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ABR Comparasions

TM1

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Jun 27, 2003
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I'm liking the Faber as it has a depth that the Historic doesn't have. It just seems to make the whole guitar resonate and vibrate like an old semi.
 

chaz498

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Dec 18, 2002
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I put a Tonepros bridge on my 50's Tribute goldtop and it killed the top end, so the original went back on fast. Night and day difference and taught me not all upgrades are improvements.:##
 

TM1

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Jun 27, 2003
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I put a Tonepros bridge on my 50's Tribute goldtop and it killed the top end, so the original went back on fast. Night and day difference and taught me not all upgrades are improvements.:##

Not my fave bridge. I have a drawer out in my shop with about 4 of them in it. I tried them on a number of guitars I have and ended up going back to a original type ABR-1. I know the guys at ABM in Germany did a comparison of locking vs. non-locking and they came to the conclusion that the locking type bridges kill sustain and harmonics and screw with the freq. response when your bridge is locked. I think it also has to do with the materials that they use. The folks at TonePro's are super and I think while their products look good in theory, but in actual use are another story. I like the concept, but just doesn't give me what I'm looking for. Might work great for alot of others, but.. not moi..
 

gmann

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May 26, 2003
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I'm liking the Faber as it has a depth that the Historic doesn't have. It just seems to make the whole guitar resonate and vibrate like an old semi.

Don, what saddles did you get with your Faber? Brass, titanium? It looks like they'll sell a combo of the two also.
 

TM1

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Don, what saddles did you get with your Faber? Brass, titanium? It looks like they'll sell a combo of the two also.
I got the Brass. When I got this ES-335TDC it had Nylon saddles and it seem to rob the tone. I know the Nylon they use is wrong and that's probably the reason why I didn't like the guitar at first.
 

gmann

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May 26, 2003
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I got the Brass. When I got this ES-335TDC it had Nylon saddles and it seem to rob the tone. I know the Nylon they use is wrong and that's probably the reason why I didn't like the guitar at first.

Thanks Don!
 
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fender69

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Apr 17, 2003
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Don, what kind of bridge posts are you using with the guitars? The historics? The Fabers? Have you done the Maple flame mod? I ask cuz I recently went back to the original bride on my 68 GT after trying a historic and the overall sound was much improved, though the original bridge is on rough shape with possible collapsing and bubbling chrome. Was interested in giving the Faber a whirl as I like your remarks on the vibration and resonance it gave.
 

Shai`tan

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Feb 25, 2016
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I really like my Faber abr-1. Aged nickel with plated brass saddles I believe. Earlier I had a Pigtail, aluminum. It rattled pretty badly. so I went with the Faber. And the Faber tolerances are nice and tight. Much better.
 

TM1

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Jun 27, 2003
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Don, what kind of bridge posts are you using with the guitars? The historics? The Fabers? Have you done the Maple flame mod? I ask cuz I recently went back to the original bride on my 68 GT after trying a historic and the overall sound was much improved, though the original bridge is on rough shape with possible collapsing and bubbling chrome. Was interested in giving the Faber a whirl as I like your remarks on the vibration and resonance it gave.

I'm using 2" Brass 6/32" posts. Mapleflame Mod.. Well... I started a thread on that in 2007(I believe) and it's one of the longest and longest running threads here. I had tried Stainless Steel, but on a number of my guitars it was too bright. But like Steve "Mapleflame" had suggested, the longer depth into the body increases the string vibration transfer into the wood. I've found this to be spot on!
 

gmann

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May 26, 2003
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Don, I'm ordering the Faber ABR-1 today. Did you get a prenotched one or notch it yourself?
 

bluesjuke

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Feb 6, 2005
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Just might try the Faber myself.

I am happy with the tone I get off of the Historic and have it intonated well but the screws jump out of position, lifting the saddle up so I have to move the screw a bit to get the saddle back down seated properly in the body of the bridge.
 

jalguitarman

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Apr 8, 2018
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21
Has anyone here tried the Retro-spec ABR 1 bridge? I am wondering how it compares to the others mentioned here.
 

k1ngscross

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Nov 22, 2018
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Has anyone here tried the Retro-spec ABR 1 bridge? I am wondering how it compares to the others mentioned here.


I tried a few and recently the Faber aged nickel 59 version... I read a lot of positive opinions about it and gave it a try. After it was installed I experienced the same thing that some describe... it is more open, a little louder, more vibrating and somehow tighter connected to the body and makes everything resonate better. I was happy in the beginning until I tried to play on the same amp settings with almost exactly the same guitar with a regular Gibson ABR-1. JESUS! Yes it does what I described above with the tone, but it took of a lot of the typical Les Paul sound characteristics that are not that treblish and it tooks off that mighty depth. I don´t care if Faber is using the best materials and the screws turn very smooth and it looks soooo on point to genuine 59 specs...BUT... if I sacrifice the sound characteristics that make Gibson different from other Les Paul knockoffs, then I need to rethink about it. Faber is just located a few miles of my hometown in Germany, they are not manufacturing there guitar parts here, they import everything from china and just pack it up in Germany. Which does not change the fact that they are good quality, no question about that. Do they improve the sound? Absolutely in a way. But after all, I go back to the Gibson ABR-1 historic specs in the last version they sell right now, not for quality, not for materials or looks... but for the tone. This is my humble opinion about it, sure it depends on what guitar you are adding it, maybe the bridge is the missing little thing to make it perfect, but it ruined mine. The best sounding alternative bridge for my taste was made by tonepros, if someone really can't live with the Gibson ABR1.
 

MapleFlame

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Jul 3, 2005
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14,044
As Don suggested, each guitar would need different mods based on how it sounds. Some need to be brighter, some need more sustain, some les bright etc... I have used 50's, 60's and of course pigtail and many other after market bridges. Not all are a perfect fit, I use aluminum on my 63 330. It just works. My favorite go to ABR-1 is the 60's early 70's ones for the price. They are the most consistent for me. Post material and depth can change how each ABR-1 performs. Sometimes we can try too hard and go too South of what we are reaching for. Sometimes it can be a simple as a tube change in an amp, or some guitars sound better in certain amps. Try tubes and amps first.
 

Magnet

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Nov 29, 2012
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At last….. The ABR-1 reverse engineered correctly. See the “4 uncles” on Facebook also.
 
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Emiel

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Oct 30, 2015
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At last….. The ABR-1 reverse engineered correctly. See the “4 uncles” on Facebook also.

"Only offered in relic, NOS new plate, $475 relic, and $450 NOS. Saddles remain plated, no raw brass. Saddle sets are about $155 for 6 with screws in NOS plate and $165 relic."

Wow.
 

TM1

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Jun 27, 2003
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8,349
Man..., I don't know about the Four Uncles bridge's. That's an awful lota money for a replica ABR-1! If it was more like $300. I'd go for it. But spending almost $500. per bridge is nearly cost prohibitive. I have six guitar's with ABR-1's, so if I did them all I'd be looking at $3k to re-bridge them..
 

TFLP

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Nov 23, 2008
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10
DS keeps saying they sound warmer than stock. I don't need warmer sound, but I'd love to get rid of some bass in the neck pickups on my R8, CC#17A and ES335. All of them have Stephen Design pickups, too bassy through old Marshall and Fenders. VIP pots, PIO, hardware as DS suggestions. How does this bridge respond to bass? The playing in the video doesn't tell me much, and I couldn't listen to all of it. I'd love to hear some straight to the point playing all over the neck, and some nice chords. Johan Segeborn had some interesting ABR testing a while ago, so they might be on to something. I'm just curious of how this bridge will affect the sounds of bridge and middle positions in my guitars which I like. Probably too pricey for me anyway.
 

ADP

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Jul 16, 2015
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What about this "Four Uncles" bridge? Does anyone have real-time experience with it yet?
 
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