Why NOT use a roller bridge for non-whammy guitars...???

[miroslav]

So I just installed a Wilkinson locking roller bridge on my guitar that has a whammy bar...great bridge, love the locking posts and also the very easy/cool way the individual saddles/rollers are moved for intonation purposes...all locked with an Allen wrench. Plus it's SO simple to flip a saddle/roller around...you know, when you need a little more travel in a particular direction.

Anyway...I'm really considering putting this same roller bridge on about 7 of my other guitars, so as to avoid some of the tuning/saddle binding issues one gets with typical bridges.
I have a couple of guitars where it won't work without some extra modification, and I also wouldn't do it on my 4 vintage Hagstrom Swedes...but I can't think of any reason why NOT to use a roller bridge on the rest...it's a drop-in replacement.

Anyone have a significant reason not to use a roller bridge for non-whammy guitars....?

 

[elbandito]

There's no real reason not to use a roller bridge on a hard tail guitar but really, there's nothing that the roller can do that you couldn't achieve with a TOM-style or something similar, at a fraction of the cost.

Compensated Mustang bridges, telecaster ones and a multitude of others offer the ability to individually intonate each string...

I can't see why string binding would be an issue at the bridge in the first place, to be honest - Especially on a hard tail guitar.

 

[GONZO-X]

Why NOT use a roller bridge for non-whammy guitars

that's what i have, effectively, with my Kahler Hybrid.

i lock the trem into a hardtail config, works perfect.

 

[miroslav]

...at a fraction of the cost.

I can get the Wilkinson locking roller bridges for $15 each....so what fraction of that?

I can't see why string binding would be an issue at the bridge in the first place, to be honest - Especially on a hard tail guitar.

When you bend harder...you are pulling the string "through" the nut slots and bridge saddles...and haven't you ever heard the string "pop" at the bridge when tuning?
Basically, you are "dragging" the string through a metal slot...not to mention, most of the times a string breaks at the bridge...probably because the string is worn down by the edges of the slot - "V".

Anyway, I just think the roller bridge allows for smoother tuning and smother "return" when bending...even on a hardtail. I was just wondering if there were any cons to using one with a hardtail.

 

[elbandito]

I can get the Wilkinson locking roller bridges for $15 each....so what fraction of that?




When you bend harder...you are pulling the string "through" the nut slots and bridge saddles...and haven't you ever heard the string "pop" at the bridge when tuning?
Basically, you are "dragging" the string through a metal slot...not to mention, most of the times a string breaks at the bridge...probably because the string is worn down by the edges of the slot - "V".

Anyway, I just think the roller bridge allows for smoother tuning and smother "return" when bending...even on a hardtail. I was just wondering if there were any cons to using one with a hardtail.

$15 is a sweet deal! Geez, where'd you find that? I might pick up a couple myself.

My strings don't usually break unless they're old and worn out. Perhaps your bridge saddles could use some filing. And I only get that popping sound on acoustic guitars when tuning new strings up for the first time. You must be way harder on your guitars than I am on mine. Are you a lead player? I mostly do rhythm, so that may be the big difference.

I can't think of any real 'cons' of having a roller bridge on a hard tail guitar... other than having ppl like me ask you why you installed it. heh.

 

[miroslav]

I'm not really hard on my guitars...but I do tend to "dig in" a bit harder when playing leads at times. I like to "muscle" some notes, both with my left when fingering and also when striking the strings with my right.

I touch up all my saddles with fine sandpaper, but you still have metal moving against fixed metal, so I would think with roller bridges, you lessen that action, and the string can return back to it's original position a lot easier from deeper bends, and no pinching when tuning.

Anyway...I'm just thinking about it. I just set up the one I got for my whammy guitar...so I'll see how I like it, but I have to say, the Wilkinson is a good quality bridge, very hefty, so it should transfer nicely to the body, especially since it's locked hard to the posts... and I think the chrome finish is really nice on it and not that dull-ish, polished aluminum look that some "chrome" bridges have.

 

[Milnoque]

That's a nice looking bridge.

I suppose there is some potential for the moving parts to take some of the energy from the vibrating string and thereby cost you some sustain, but I bet it happens only on paper. That would be the only downside I can think of.

If you decide to try it, please record a before and after with just guitar and amp on a clean setting. I'm betting we won't hear a difference, but I'd love to see a test. The softer you play it the better the test will work.

 

[miroslav]

That's a nice looking bridge.

I suppose there is some potential for the moving parts to take some of the energy from the vibrating string and thereby cost you some sustain, but I bet it happens only on paper. That would be the only downside I can think of.

It's more solid/secure than a traditional bridge. Yes, there are rollers, but the actual saddle is locked down in place with an Allen wrench...and then the whole bridge is locked at the two posts. The amount of free play in the rollers is no worse than what you see with a traditional saddle (remove the string from a traditional saddle, and the whole thing has some wiggle in it).

These locking bridges are meant to give you greater sustain...by their increased mass and also because they lock down tighter than a traditional bridge, though I wasn't really looking for the sustain factor.

 

[GONZO-X]

OK, ONE MORE TIME...

 

[miroslav]

OK, ONE MORE TIME...

I got it the first time...but I'm not talking about Strat-style bridges/tails.

The Wilkinson is a straight swap with my existing bridges...I don't even have to remove the post sleeves....I just screew in the new/smaller posts that go with the Wilkinson bridge.

Also, I don't think I would pay $219 for a locking bridge...when I can get one for $15.
Granted, the Kahler has all kinds of adjsutment options and the fine-tuning screws...but it's overkill for what I need, and it doesn't work with my guitars.

 

[Jason43]

That Wilkinson is a good bridge, so there's certainly no reason not to. It also locks down to the studs, so you get the benefits of a locking bridge. I cant think of any other locking TOM style bridges that you can find for 15 bucks.

 

[miroslav]

OK...the follow-up on the roller bridge, and also on use with hardtails.

While there isn't any impact on sustain, as Milnoque was wondering about...

That's a nice looking bridge.

I suppose there is some potential for the moving parts to take some of the energy from the vibrating string and thereby cost you some sustain, but I bet it happens only on paper. That would be the only downside I can think of.

...I discovered a different minor issue that made me decide NOT to proceed with roller bridges for my hardtail guitars.

I found that the rollers/saddles allow the thinner (E-B-G) strings to move vertically with more dramatic string bending, especially in the lower (higher) half of the fretboard, the closer you get to the bridge.
You could actually hear the string "twitch" vertically in the roller with the bends. This is mainly due to the fact that the rollers on most every roller bridge I've ever seen, tend to have the same size "groove". So while it holds the fatter strings vertically in place, there is some room for the thinner strings to move in.
Also...by the nature of the rollers, they need a tiny amount of free play in order to spin, but that also allows the entire roller to move vertically too with deep bends.

Mind you...this had NO effect on tuning or sustain...but it was somewhat annoying to *hear* the string twitch in the saddle as it scraped along the roller surface during bends...and I could barley feel it too. It just didn't have that solid anchor.

So...while the roller does help tuning issues, by allowing the string to return to it's position lenghtwise...it also allows too much travel for may taste vertically in the saddle.

On my whammy guitar...it works very well, and it's probably as good a roller bridge as one could get for whammy purposes.
If anyone wants one for whatever...hit eBay - search "Wilkinson Locking Roller Bridge"...and you will find them for about $15 w/posts and sleeves from at least one or two sellers. I got mine from eBay seller: mmtgenterprises