ABR-1 or Nashville on H535

[iim7v7im7]

Hi,

 

Opinions? +/- of each type of bridge. I hear better bass and sustain with a ABR-1 and better intonation and flatter resposnse with a Nashville. Any preferences on a H535?

 

Thanks,

 

Bob

[mark555]

I have an ABR1 type bridge on my 555, no problems at all, looks authentic too.

[paul144]

I hear you can get the tailpiece lower with an ABR due to its thinner width. But it won't fit unless you pull the bushings, and fill the hole with a dowel & re tap it.

Unless they make some kind of retrofit.

[GuitArtMan]

Is there really that much difference in tone between an ABR-1 retrofit and a Nashville? To the best of my knowledge, Heritage doesn't do an ABR-1 (with the posts threaded directly into the top of the guitar) and alwasy does Nashville style (with anchors in the guitar body). To get the the "true tone" of an ABR-1, wouldn't you have to plug the top (please use plugs and not dowels - grain orientation) and drill for the ABR-1 style posts?

[DCA]

GuitArtman,

 

I was always under the impression that an ABR, aside from the stamp, had more to do with materials, narrow width, and weight of the actual bridge. I had no clue about the mounting issue. That's interesting. Thanks you.

[GuitArtMan]

ABR-1

Note the thin posts that thread directly into the body (of the guitar), relativley narrow travel and the retaining wire.

 

Nashville Bridge

Note the anchors that go into the body (guitar body) and the post/thumbwheel is one picece that threads into the anchor, and the wider travel.

[DCA]

GuitArtMan,

 

That makes things perfectly clear, thank you. I've done a fair bit of googling regarding ABR and Nashville bridges, but those are the best photos I've ever seen. Rather thatn a blurry photo, you actually can see the difference. Thank you.

[Kuz]

I will tell you one major advantage to the Nashville bridges that Terry McInturff told me. He said that the anchors in the guitar protect the top and the bridge from bending due to string tension. He said you don't really even have to worry about the string break from the back of the bridge to the stoptail. You can basically leave the stoptail all the way down (the way I prefer) and not have to worry about the back of the strings hiting the back of the bridge entering the stoptail with the Nashville hardware.

 

I asked him if tone/sustain suffered if the strings hit the back of the bridge entering the stoptail on a Nashville set and he said NO. He said that the less sustain is a myth and guys raised the stoptails purely to preserve the tops/bridges of ABR guitars.

[Spectrum13]

Saddle material will make a difference in tone (brass / steel / Ti) and conversion bushings are available as are conversion bridges. Nashville will allow more travel for intonation and most likely come with steel bodies vs the zinc ABR-1 but steel bodied ABR-1 are avaliable too and will not compress like the zinc from pressure.