Wraparound bridge on H150

[les paulverizer]

I've recently started using my H150 a lot more than I have in recent years, it has actually become my guitar of choice for a particular project that got involved with, only yesterday I replaced the bridge pickup ring with a Shadow Pickup Ring Tuner which I have fitted on all my Les Paul's (I'm surprised the Knaggs Steve Stevens is the only guitar that comes with one as standard!!!) and I'm contemplating fitting a wraparound bridge to it too, either a Wilkinson or a Pig Tail,  and I was wondering if anyone here has had any experience with such an upgrade.

Also, even though I intend to keep this guitar for life (not only because it's a great guitar, but also in light of recent...."developments" at Heritage!) I would be looking for something which wouldn't require any kind of modification.

I'm open to opinions & suggestions!

[bolero]

is it already a wraptail?

I have a Pigtail stoptailpiece & steel studs in a gtr,  am really happy with them

also had one of their wraptail pieces in an old 60's SG special: worked really well and the strings were much more adjustable due to the lower profile of the TP

[les paulverizer]

@bolero, thanks.

This guitar was made in the year 2000 and it still has the roller-type Shaller which they came with then. Even before I started thinking about the wraparound thing, I was gonna replace that bridge with a more "normal" ABR Tune-o-matic anyway. Shaller make some really excellent solid products, but those roller saddles(?) baffle me big time! I think Heritage stopped fitting those when they also stopped fitting Shaller Super 50 pickups and turned to Seymour Duncan '59 as standard, so I guess they probably cut their ties with Shaller altogether...maybe...?

The reason I was thinking of fitting a wraparound to my H150 is that all the guitars I've played so far that had that type of bridge (Gibson SG's, a Jeff Beck Oxblood Les Paul, etc etc) seemed to have slightly more attack than the rest, and I think that particular bridge somehow contributes to that. I know that Steve Stevens also feels the same...

 

[bolero]

 hmm, selling that after modding/drilling a wraptail might be hard

I'd be inclined to sell it & find a used H150 that is already wraptail?

for a LP I would probably use a vintage styled roun bar, as the thinner one might end up pretty high in the air & look strange? depending on your neck angle/bridge height

ie:

 

vs

 

 

although having intonation adj is a big plus, with that!

 

Pigtail makes both:

 

http://www.pigtailmusic.com/Products.php

 

RIP Steve Rowan

[Millennium Maestro]

The wrap bridges use a wider hole spread than the ABR and tunamatic... To fit the bridge would require very unappealing mods.

[les paulverizer]

12 minutes ago, Millennium Maestro said:

The wrap bridges use a wider hole spread than the ABR and tunamatic... To fit the bridge would require very unappealing mods.

Wow, I didn't know that, thank you for the valuable info @Millennium Maestro... That kills is then!

 This is a guitar that I will never sell so a little upgrade here and there I'm ok with, like a metal jack plate, Shadow pickup ring Tuner, locking tuners and little things like that (even Gary Moore fitted locking tuners to his "Holy Grail Peter Green" '59 Les Paul, "because it keeps it in tune!") however anything that would require some sort of major surgery...forget it! It sounds ace as it is already! 

[les paulverizer]

And this is the guitar, still with the original bridge pickup ring that I replaced yesterday with a Shadow Pickup Ring Tuner, same as all my other Les Paul's.

 In view of the helpful comments above, I'll just swap the roller bridge with an ABR or a Tune-o-matic then.

[ElNumero]

43 minutes ago, bolero said:

 hmm, selling that after modding/drilling a wraptail might be hard

I'd be inclined to sell it & find a used H150 that is already wraptail?

for a LP I would probably use a vintage styled roun bar, as the thinner one might end up pretty high in the air & look strange? depending on your neck angle/bridge height

ie:

 

vs

 

 

although having intonation adj is a big plus, with that!

 

Pigtail makes both:

 

http://www.pigtailmusic.com/Products.php

 

RIP Steve Rowan

That is the exact bridge I have on my 137!

[Millennium Maestro]

to go to ABR you would need a conversion post.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Conversion-Posts-Install-a-ABR-1-on-Gibson-guitar-with-Nashville-bridge-Nickel/111300017648?epid=1031375287&hash=item19e9ff7df0:g:j2QAAOSw7XBY8W0p

[deytookerjaabs]

Good luck but, yeah, I agree with others, I'd only wrap tail if it was a beat up carcass getting a top refin etc. 

 

 

That said, it'd be nice to see more wrap tail H-150's in the new lineup with 'buckers or P90's. 

[yoslate]

1 hour ago, deytookerjaabs said:

That said, it'd be nice to see more wrap tail H-150's in the new lineup with 'buckers or P90's. 

Guy (MM)...?!  Still have it?  Oh...and les paulverizer, Guy, meet Millennium Maestro, Guy....

[buzzy]

I've been thinking of this for >1 year.

This mod has to cheaper than to have it factory.  Unfortunately, I haven't found a reasonably priced victim, er, used guitar.  I also don't believe it is something that just any old guitar tech can do correctly.

[FredZepp]

1 hour ago, yoslate said:

Guy (MM)...?!  Still have it?  Oh...and les paulverizer, Guy, meet Millennium Maestro, Guy....

Oh yeah... Slates former rockin' wraptail 150 .. 

[Millennium Maestro]

1 hour ago, FredZepp said:

Oh yeah... Slates former rockin' wraptail 150 .. 

Ms Tron looks nothing like that and yeah I still gots her!  In fact Ijammed her last night!

[Millennium Maestro]

 

[les paulverizer]

11 hours ago, yoslate said:

Guy (MM)...?!  Still have it?  Oh...and les paulverizer, Guy, meet Millennium Maestro, Guy....

Hi @yoslate, good to see you again! 

Yes,of course I still have it! Twice I got "this close"(!) to buying a PRS Custom 24, without a doubt a truly great guitar , then I stumbled across this H150 from the Dallas Guitar Show and the rest is history...so even though some guitars come and go this, along with two others (a Yamaha acoustic and a Gibson Custom Shop '58 Reissue) will NEVER go!

Since I bought it about 14 years ago(?) I've done a lot of sessions, live work and a lot of other stuff with it then it became my #2 until I just got involved in a project where it fits the bill perfectly; in all honesty, after 4 years of solid playing (the more a guitar is played the better it sounds, period!) the Gibson R8 is now so close to a real '58 it's scary (we've compared it to the real thing with a friend of mine who deals with vintage guitars) whereas the best way I can describe the Heritage is "the best Les Paul Gibson never made in the 70's!", it feels and sounds more "modern" but in a wonderful way! 

Oh yeah, and it feels so good to be back on this forum too! Lovely! 

Have a wonderful day everyone and keep wailing! 

[DaveRobrecht]

Duesenberg makes a wrap around that has the correct spacing to replace the tune-o-matic bridge. It even comes with rounded cap screws to cover the unused tailpiece holes/threads. You might have to replace the threaded inserts currently in the guitar with the ones that come with the bridge. I haven't found any for sale domestically. I think I got mine from Germany. It was about $100 shipped and came fairly quickly. I put one on a Hamer Special Junior.

 

Duesenberg Bridge

[Kuz]

If you are going the ABR-1 conversion, I personally would go with either Faber or Calaham conversion hardware. 

[les paulverizer]

On 18/03/2018 at 11:20 AM, Kuz said:

If you are going the ABR-1 conversion, I personally would go with either Faber or Calaham conversion hardware. 

Thank you for the suggestion @Kuz, I've decided to go for an ABR-1 because:

A) a couple of days ago I actually found an old Gibson one, it has to be at least 40 yrs old if not more, that I totally forgot I had...!  

B) as I wrap the strings over the tailpiece, using those bits between the tailpiece and the bridge occasionally (for added tremolo and/or "pling pling" effect...and other assorted lunacies!) over time has become part of my style; I still think that Les Paul Junior-style bridges impart more attack & sustain to a guitar, however this particular guitar as both in such an abundance that the difference would be negligible.

Thanks again.