Four Uncles ABR-1 bridge just in and...

[SGFan]

MrNubs thanks for pointing that out. Do you just use a regular file?

 

[Morgan24]

Best ABR-1

 

[Morgan24]

Just keeps sounding better and better

 

[MrNubs]

no file

i use 400 grit emery paper or something similar and just hold the saddle between my thumb and index finger, also I'm not doing this to get more contact but to expose more string after notching if needed

what you need to see is that Wilko's pic of the two saddles is showing contact area and that you could easily back file a notch in the fatter topped saddle to have the same string contact as the thinner topped saddle, then you open up a can a worms and ponder, does a saddle with more mass sound better than a saddle with less mass

my FU made a diff. and for now I'm riding it un-notched

 

[RocknRollShakeUp]

no file

i use 400 grit emery paper or something similar and just hold the saddle between my thumb and index finger, also I'm not doing this to get more contact but to expose more string after notching if needed

what you need to see is that Wilko's pic of the two saddles is showing contact area and that you could easily back file a notch in the fatter topped saddle to have the same string contact as the thinner topped saddle, then you open up a can a worms and ponder, does a saddle with more mass sound better than a saddle with less mass

my FU made a diff. and for now I'm riding it un-notched

How are the un-notched saddles working for you ? Since that very small, but influential, blurb from JD Simo regarding his preferring un-notched saddles, I’ve been wanting to try the un-notched life!

 

[MrNubs]

First, I thought JD went back to 11 gauge set of strings and if so would have more force coming down on top of his saddles so most likely move less then a lighter set of strings and second, I don’t know what his saddles look like, I would think that a pointer saddle once it had string pressure on it would grab and hold the string better then a wider topped saddle

anyway

im using 10s and depending on how close you get towards the bridge when bending a note up, I do get some movement sometimes but not very often. Think as time goes by they will seat themselve. Also get some movement from the bass e just from heavy picking. I just relocate if they move.

once I sell one of them the other is going to be notched, just don’t want to notch now in case the one someone wants is the one I’m currently using, nos vs aged

as far as sound with FU bridge, notch vs un-notch - no news caused I’m not notched yet

but custom shop bridge vs FU, FU to my ears has some mojo

400 euro 428 usd for some more mojo ???

someone said on this forum a long time ago, ” I routinely take my wife out for 650 dollar dinners“, not sure if I got that totally correct but that its close

and i am definitely not that guy, otherwise I would keep both

cheers

 

[tdarian]

I’ve had both 10-46 and 11-48 Pyramid Nickel Classics on my R6 un-notched Four Uncles with zero apparent lateral slippage. The guitar is strung straight through the tailpiece so a good down angle. I use 1.5 Dunlop Primetone picks but I don’t play much beyond the 15th fret, certainly no radical bends.

 

[Shields]

So I got two, one NOS and on AGED

both bodies look the same

only diff. I see is that on the AGED the saddles seem dirty, In a good way

both sound the same, anyway, I only need one

both are un-notched

so if someone wants one , let me know which. I have NOS on now but can swap it if that’s the one

i’m in the 48 east coast

paid 400 euro each, only one is available for 428 usd

View attachment 18340

If it’s not sold, I’ll gladly take that off your hands. I just sent you a message a little bit ago. Thanks

 

[MrNubs]

If it’s not sold, I’ll gladly take that off your hands. I just sent you a message a little bit ago. Thanks

i responded

 

[maarvold]

I have been waiting since the beginning of April to get my guitar (Heritage 80-Standard) back from the shop. Tomorrow I will pick it up. The main reason I put it in there is to remove the Nashville T.O.M. steel bridgepost anchors and have long grain plugs installed so nickel-over-brass threaded posts and thumbwheels (steel or brass... I forget, but they're right) could be installed like the originals. Dave Stephens convinced me this would be worthwhile and, as much as I LOVED how the guitar was sounding and feeling with the Four Uncles ABR-1 on it, I wanted to 'take it all the way there'. I also had it refretted, since this had never been done and there wasn't much fret height left to file. So it might take me a bit to fully evaluate where I am with it. I will report when I feel confident I have something worthwhile to report.

 

[maarvold]

I got the guitar back today. It took a little tweaking to get my pickup heights back where I like them (sonically). Here are some observations--some are confirmations of how I felt when I first put the bridge on in early April.

• One aspect I was seeking is what I would describe as 'snarl'. The new setup seems more aggressive-sounding in that way and, to me, that's a good thing

• There is some kind of really cool 'bloom' that happens to at least some of the notes after they are picked--it's like the type of thing that leads to controlled feedback and that now sometimes happens at loud-ish bedroom volumes. LIKE!!

• Something about the sound and feel of the guitar is more simple, or maybe direct, now. It is like my connection to how it feels is more complete.

• I am kind of a nut on tuning and use a combination of tuning with harmonics and then go back and find out what needs a little tweaking--usually the D and G strings. With the new bridge and having the proper posts and thumbwheels, tuning is easier and more precise; I also realize that I can get the tuning even closer to what feels perfect to me because of the purity and clarity of the upper harmonics. The new setup makes the guitar feel a little brighter, but I am not generally a fan of 'bright'... EXCEPT in this case it is a good thing

• One last thing I almost forgot about: on the Mayall/Clapton version of Hideaway, the highest point of his solo occurs near the end, when EC is on the high E string and bends up a whole step at the 17th fret from A up to B, that note just SINGS. On my guitar everything always played great until I hit the 17th fret--where the neck joins the body; at that point the note was ok, but never sang the way notes below that fret did. And I always assumed it was because the neck on the Heritage 80-Standards didn't have a long tenon neck. But when I put the Four Uncles ABR-1 on, even with the Nashville T.O.M. steel anchors and adaptor posts, that note came to life. I haven't specifically checked that today, but I'd be very surprised if it's not the same or even better with the Four Uncles bridge mounted the right way. I will edit this post if I'm wrong about that.

Many sound-related things I work on--amps, microphones, etc--are projects that take on a life of their own. When I set out on my 'BeanoQuest', a 3+ year project, I felt like I made it mostly to where I wanted to be but this bridge and now the proper bridge post and thumbwheels mounted straight into the wood--like the original bursts--moved me at least 1-2 significant steps towards the goal: VERY exciting to me. And Fren Asken did a GREAT job--see for yourself.

 

[maarvold]

One more topic emerged today: I use the iStroboSoft Strobe Tuner ap on my iPhone for tuning. I was noticing today how pure and stable the strobe wheel's behavior is since the work was done on my guitar: I would attribute this largely to the Four Uncles bridge and new bridge post mounting. In the past the pitch on an open string would ofter drift a little flatter as the string's ring off lessened in volume; also the visual strobe display would sometimes glitch a little bit--like the strobe would lose its visual reading for a fraction of a second as the ring off decayed. Now the strobe behavior is extremely stable. And the precision I am able to achieve in tuning on the open strings is at least twice as good as what I was getting before--of course this also has to do with the new bone nut (which placed the previous bone nut)--needed due to the taller frets from the refret--as well.

 

[Nick-O]

I can't seem to get Dave and company to respond. We messaged back and forth, told about the wait time....Bueller....?

 

[MrNubs]

I can't seem to get Dave and company to respond. We messaged back and forth, told about the wait time....Bueller....?

forget Dave, he is a busy man

the fastest way to get your bridge is this contact ...

Four Uncles Restorations

Four Uncles Restorations. 566 likes · 3 talking about this. We restore Burst Parts. The "Four Uncles Restorations" Vintage Burst bridge, saddles and screws are 100% vintage correct alloys & shape.

www.facebook.com

just message them what you want - safest way is to UPS direct to a UPS store close to home

 

[Nick-O]

forget Dave, he is a busy man

the fastest way to get your bridge is this contact ...

Four Uncles Restorations

Four Uncles Restorations. 566 likes · 3 talking about this. We restore Burst Parts. The "Four Uncles Restorations" Vintage Burst bridge, saddles and screws are 100% vintage correct alloys & shape.

www.facebook.com

just message them what you want - safest way is to UPS direct to a UPS store close to home

I got all excited, but I'm not a FB player. Can't message otherwise....looking for another option me guesses.
Thanks though!

 

[MrNubs]

I got all excited, but I'm not a FB player. Can't message otherwise....looking for another option me guesses.
Thanks though!

i also don't Facebook but did create an account just for this purpose

use any name you want and just create an account, easy

or

if not, PM me your email and I'll send you an email for one of the uncles

 

[bert]

Fourunclesrestorations@gmail.com works too 😉

 

[libtech]

Has anyone tried the pigtail and ltd crazyparts and compaired them to the FU (sound wise?)

 

[tdarian]

I preferred the Four Uncles to the zinc Pigtail on my R7 and R6. It was very close on the R6 which had a very balanced tone to begin with using it’s stock wired ABR1.

I recently acquired a 2021 R9, I’ve not yet tried the Pigtail on it. The Four Uncles was different but the stock Gibson ABR1 sounded quite good with the R9. Did they change the ABR1s with the True Historic era parts?

Generally what I’m hearing with the Four Uncles, much like the Pigtail zinc is a reduction in high frequency “fizz” or “glare” and more of a round full tone. The Four Uncles takes it a little further but leaves plenty of bite.

Note: because I’ve been moving the Four Uncles around I have been using it with unnotched saddles. I’m told that might in itself lead to a slightly softer attack, but everything sounds good and the strings stay put even with bends/vibrato.

 

[bluesroom]

- My Four Uncles ABR-1 is the NOS version. The saddles came unnotched, now they are, but notches are tiny !
- The strings are more balanced all the strings sound fuller . You don't get more "this" or less "that", you get more TONE period.
- Since september 2020, Gibson Custom Les Pauls come with brass thumbwheels. A must !
You can see on that pix here, that the Four Uncles ABR-1 is truly an "oeuvre d'art" (a work of art) !

View attachment 16123

Did you notch the saddles yourself?