1. The main problems I have with the Nashville are construction (it's kind of cheap metal) and width. The latter is to correct a perceived inability to intonate, though I have never had a problem getting a guitar to intonate with the Faber bridge by just flipping the saddles. The former is just being cheap, though the design of the bridge allows the construction faults of the ABR-1 to be corrected with mass instead of better quality metal, so it does fix that problem, albeit in a way I don't really prefer.

The Faber as noted doesn't really have the intonation problem, and the structural deficiencies with the old ABR-1s, where they tend to bend or lean, aren't present with the Tone Lock system. I'm not sure I'd like a Faber ABR-1, but the ABR-1 styled Tone Lock bridge is a fantastic solution. It will not lean, and it will not bend in the middle under string pressure. And because it's narrow like the ABR-1, it not only looks better (a superficial issue for me), but it also keeps the strings off the back of the bridge, especially in conjunction with their tailpiece, which has spacers to allow the tailpiece to be bottomed out without leaning itself or creating any structural issues. This has an audible benefit to my ears, though "different" isn't necessarily "better," so I grant that's subjective. Some folks might hate what it does to their guitars.

They aren't for everyone for sure. My guitars sounded and played great without them. But I think the benefits in construction and tone are worth it for me. Others' mileage may vary.

I believe that the later Traditionals had aluminum Nashville bridges. The OP should check his. But, I could be wrong.

 

[David Garner]

I believe that the later Traditionals had aluminum Nashville bridges. The OP should check his. But, I could be wrong.

That would certainly be an improvement. I wasn't aware of that. Mine is a 2016, but I literally just traded for it so I'm haven't researched the specs much.

 

[David Garner]

I will say -- it feels pretty heavy, but I don't think I've held an aluminum Nashville bridge before so it could be that my perception is off.

 

[Masterm!nd]

Gotoh or Kluson will do nicely. But, your Traditional with the Nashville bridge is most likely chrome plated, and most ABR 1’s are nickel plated. There is a definite difference in how they look. I also Agee that there is likely little sonic difference between Zamak and aluminum or ABR vs Nashville. I much prefer the looks of the ABR 1, but I think the Nashville is a superior bridge.

No. My guitar's all stock hardwares are plated with nickel.

 

[mdubya]

I personally hate the locking stuff.

I have a recent ABR from Philadelphia Luthier. It works and looks fine.

Ironically, two of my best sounding guitars have Nashville bridges; '91 SG Special and '05 SG Classic. Not that my ABR guitars don't sound good, too.

 

[edselman]

No. My guitar's all stock hardwares are plated with nickel.

Very nice!

 

[jstarr]

+1 on Philadelphia Luthier Tools. Great stuff. Made in USA. Unbeatable prices.

 

[edselman]

Regarding the aluminum Nashville on later Traditionals, I can’t confirm this as the Gibson site dumped the stats on earlier models. But, I used to own a 2016 SG Standard that had a Zamak Nashville bridge. I couldn’t get it to intonate so I bought a new bridge from Stratosphere on EBay. It came from a Traditional or a Standard. It was an aluminum Nashville.

 

[NorlinBlackBeauty]

I personally hate the locking stuff.

I have a recent ABR from Philadelphia Luthier. It works and looks fine.

Ironically, two of my best sounding guitars have Nashville bridges; '91 SG Special and '05 SG Classic. Not that my ABR guitars don't sound good, too.

+1 on Philadelphia Luthier Tools. Great stuff. Made in USA. Unbeatable prices.

+ 2 on Philly Luthier.