Gotoh bridge replacement ??

[traven]

Hello everyone, new to this forum and it a very informative might I add, lots of info here. Well to start off, I recently made the discovery of epiphone electrics as being the new proud owner of a les paul custom pro. I feel bad for never giving this company a chance, I have always wanted a les paul but for $$$ issues never really had a chance to get one, which led me after search on the web and reading all the great reviews on epiphone les pauls to grab one of these up. Well, I read Romans sticky thread and have done everything he did to the fret board as well as had it professionally set up. My question is, I would like to replace the bridge and was looking at the Gotoh. If I replace the bridge should I replace the tail bar as well or should I just stick with the bridge. Sorry if this has been asked but didn't really find the answer. Thanks in advance.

 

[JohnnyN]

Welcome to the MLP forum!
The Gotoh aluminium tail piece is quite popular. The lightweight tail pieces tend to brighten the tone a bit - adding clarity. Whether it's an improvement really depends if you need to brighten things. The studs will make a bit of difference too.

You can compare it to the hype about super expensive instrument cable with very very low capacitance. They add some brightness and clarity too. But if you play an old Telecaster through a Silverface Super Reverb with everything dimed, you might actually like 30 feet of higher capacitance cable to lessen the ice pick .

Personally I prefer to have some brightness and clarity, from the point of view that it's hard to add something that isn't there from the beginning.

So if it's within your budget give it a go

 

[Paulie C]

Welcome to the forum, Travern. Are you having an intonation problem? The Gotoh has a longer range of saddle adjustment, which will help with that. Some replace the stop with an aluminum one, supposed to help the tone. I would think a bone nut would help some too. BTW, forum rule, gotta post a pic!

 

[alanssaab]

Hi , and welcome to the forum , the gotoh bridge is a great upgrade over the stock bridge and you'll notice the difference by just replacing the bridge itself , i have my three epi lp's done and i've also done a few friends lp's as well , cheers
Alan

 

[Curmudgeon]

Hi Traven, and welcome to MLP. Count me as another fan of the Gotoh bridge. You not only get more range of adjustment, you get rid of the annoying wire on the stock bridge. I also added the aluminum TP on my '56GT, and it really woke up the sound of those P90s. Can't say if it would improve the sound of a guitar with HBs, but one of these days I'll try one on one of my Elitists. (But right now I'm so happy with the way they sound bone-stock, that I don't wanna fix what ain't broken)!

 

[traven]

Thanks everyone for the welcomes . Now I am planning on ordering it from stewmac. there is two types of tail piece. the aluminum one and the other made of zinc, would there be much of a difference and when u guys say it is brighter with the aluminum is that a good or bad thing. Just wanting to know which would be the better on, because this guitar deserves nothing but the best. It plays so sweet how it is now but the sustain could be better I think. I will post a pic once I figure out how.

 

[JohnnyN]

The zinc one is basically same as the stock one you already have. Get the aluminium one for some difference. Good chance you will like it

 

[Bristol Posse]

Why are you replacing the bridge/Tail piece, what shortcoming are you trying to overcome?

I replaced my stock bridge on my standard plus top because it rattled and the rattle was marginally hearable through an amp. It bothered me enough at gigging volumes to change it

The big change after putting a Gotoh bridge on was that it didn't rattle any more. I also has to raise the stop bar since the wider bridge meant that the strings now impacted the bridge with it decked

If you just want to "upgrade" for the hell of it then by all means but the biggest noticeable effect of this is that your wallet will be a lot lighter

YMMV
Matt

 

[traven]

Bristol u are probably right, I am not having any issues per say except that I think the sustain should be a little better. It plays pretty sweet right now how it is. My intonation is good and all, so maybe I should just wait.

 

[DPaulCustom]

Best advice I can think of at this point, since you just got it, is to play it for a couple of months, & really get to know it well.
At this point you'll be aware of any issues that need to be addressed, & your money will be better spent, if at all.

 

[Unsung Heroes]

Welcome to the MLP forum traven

 

[JayFreddy]

This is the one that fits most Epis:

STEWMAC.COM : Gotoh Tune-o-matic Bridge with Studs/Bushings

You can reuse the original bushings, the studs screw right into them. Or you can try and get the old bushings out and replace them with the Gotoh bushings. I just reused the original bushings.

Also, be aware of your neck radius...

The bridge radius is exactly 300 mm on that Gotoh bridge (12"), while many Epi necks are between a 350 mm and a 370 mm radius. If your neck radius is greater than the bridge, you will need to file the bridge saddles down to match the radius of the neck, or hire someone else to do it.

The Gotoh bridge saddles are pretty hard, so you'll need decent files... And patience!

I recently upgraded to a Gotoh bridge on one of my 1960 Tributes, and I left my other Tribute original (I have two).

At first I had problems with the neck radius issue, but my tech got that sorted out in an afternoon for me. However, now that it's done, I'm not 100% certain that I prefer the Gotoh.

The Gotoh gives a brighter tone and gives you more travel on the bridge saddles for dialing in the intonation, but the intonation was fine with the original bridge, and I kind of like the warmth of the original bridge too.

The brighter sound of the Gotoh is somewhat Fenderish... I also have Teles and Strats, so that's not a sound I'm trying to achieve from a Les Paul, but we'll see. I don't dislike the Gotoh bridge. Now I've got one of both, I'll play with them for a while before I make any decisions...

Just be aware that while the Gotoh is brighter, it's not necessary better, in my opinion. Different? Yes... Better? Not necessarily.

Oh yeah, and welcome! I'm pretty new here too!

 

[traven]

Thanks all for the repys. I think I will play it for a while and go from there. See if I have any issues with it. Thanks again everyone

 

[SJM]

Thanks all for the repys. I think I will play it for a while and go from there. See if I have any issues with it. Thanks again everyone

I think that makes all the sense in the world.

Welcome to MLP, and pics of your LP when you get a chance.

 

[traven]

 

[paruwi]

Thanks all for the repys. I think I will play it for a while and go from there. See if I have any issues with it. Thanks again everyone

Good decision

and

Welcome here at MLP

 

[LPofBorg]

I just dropped the GOTOH direct replacement on my Bonamassa Goldtop. Gotta tell ya, the threads on the posts were a tighter fit than the Epi stock (less slop, I even tightened it up a bit more by throwing teflon tape on the threads), The sustain is very nice and intonating the guitar was a breeze, with room to spare. If you're not looking to change the look and go ABR-1 (that wasn't important to me) this is a great Nashville style bridge at a decent price.

GOTOH GE103B-T Guitar Bridge with large metric posts Nickel - Philadelphia Luthier Tools & Supplies, LLC

 

[robertoa1a]

Im using a Graphtec Resomax with hard saddles which I am assuming is very similar to the aluminum other high end bridges. It is slightly brighter and airier in tone. I guess because of its light weight. I dropped both bridges on my tile floor and both had a nice ring but the aluminum one was higher in pitch.

The guitar had a lot of sustain to begin with so I cannot tell if it has more or not.
I only bought the bridge because it was a good deal on e-bay and I had a few beers.
I also bought a Kluson aluminum tail. I doubt you would notice the difference in tone of the aluminum tail unless you had expensive recording equipment and did an A/B test.

Bottom line; I wouldn't spend big money on the bridge if you are on a budget and are happy with your tone. However, if you want to squeeze every bit of tone out of an already good sounding axe, and you find a good deal, go for it.

 

[Bristol Posse]

........ I guess because of its light weight. I dropped both bridges on my tile floor and both had a nice ring but the aluminum one was higher in pitch.

Er, Why??????

There must be some internet wisdom I'm missing out on here.. A couple of days ago there was a thread about dropping a Tusq Nut onto marble (high end, vintage Italian marble?) to see if it goes "plink a tink" and now tossing replacement bridges at the tiles on the floor

How very odd, what happens if they break or get damaged?
Are we supposed to play guitars or simply plug them in and drop them these days. Perhaps this is some new genre of Dropstep or Drop tuning Newtonian Physics Metal

Seems like the best way to see if something works on a guitar is to install it on the guitar, but I'm an old duffer and not up on how the kids are doing things so what do I know

Anyway I'm off to put some tone caps in the toaster for warm tone, throw my dinner ingredients at the wall to see if it tastes better than lunch and then I'll pour bleach in my eyes so I'll know if I'l like what's on TV
Maybe if I have time later, I'll throw some fretboards out of the window to make sure they sound good

YMMV
Matt

 

[Unsung Heroes]

Er, Why??????

I blame these guys: