Bridge Type and Tone

[Anthony Pires Precision Guitar Repair Shop]

I’ll probably just barely scratch the surface here… but in my experience, the difference I hear between the two; (bridge and stop bar vs wrap around only) is actually pretty minimal. A wrap around will feel more *slinky*, and obviously lean up the cosmetic look of the build overall. What will definitely effect the sound, is the material the parts are made out of, and their weight. If something is feather light, it will tend to ring out, and have a better tone quality. The more modern parts, some of which are super heavy, can have a dead sound.

In any case I think a lot of that sound is getting transferred the same if the thimbles fit nicely, glued in etc… Long story longer, on a tune-o-matic bridge, I think all-thread right into the body sounds way better than the bulky “Nashville” style studs.

Last thing I’ll say, at least on a tele… there is a huge difference in sound between through the body, and a top loader bridge. Hope this helps.

[Jamie Wilson]

Thanks for your insight. Very helpful. I hadn’t considered the material of the bridge in that way, but now that you mention it that makes a ton of sense. I’m curious on what the difference is between through body and top loader. I’ve been wondering about it because, theoretically (said in complete ignorance) the only part of the string that should be vibrating is between the saddle and the nut, no? If that’s the case, how does running the strings through the body make a difference? Happy to be educated. Thanks

[Anthony Pires Precision Guitar Repair Shop]

Using my tele as a reference, it’s been strung through the body for as long as I’ve owned it. Tried a top loader recently, sound instantly became thinner, more treble… Through the body was way warmer, more midrange. I think you’re literally hearing the quality of the wood. Each option has its. place.

[Jamie Wilson]

So interesting. what other differences were there between the two bridges? were they made of the same alloy, what types of saddles, etc.. I’ve only build two guitars, one through body and the other a top loader, but one was tele pickups and the other humbuckers. I’m happy with the tone and playability of both so it’s really a thought exercise for me at this point. Thanks for sharing your experience.

[Gerhard Schwarz]

Hello Jamie, i only can tell you the difference in the material for Wraparound and Tuneomatic Style Bridges for G-Style Guitars. That is what i do for years and finally decided to make my own. You can watch the Interview with Dan and Eric here on this page. The material makes a huge difference. Most companys don´t care about that because brass is not brass and aluminum not aluminum. There are many alloys and different hardness in the alloys. The hardness affects the dampening of the strings dramatically. If you want a vintage sound you have to go with the right parts. If you want a more modern sound you can choose different hardware. The problem is: you have to try them on your guitars. I tried a lot from all manufacturers i know and everything sound a bit different. You can change the overall sound a lot with the right Hardware. More Basses or slimmer basses, more brilliant highs or cut the ones you don´t want. Just a little information. It is very complex that is why i only build 1950s Style Hardware. It is enough for one guy 🙂

[Jamie Wilson]

Sounds like you’ve really been down the road with this. What about compound parts. Brass saddles on a steel or aluminum base, that kind of thing. Thanks for your info!

[Gerhard Schwarz]

Oh yes 🙂 I mostly tested complete Brass Bridges but i don´t know what Brass the company use. I think MS58 is the most common one. But for me the sound is too fat. Less highs and more basses. Good for some guitars for sure but not if you want it vintage sounding. What i know on Tuneomatic Bridges is that the Posts are very important. The Big companies used steel for a long time and some still do. They are more stable for sure but the sound is not like with brass posts and thumbwheels. Brass Posts eliminate the sound difference between wound and plain strings and give you more of an acoustic sound. If you strumm a chord you hear it clearly and every customer ever did as i changed them. You have to change every thing step by step so you hear the difference.