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Gibson Vintage Shape ABR-1 incl. Area59' Vintage Soft Brass Saddles/Screw/Thumbwheel Set!!!! The best Investment for your Gibson! The whole package which make sense!
Note: Since every single bridge is handsanded the shaping can vary!
The Da Vinci Code Project...why old Gibson ABR-1 bridges sound (better) different compare to new ones...????
Everybody which goes deeper into the reseach of the secrets of the difference in sound know (from testing or google) that the old Nonwire ABR-1 bridges and some later Pat.No bridges sound better compare to new ones. There are 3 factors!
1st the alloy (Zamac5) of the bridge itself
2nd the brass screws
3rd the brass saddles
So its well known that its impossible to recreated the formular of the Zamac5 alloy today, this is in case of the raw materials/alloys and the overall production technique used today!
You can came close but nobody can recreate this exact like in the old times! Thats FACT!
A huge factor of the overall sound was the screws and saddles!
And not just the material itself it was also the "FIT" of the combination of screw and saddle!
Since its not possbible to recreate the bridge itself we do a lot of research and testing with the screws and saddles (thumbwheels)....
The old screws and saddles was made of a softer kind of brass (if you check pictures of old ABR1 saddles you see that they often rounded! This was in case of the used over the years and the softer material itself!
We tested over years several old bridges and finally rebuild screws and saddles made of the "VINTAGE SOFT BRASS"...The hard part was to find a supplier which has the knowledge and finally was able to build this parts.
Its not just the softer brass which makes a difference its also the "FIT" of the parts in the bridge itself! If you own an old ABR1 you will notice the bridge and saddles have much more space in the bridge compare to newer ABR-1, here the parts fit very hard, you need to press the saddle and screw into the bridge, this is in case of Gibson change specs, the screws and saddles dont fall out of the bridge. The disadvantage is the screws and saddle cant breath and finally this is killing part of the overall tone.
Now after 2 YEARS reseach and testing the screws arrive some month ago and now the saddles are on the way from USA....
Specs:
Gibson Nonwire ABR-1 Vintage Shaped with correct Counterbore Postholes!!!!
-Set of 6 soft brass saddles
-Type 2 (most common 1959/60' with slightly wider top)
-Copperless (thin) nickel plated
-Vintage tooling markings like org. saddles
-2 Softbrass Vintage style Thumbwheels
Feedbacks from customers bougth our new Softbrass Parts...
Dear Crazyparts, Today i installed my new Ltd ed ABR1 vintage shape on my 2019 60th anniversary 59 LP. My guitar has better parts already. Gibson claimed their anniversary models are closer to the original as before. Although I was sceptic that the new bridge could deliver an even better sound, I pulled the trigger and ordered one. I got surprised before by crazyparts (e.g. PAF covers copperless nickel plated, 550K tvt pots compaired to VIPots). At first sight the new bridge wasn’t that different. A little less rounded edges than the anniversary bridge and the new saddles with wider edge. Looser fit of the saddles and screws as described on the website. After I slotted the saddles, I put on the same strings to compare the bridges soundwise. Immediately I could hear a difference in acoustic resonance when played unplugged. Nice ring and a little louder. OK, time to connect the amp with a bluesy setting and a few pedals. I could feel the guitar breath more. The playability is a lot easier because the loose feel of the sound. More sustain and note separation. An open sound, better than before, even it was already a near perfect guitar to me. Now the guitar rings more on cleaner settings, with a little more low-mid quacky sound on the attack. More detailed. The ear-piercing frequency on the high E and B string (bridge pickup) is less pronounced (4KHz+), although with more presence/brilliance. More balanced voice on the bridge pickup. Just like I wanted. A winner to me. A decent upgrade for the tone purist. Worth every penny. Another piece of the puzzle. Keep up the good work! Bert De. B. Belgium
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It’s impressive how much the correct bridge changes and makes it vintage sounding. I have a R8 from 2008 with 50’s wiring, kluson tail piece and Spirit of 59 from Amber PU (another German product!!) And I now have the LP tone I have been searching for, it’s been a journey! Marjus B. Markus B. Denmark
