Unusual Gibson bridge - when was it used?

[Hammertone]

Can anyone here identify the time period when this German-made bridge was used by Gibson?
I have seen it on LP Customs and ES-3X5 guitars but am not sure from what time period it was used.
I found pix of a Les Paul Customs from @1979? with this bridge, but am looking for more information about it.

 

[Humbuck]

Doesn't look like any used by Gibson bridge I've ever seen.

 

[Uncle Gary]

It looks like the Schaller(?) bridge that Heritage uses on some of their guitars. I nevr knew them to be factory fitment on any Gibsons, but, knowing Gibson, anything is possible.

 

[vintage58]

That's not actually a Schaller part, although it is often said to be one — instead, it's a short-lived Gibson-patented product that was used only around 1982 and 1983. They called it the "Top Adjust Tune-O-Matic" or something like that. Gimme a second, I will post a link to a rather long description of the origin and history of this bridge.
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[vintage58]

OK, I found the link — the bridge depicted is, if I'm not mistaken, a genuine Gibson-made bridge that was called a “Top-Adjust Tune-O-Matic,” and that was used briefly by Gibson around 1982 or thereabouts. A full description of the story of these bridges can be seen if you scroll to post #27 on the below-linked Web page:


http://forum.gibson.com/index.php?/...g-an-unusual-tune-o-matic-bridge/page__st__20


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[vintage58]

....and below is a link to one of the many 1982 Les Pauls that came stock from Gibson with this short-lived variant of bridge:


http://www.ebay.com/itm/Gibson-Les-...s-/321080165539?pt=Guitar&hash=item4ac1de84a3
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[DANELECTRO]

How in the hell would you adjust that? It looks like you need to remove the bridge and adjust the screws from the bottom-side. :bigal

 

[vintage58]

How in the hell would you adjust that? It looks like you need to remove the bridge and adjust the screws from the bottom-side. :bigal

Veddy interesting. I hadn't noticed when I originally looked at the photos in the OP, that neither the "headstock-pointing" face of the bridge depicted, nor its "tailpiece-pointing" face, has six holes drilled in it, or any saddle adjustment screws. And, seeing as the thread starter mentioned that he's seen this bridge on a '79 Custom, perhaps the screw-less version shown above is an early variant of the Top-Adjust Tune-O-Matic, that some designer eventually noticed had a major design flaw. In contrast, most of the 1982-era Les Paul Customs that I just looked at on eBay have what appears to be an identical bridge, with one exception — namely, the '82-era version does in fact have six saddle adjustment screws on one face (translation: *not* the bottom surface) of the bridge.
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[Capn Rory]

My '82 Gibson 335 Dot neck had the same bridge as the first posting pic, except in nickel with brass inserts on the saddle pieces. Intonation is done from the top of the bridge via a small screw that threads opposite to what would be normal ... righty loosey, lefty tighty. The saddle body has to be manually slid, fore or aft, to the proper position for the guage of string one uses.
The guitar now has a Faber bridge on it, but the original is still there if I want to change back.
Pics at Flickr, capnrory

 

[vintage58]

My '82 Gibson 335 Dot neck had the same bridge as the first posting pic, except in nickel with brass inserts on the saddle pieces. Intonation is done from the top of the bridge via a small screw that threads opposite to what would be normal ... righty loosey, lefty tighty. The saddle body has to be manually slid, fore or aft, to the proper position for the guage of string one uses.
The guitar now has a Faber bridge on it, but the original is still there if I want to change back.
Pics at Flickr, capnrory

What you're saying here makes total sense — i.e., if this bridge was indeed called the "Top-Adjust Tune-O-Matic" (as the post on the other forum would seem to suggest), then the method of setting intonation that you're describing is fairly consistent with the bridge being named as such.
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[wild.joz]

My 82 standard originally had a similar bridge, but it had more conventional adjustment screws to adjust intonation.

 

[Tom Wittrock]

Here you can see the adjustment from the top.

 

[Humbuck]

Wow...learn something new every day.

 

[stock_hippie]

looks in really good shape..

 

[RevPearly]

Wow...learn something new every day.

+1

And I thought I had seen everything..:jim

 

[Hammertone]

Another piece of the Gibson puzzle explained.
The adjustment is identical to that in the picture Tom posted.

Another feature is that one can choose one of three post positions on either side, as shown in the picture of the underside.
The underside says "Made in Germany", BTW - manufactured for Gibson by either Schaller or Mueller.

 

[agquake]

Both of my '82 Standards have that bridge.

 

[DANELECTRO]

Here you can see the adjustment from the top.

Ok, so they slotted the threaded end of the pan head screws.

 

[Uncle Gary]

Ok, so they slotted the threaded end of the pan head screws.

That makes sense. Then, when you stripped out the slot in the tiny end of the screws, you could still adjust the bridge from underneath. You just had to remove the bridge to do it.

I also see the three possible locations for the brdge posts on each side.

A clever idea in all, but not really necessary IMO, unless you want to compensate for sloppy and haphazard placement of bridge posts. But then Gibson would never do that, right?:rolleyes

 

[Big Al]

They were called 3 Point Tunamatics. They were mostly sold as upgrade parts. I remember seeing them o 335's.