Ill start off by saying first and foremost, I am not here saying that there is something wrong or low quality about the PRS hardtail bridge, or that the Tight End R is superior/better than the PRS bridge. BUT I am saying that the Tight End and Fixed LoPro are 100% more comfortable to me than the plate & saddle bridges. Year before last, i tested replacing a Gibraltar bridge with a Fixed LoPro on my RGA and just LOVED it. Then last year, I experimented with replacing a Gibraltar bridge with a Tight End R on my RGIB6 and loved how much more comfy my hand was after the mod. Although the fixed LoPro modification would be a guaranteed win in my book, it would require removing a bunch of wood and none of the luthiers that are in my area are willing to take on the project. So i wanted to see if I could try out the Tight End-R first but before i drill the holes for the screws to fasten it down I wanted to make sure i had its placement correct.
Although the bridges are different sizes, theyre both string-thru. So before I took my original bridge off, i used a marker to mark each saddles position. Once off the body, i put the saddles back in their correct positions that were marked on the plate. I then adjusted the 1st and 6th saddles on the TE-R so that the saddle groove the string sits in is exactly the same distance from the hole the string is coming out of as the saddle on the stock bridge. I did this to see if i could at least get myself close enough to being intonated that i wont need to move the saddle much. The other thing I need to adjust for is that the TE-R bridge has a 17" radius built into the base plate but the Holcomb has a 20" radius.
Ive gotten it now to the point that the light tension on the strings is holding the bridge to the body so that i can look all around and adjust the base plates ideal position and then drill the screw holes. Can anyone tell me if my logic im using is correct? It currently feels amazing under my palm but the strings arent at pitch yet (i dont wanna risk denting the top).
to everybody's eyes, do i have its placement correct? Dont mind the Luminlay plastic rod between the pickup ring and the bridge, its only there to hold the bridge back from being wedged against the pickup ring. It let me tune the strings enough to hold the plate to the body without using screws to hold it in place.
Although the bridges are different sizes, theyre both string-thru. So before I took my original bridge off, i used a marker to mark each saddles position. Once off the body, i put the saddles back in their correct positions that were marked on the plate. I then adjusted the 1st and 6th saddles on the TE-R so that the saddle groove the string sits in is exactly the same distance from the hole the string is coming out of as the saddle on the stock bridge. I did this to see if i could at least get myself close enough to being intonated that i wont need to move the saddle much. The other thing I need to adjust for is that the TE-R bridge has a 17" radius built into the base plate but the Holcomb has a 20" radius.
Ive gotten it now to the point that the light tension on the strings is holding the bridge to the body so that i can look all around and adjust the base plates ideal position and then drill the screw holes. Can anyone tell me if my logic im using is correct? It currently feels amazing under my palm but the strings arent at pitch yet (i dont wanna risk denting the top).
to everybody's eyes, do i have its placement correct? Dont mind the Luminlay plastic rod between the pickup ring and the bridge, its only there to hold the bridge back from being wedged against the pickup ring. It let me tune the strings enough to hold the plate to the body without using screws to hold it in place.
