JerseyJoe Posted January 24, 2014 Posted January 24, 2014 I was having tuning issues with my Schaller Roller Bridge equipped H-535. With or without Bigsby use, the guitar would just not stay in tune. My tech suggested a Graph Tech Resomax bridge to match the Graph Tech nut already on the guitar. It came from the shop initally sounding a little dead. Playing and staying in tune, but some of the idiosyncratic liveliness of the Roller Bridge were clearly gone. The rattle is gone, sympathetic resonance from the strings behind the bridge is mostly silent, and picking behind the bridge produces close to no sound. With modest Bigsby use, the guitar stays in tune better (modest is the key word here) and I've grown to accept and appreciate the less idiosyncratic sound of the Resomax bridge.
JerseyJoe Posted January 24, 2014 Author Posted January 24, 2014 sorry new to the forum and having a hard time understanding how to attach pics. also i rarely take pictures of any of my guitars.
H Posted January 24, 2014 Posted January 24, 2014 Just kidding We do like to see pics of guitars here though
MartyGrass Posted January 24, 2014 Posted January 24, 2014 Giving honest opinions about guitar parts risks offending someone as if you just said you're mother is butt ugly. Nonetheless, here goes. I have one hollow body with a Resomax. I understand why it might be a good idea. I read the info and almost drank the Kool-Aid. The bridge is okay but not extraordinary. I do like how the height can be adjusted with a screwdriver. The luthier who built the guitar and chose the Resomax told me later that he had complaints about buzzing from the bridge and needed to put Loctite on them. I've not had a problem with the Schaller Roller Bridge and have had literally dozens of guitars with it. It is heavier and doesn't have the very small contact area on the strings a TOM will have. But that never translated into a meaningful change in playability or sound. I know some don't like the looks of it either. However it does allow string separation adjustment. I don't know how the Schaller could contribute to going out of tune faster than the Resomax. That doesn't make sense to me. The Resomax saddle would be more prone to hang up the string with bends and Bigsby work than the Roller Bridge. The Roller Bridge should get a drop of oil to the saddles with string changes if you are using a Bigsby.
JerseyJoe Posted January 24, 2014 Author Posted January 24, 2014 After agreeing to swap the Rollerbridge for the Resomax, i read about using Loc-Tite to cure the rattle... Either way, the issue i was having with the guitar is gone. Personally I found the ablity to adjust string spacing irritating. Nearly every time I changed strings and did a quick wipe down and set-up of the guitar, the rollers moved. When re-strung, i had to fidget with them to get the string spacing back in line with the nut. Otherwise, the playability and intonation were a little out of wack. I'm not completely sold on the Resomax as a superior product to anything, really. The stock TOM on H150 is fine. I've never broken a string or had any of the issues that others say are common with the TOM. So don't mistake this a rousing endorsement for all things Graph Tech.
MartyGrass Posted January 24, 2014 Posted January 24, 2014 The rollers will move when you loosen the old strings and tighten the new ones. If you loosen the strings all the way before cutting them, you should end up at the same spot when they are tight. I can see why some people would choose something different though. I'm okay either way.
peterbright Posted January 25, 2014 Posted January 25, 2014 Don't currently have either a roller bridge or Bigsby but never had trouble with either...even making surf sounds didn't bother either. My wife says I'm gentler than most.
ledzef Posted January 27, 2014 Posted January 27, 2014 Wondering if you got the autolock on the Resomax?
big bob Posted January 27, 2014 Posted January 27, 2014 I put just a dab of clear nail polish on the threads around the rollers once I have the right spacing. They stay pretty good, it's not hard to adjust them if they do move, just takes a second.
bolero Posted January 27, 2014 Posted January 27, 2014 I like the ABR-1 the best, out of roller bridge nashville ABR-1 with or without a Bigsby tried to like rollerbridges for years but the ABR-1 just sounds better, to my ears....that rhymes
big bob Posted January 27, 2014 Posted January 27, 2014 Don't listen to the guy who says the Schaller roller bridge is so,so. It's just that silly Canadian bolero!
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