The bolts fixing the bridge to the studs hold the bridge VERY firmly and do not allow for any rattling while also holding the bridge at wherever you set it when all the strings are removed. It seems to only exist as a pure break-angle establishment point and intonating device and all other adjustments on a guitar with a stop tailpiece are completely open.Īdjusting height is easy. An added bonus is that, since this guitar has the strings mounted through the body instead of using an adjustable stop tailpiece, the lack of any surfaces upon which the strings could rub behind the breaking point of the saddles is brilliant. Once they're set, however, they are perfectly solid and feel much nicer that the original tuneomatic. I might also note that the grounding on this guitar is via the vee-shaped thru-body tailpiece and not the studs, so there was no need to deal with the ground wire.Īdjusting the intonation is fiddly and you have to be mindful of your string spacing as there is no provision for centering, which actually worked out in my favor since the guitar was not exactly 'centered' and I actually prefer the strings slightly towards the bass side of the fingerboard for some more wiggle room on the high E string.
![guitar fetish guitar fetish](https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oLMYyPv-2tU/Tm10zzW3yKI/AAAAAAAAAYU/4k8tKxBDKkY/s1600/FancyN2.jpg)
The original bushings, I might add, were barely fitting and I was able to tug them out by simply threading the original studs into them and pulling just a little bit. Removing the bolt and washer revealed a perfectly set bushing that looked as if it had always been there.
![guitar fetish guitar fetish](https://media.rainpos.com/9408/img_8784.jpg)
When setting them, I threaded a M8x125 bolt through a wide flat washer with a rubber backing and then used a press to push them in so the washer sat flush with the surface. I took a moment to run a black stain marker around the upper inside of the hole so no bare wood would be visible once the bushings were set.
![guitar fetish guitar fetish](https://static.sitejabber.com/img/urls/997365/picture_233158.jpg)
The bushings are flush with the body instead of having the 'lip' so the range of adjustment is slightly deeper, which actually came in handy as the pitch angle of the neck is rather shallow on this particular guitar. They are slightly larger, but I didn't see a need for drilling out the holes in the guitar. I opted for black studs as the guitar is also black, so they 'disappear' nicely, leaving the bridge to appear as if it is floating above the guitar. The XGP parts were FAR beefier, threaded more carefully and to tighter tolerances, and they were solid brass along with the rest of the unit. The studs were threaded the same as the Sung Il ABM bridge that was straight up junk, but I went ahead and pulled the bushings to use the brass units that came with the bridge. The stainless, when polished, fits right in with the nickel plating and looks like it 'belongs', as well as the obvious lack of corrosion concerns. I replaced ALL of the black steel bolts and set screws with stainless steel versions, including the bolts that lock the bridge to the studs. I did replace the creme output jack plate with a black one.
Guitar fetish upgrade#
This upgrade also coincided with pot and cap upgrades. I plan to eventually get the 2.8H version for the bridge. It works very well for my style and for what I do. Bright and open, articulation is astounding, and the output is extremely usable, almost comparing to the output of an EMG. The neck pickup was bland and thuddy, so I replaced it with a Bill & Becky Wilde L90 2.0H pickup and could not be happier with it. I own a Dean Z79 'reissue' on which I've redone several aspects. I can see the appeal in getting off-brand strings if they were dirt cheap, but not if they cost more than name-brand strings. If you buy in bulk you can get D'addario strings cheaper than GFS strings.
![guitar fetish guitar fetish](https://static.sitejabber.com/img/urls/997365/thumbnail_159007_normal.1583029682.jpg)
Cheaper than Guitar Center's house brand (although GC cables have a lifetime warranty). I think these are a pretty good value for the money. There's not much you can do to screw those things up. Things like strap buttons, screws, pickguards, neck plates, input jacks, etc. Nobody will ever know what kind of pickup you have unless you tell them. They are just alnico magnets with wire wrapped around them. People think that there is magic in single coil pickups.