New toy day

[PunkKitty]

I admit that I'm a bit confused. Do I have an ABR-1 or a Nashville bridge? I'm guessing that the tailpiece is metric since it came with a Gotoh aluminum tailpiece.

 

[rockabilly69]

59 minutes ago, PunkKitty said:

I admit that I'm a bit confused. Do I have an ABR-1 or a Nashville bridge? I'm guessing that the tailpiece is metric since it came with a Gotoh aluminum tailpiece.

 

Those are Nashville bridge inserts. The first link that I sent you should be the easy drop right in replacement. With the tools provided the inserts pop right out. Take a look at this picture you'll notice the Faber inserts on the right, which are German steel instead of pot metal like the ones in your Heritage, have a post that the new ABR-1 bridge sits on.

 

 

Watch this video...

 

[PunkKitty]

I ended up just keeping the hardware for the time being to minimize expenses. I may end up replacing it later. I was able to swap the bridge saddles with nickel plated ones for now. One thing I didn't plan on was needing new knobs. The old pots were WD which used metric knobs. The new pots are CTS, so I need imperial knobs. I should get them in a couple of days.

[rockabilly69]

1 hour ago, PunkKitty said:

I ended up just keeping the hardware for the time being to minimize expenses. I may end up replacing it later. I was able to swap the bridge saddles with nickel plated ones for now. One thing I didn't plan on was needing new knobs. The old pots were WD which used metric knobs. The new pots are CTS, so I need imperial knobs. I should get them in a couple of days.

Well the brass saddles should be better than the graphtech ones!

[PunkKitty]

11 minutes ago, rockabilly69 said:

Well the brass saddles should be better than the graphtech ones!

That's what I thought. Like I said, I may upgrade eventually. Probably not though. I've been using Gotoh bridges for years with no problems. I don't see the point in changing.

[rockabilly69]

19 minutes ago, PunkKitty said:

That's what I thought. Like I said, I may upgrade eventually. Probably not though. I've been using Gotoh bridges for years with no problems. I don't see the point in changing.

 

I've used Gotoh bridges and tuners too (I especially liked their upper end tuners which I use on my Zemaitis guitars), but as I say below, I have plenty of experience replacing bridges, and it's no contest, Gotohs are not in the same league as Fabers. I remember having this conversation with KUZ years ago, and I knew I sounded like a broken record telling him time and time again how much better these bridges were. He eventually tried one, and now they are on every one of his guitars that he could put one on, including his very expensive McInturff Carolinas!

The are many reasons that I like Faber bridges. In my experience (which I have plenty concerning bridge replacements), the Faber bridges are just great sounding ABRs as I think they've got the formulation of metal down. The tone lock option secures the bridge with the posts which helps with sustain, and it is FAR better than the crappy little "easy to lose allen screws" that TONEPROS use. The saddles can be replaced, and mixed and matched (titanium sounds great on guitars with thuddy e and a strings). You can also order the saddles pre-slotted if you wish. And you can order them plated or non plated (I love the unplated brass) The bridge inserts make much better contact with the body (especially the screw in ones), and their customer service is UNBEATABLE! One time I got a letter from Larry Corsa at Faber saying he wasn't happy with a run of bridges they did, and out of the clear blue, he just sent me a new bridge as he knew I ordered one of the run he was concerned with!

In all my years of modding guitars, I can say without a doubt, replacing the Nashville bridges with Faber ABRs, is the one consistent thing that brings the gains.

 

 

[PunkKitty]

I just realized that Hipshot has an option too. I love my Hipshot bass bridges and Hipshot tuners. They look a bit different, but they are priced well. They may be an option.

https://hipshotproducts.com/collections/guitar-bridges/products/6-string-tone-a-matic-guitar-bridge-nashville-right-handed?variant=43276737928

[rockabilly69]

2 minutes ago, PunkKitty said:

I just realized that Hipshot has an option too. I love my Hipshot bass bridges and Hipshot tuners. They look a bit different, but they are priced well. They may be an option.

https://hipshotproducts.com/collections/guitar-bridges/products/6-string-tone-a-matic-guitar-bridge-nashville-right-handed?variant=43276737928

I have no experience with Hipshots, but frankly I don't think you need to change your tailpiece, and honestly I think that one looks a bit, as you say, different, for a classic guitar like your H535. The one good thing I see is it looks like it a huge range of intonation. But if I were you, because you buy and sell a lot of guitars, I would play the H535 for awhile. If you really like it, and decide to keep it, I'd go with the Faber. Why? Because it's a proven good bridge with all the advantages I stated above. The only concern with replacing a Nashville with a Faber ABR is if Heritage placed the bridge posts in the wrong spot (yes they have done that more than once that I know of), and the ABR In that case wouldn't provide enough intonation adjustment. That's easy enough to check though. When you mount the old bridge on the guitar, take notice of where the saddles are when correctly intonated. If they are adjusted, flat side of the saddle, as far back or forward as they will go, the ABR won't have enough intonation adjustment. It's rare, but I've seen that happen.

[ej150]

8 hours ago, PunkKitty said:

I admit that I'm a bit confused. Do I have an ABR-1 or a Nashville bridge? I'm guessing that the tailpiece is metric since it came with a Gotoh aluminum tailpiece.

 

What's the story with the 1/4"?

[PunkKitty]

2 minutes ago, ej150 said:

What's the story with the 1/4"?

It's a tool that I made out of a cheap cable with a molded end. I trimmed down a bunch of the plastic around the jack with a utility knife. I plug it into the old jack before I take out the harness, Then I use it to pull the new harness into position. It's a trick that a luthier friend taught me. And it's a good use for crappy cables. 

[PunkKitty]

I got it all back together, except for the knobs. They arrive today. I'm mixed about the Wolfetone Dr. Vintage set. The bridge pickup sounds great. The neck pickup is kind of muddy with little sound distinction between the strings. I'm not pleased with the neck pickup. I'm going to experiment with different magnets to see if that makes a difference. 

[Gianluca]

cool guitar
and interesting thread

[PunkKitty]

I sent Wolfe an email. He suggested that I try Alnico 5 in the neck position. It made a huge difference. The pickups sound much more balanced now. Wolfe is a really good person to work with. He responds to your questions very quickly and is always willing to help. Based on his customer service alone, he's my new go to for pickups.  With that, I'm going to close this thread and play my H-535 and H-150 more.

[rockabilly69]

4 hours ago, PunkKitty said:

I sent Wolfe an email. He suggested that I try Alnico 5 in the neck position. It made a huge difference. The pickups sound much more balanced now. Wolfe is a really good person to work with. He responds to your questions very quickly and is always willing to help. Based on his customer service alone, he's my new go to for pickups.  With that, I'm going to close this thread and play my H-535 and H-150 more.

Wolfe is a walking encyclopedia of pickup knowledge and a great guy ta boot. Glad you got your pickup sorted!