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Replacing Schaller tailpiece and roller bridge with tonepros...


redshark

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Posted

There is a mix of metric and imperial on a Heritage, but I can't remember which. Honestly it doesn't matter because you can replace the stud posts with what comes with the Tonepros really fast.

 

Remove the old post, place a small screw upside down in the post hole. Thread the old post in stud, slowly the stud will lift free from the body without damaging the guitar. Then replace the studs with the new ones by gently tapping them in place.... So easy, even I have done it.

 

Posted

Luis, just don't get the large post bridge... As Josh stated there is 2 different threads for the Tailpiece studs, I say yank the originals and put in the new inserts whichever thread you get the best deal on. The insert on L is factory and I replace most of my retros with the insert on the right.

 

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Posted

consider this option

 

http://www.faberusa.com/

So....which set would be a direct replacement? Does it locks the tailpiece and bridge like tonepros? os is it just historically correct? I bought an ABR-1 replacement from them for a Gibson CS-336, I didn't hear an improvement.

Posted

Sorry for dropping the ball on this thread redshark

 

let me just say I'm not affiliated in any way. I just drank the kool-aid. all of it. :)

 

The key to the faber system, aside from historical correctness, is the tone-lock approach. It does secure the tail and the bridge to the guitar, giving the optimal possible integrity between the physical instrument and the vibrating string. This gives your pickups the best chance to capture the sum of the instrument sonically. If you simply swap a single component, and not address or improve the issue of transferring vibration...what have you done to change what your ears hear?

 

To illustrate...here's what I started with

 

IMG_3140.jpg

 

the bushings are recessed too far into the top, allowing a dramatic amount of flex of the entire tailpiece apparatus. The Gotoh Nashville bridge from zinc weighs a ton, and provides a couple ounces more material the stop tail "slips" over the posts and only contacts them on perhaps 25% of the surface.

 

Read up on the tone-lock approach here http://www.faberusa.com/product-category/faber-tone-lock/

 

Effectively they give you lighter weight and mass and as "mated" a hardware/wood interaction as is possible. Meaning that strings and wood get the best possible marriage. You don't have 4 ounces of zinc, barely touching posts, sucking up vibration as it travels through the components.

 

here's my "after" shot

 

P1130319.jpg

 

The tailpiece is rock solid to the top. It is clamped such that 100% of the surfaces of the tailpiece are contacting the posts into the top. the lightweight Aluminum ABR bridge is also clamped down, utilizing the special "spanner" type nuts, again providing constant contact to the threaded posts, which are one piece with the bushing in the top.

 

the fact that none of this can fall off during a string change is an incidental benefit. IMHO, buying a Faber Tone - Lock Master Kit

gives you the highest degree of integrity that you're doing everything possible to maximize whatever tone may exist in the basic construction of your instrument. I KNOW I improved my guitar in this way. I had heard an improvement simply by dropping the old tail and top wrapping, I then changed everything...pickups, harness, and hardware. The guitar was transformed. What percentage of the change was the bridge and tail? The minority in all likelihood. But I do know it is not a weak link. On the contrary. It's the most infallible component in the chain at this point.

 

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hey, you asked...

 

 

 

 

Posted

Faber, all day and all night.

 

No stupid small allen wrench set screws to loose or strip, like Tone Pros use. Also Tone Pros is just pot metal. Faber is the real deal..... yes more expensive but worth every penny for the quality!!!

Posted

I wish I've read this thread before... Last Sunday I decided to change my bridge because I was having problems of tuning and the stoptail wasn't well fixed. So I bought a tonepros that a friend of mine gave me for a few money. Well, we had so much troubles because the bushings of the stoptail didn't come out from the holes (now I've seen the tutorial) and the size wasn't exactly the same of the tonepros, in addiction the holes of the tailpiece were too small to accept the new pilons of the new bridge. At the end we decided to redo the threads of the bushings of the stoptail and to enlarge the holes on the body under the tailpiece in order to accept the tonepros bushing, it worked well, but I didn't notice that the colour of the bridge was too much dark and matt and it looked awful close to the pickups cover. Now I've ordered a new nickel Tonepros kit, and a kit of conversion bushing..I'm wishing well!!!

Posted

Just curious, do most people make this change purely based on aesthetics? I actually really like the look and performance of the Schaller set on mine.

Posted

Just curious, do most people make this change purely based on aesthetics? I actually really like the look and performance of the Schaller set on mine.

 

not in my case. perhaps in some.

 

Schaller is a quality product, and if it works well for you, by all means, plug it in and let her rip!

 

If you look at the first pic in my thread above, you can see I had some real issues to address. In my case, I wasn't nuts about the sound, and came to realize that many factors were involved. I ended up changing virtually every possible variable but fret wire. Tuners, pickups, harness, tail hardware. Even the strap buttons! But the first domino's to fall were simply sound and tuning instability. Exploring that brought several issues to the table. There's a reason there's aftermarket options out there.

Posted

Just curious, do most people make this change purely based on aesthetics? I actually really like the look and performance of the Schaller set on mine.

Not in my case as my 150 was a 2006 with "non-schaller" generic which I swapped for tone pros so the bridge and tail would not fall off on string changes and retain the height adjustment. On my first custom order -2009 prospect- I had CV ship the faber bridge and studs direct to Parsons street so it was factory installed. In thought the Faber design so superior to the tone pros that I replaced the tone pros on the 150 and Millie.

Posted

 

not in my case. perhaps in some.

 

Schaller is a quality product, and if it works well for you, by all means, plug it in and let her rip!

 

If you look at the first pic in my thread above, you can see I had some real issues to address. In my case, I wasn't nuts about the sound, and came to realize that many factors were involved. I ended up changing virtually every possible variable but fret wire. Tuners, pickups, harness, tail hardware. Even the strap buttons! But the first domino's to fall were simply sound and tuning instability. Exploring that brought several issues to the table. There's a reason there's aftermarket options out there.

 

I must say, after reading it in more detail, that Faber set does look legit!

Posted

consider this option

 

http://www.faberusa.com/

 

It all looks cool but I wouldn't know what to order. It looks complicated My guitar is a 1995 Heritage H-150 with Schaller roller bridge and tailpiece.

It''s an american guitar so I assume ordering a set in inches but someone here previously said Heritage has a combination of metric and inches. I don't get it!! That's why somebody said...order nashville bridge.

So....in case I want to order faber locking hardware. Can someone tell me what do I need to order?

 

Thanks!!

Posted

 

It all looks cool but I wouldn't know what to order. It looks complicated My guitar is a 1995 Heritage H-150 with Schaller roller bridge and tailpiece.

It''s an american guitar so I assume ordering a set in inches but someone here previously said Heritage has a combination of metric and inches. I don't get it!! That's why somebody said...order nashville bridge.

So....in case I want to order faber locking hardware. Can someone tell me what do I need to order?

 

Thanks!!

I seem to remember that Heritage used a metric tail and a standard threaded bridge (as does Gibson on LPs maybe??) but I'm not positive. Type this into google, there are quite a lot of old threads that pop up: Heritage Guitar tail and bridge metric standard

Posted

I replaced everything. Went down to four holes in the wood and built it back up in Imperial.

 

As Millenium stated above, may be best to do the same rather than risk the wrong threads.

 

go to this page and read slowly. The only thing you would need to add to the master kit are the correct bushings and the bridge studs

 

https://www.faberusa.com/product-category/faber-tone-lock/faber-tone-lock-master-kit/inch-for-usa-made-guitars-faber-tone-lock-master-kit/

 

Bridge stud options

 

https://www.faberusa.com/product-category/faber-bridge-studs/for-nashville-conversions/

  • 3 months later...
Posted

I'm dredging this up again.

 

I'm trying to find out what the Gotoh bridge part number is that I need for a hypothetical H-150 that I have coming in that currently has chrome hardware. I was able to get a good price on a lightweight Gotoh tailpiece this morning. I have the studs for it. But I want the nickel bridge that matches it.

 

The alternative to that is to use the Tonepros set I have (LPNM04-NKL). But that has notched saddles so I would have to replace them. Also, I was planning to use that set on my Prospect.

  • 5 months later...
Posted

Just curious, do most people make this change purely based on aesthetics? I actually really like the look and performance of the Schaller set on mine.

I'm in the same boat, I think the Schaller roller bridge and the respective tailpiece are well engineered, work really well (on my H-535) and look very nice to me also.

 

I have read before that these hardware parts are a little bit more heavy than other options, but I am not sure how much weight difference we are talking about here (for example, Schaller vs. Tonepro). Anybody know the difference in weight?

Posted

I have read before that these hardware parts are a little bit more heavy than other options, but I am not sure how much weight difference we are talking about here (for example, Schaller vs. Tonepro). Anybody know the difference in weight?

 

I just checked online for some information, and it looks like the Schaller roller bridge and tailpiece together weigh between 240 g an 250 g. And other options (Tonepros, Tune-o-matic) are between 160 g and 170 g (even less if you choose Aluminum), so the total weight difference is between 80 g and 90 g, close to 3 oz.

Posted

+ 100

-101

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