abr locking bridge

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christian

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Hi guys,
Did anyone actually tried the abr-locking system from Faber? I read some good stuff and not so good, anyways just curious. 8)
 
I have one on my LS80, IMO they are a definite improvement over the standard Tokai ones which I dont think are a tight enough fit on the posts. There is a noticable improvement in sustain with the locking ABR.
 
I read some good stuff and not so good

I would love to know what you read that was negative ?

I have only heard good things about these and it is a simple idea and can't see a down side to them at all.........unless the guitar is crap in the first place.

Mick
 
I read that the saddles were loose in the bridge and didn't do much for improving the tone-sustain. But these guys bought their bridges from a US dealer not from our friend in Germany.
 
Cheers,
I started a similar thread not s long time ago.
When you dig into this, it seems there are too many different factors involved to make simple generalised statements on the subject I am afraid. In the end it is what it does to your guitar soundvise that counts, so in the end I believe it is your personal taste that counts.
I fitted a Faber Locking Tailpiece on my guitar, and somehow I have more woodresonance in my sound, but then again, I also topwrapped the strings for a change, so my approach was not by any means scientifical.. One should also not forget that changing the bridge involes a new set of strings, so that can cheat you too in evaluating the difference in sustain and feel etc.. Also the angle on the strings from the bridge to the tailpiece changed in my case.. this may also affect the sound.. It can get confusing trying to figure it out.. so my advice is- use your ears and your common sence.. My next project will be a complete setup by a good Luthier, a new nut that doesn?t trap the strings, and a new set of pick ups at some point.
Cheers !
 
labbi said:
One should also not forget that changing the bridge involes a new set of strings, so that can cheat you too in evaluating the difference in sustain and feel etc..

Very good point labbi - the same thing applies to changing pickups & various other parts. I think there's a danger that we delude ourselves sometimes into believing that we hear improvements that nobody else would notice. It's not just guitar gear, hi-fi enthusiasts can do the same thing too.

And yes, I can be just as guilty of this as anyone else. If we want something to sound better, it often will.

By the way, I'm not saying these bridges are not an improvement, they may well be. But there is psychology involved here.

Mike
 
Whoo Hoo! Well I got mine last nite. I didn't change the strings (didn't want to draw too much attention if you know what I mean) just loosened and lifted. What I noticed first is that I love the aged look. I am also a SUCKER for BRASS! I love the stuff. The locking portion locks down real nice. Every thing fits together real well. It is a 100% improvement over the old stock bridge. I feel without a doupt that it added noticably to the sustain of the rig. I didn't plug it in yet but last night I would hit a note and hold it..... hold it.......wiggle it... and bend it..... I gave up on the sustain before the guitar did... all in all, I love it.
 
Alright dude enjoy!!! What tokai model do you have?
So, if i get this right you just change your old bridge for this Faber one and add the locking screws and that's it! :wink:
 
christian said:
...
So, if i get this right you just change your old bridge for this Faber one and add the locking screws and that's it! :wink:

Yes, that's all there is to it, there's a PDF on Togps' site that shows the installation procedure:

http://www.tokaiguitar.de/downloads/Faber%20Bridge%20Locking%20System.pdf
 
Sorry I was out of town. I think it was about $70.00 US. Real easy to put on, I did,t even take off the strings. Put it on and run the locking "nuts" down with your finger, then snug. I love it. Its on an 81 LS50. a couple of weeks ago I made myself a locking tailpiece. worked out real well. I'm sure its not as nice as Faber's but nice enough for an LS50. It helped alot too. I love this guitar :D
 
digbystar said:
a couple of weeks ago I made myself a locking tailpiece. worked out real well. I'm sure its not as nice as Faber's but nice enough for an LS50. It helped alot too. I love this guitar :D

That sounds nice ! No need to apologise :D
I am actually thinking about making a locking bridge myself.. cant be too hard :)
Have fun !

Labbi
 
Today I did my locking bridge. It?s not rocket science offcourse, but in my case I am happy I did it.

http://s578.photobucket.com/albums/ss227/labbilab/?action=view&current=IMG_0661.jpg

My guitar has a lot of mellow wood sound to it, but somehow it didn?t translate too well to the pickups. After the small modification I have achieved better response, and a brighter sound. More detail, and I feel now somehow better what I am doing on the fretboard. It?s inspiring.

A warning though !!! I made the holes in the standard bridge bigger ( 1 mm )
to make room for my homegrown nuts, and in that process it is important to be aware of the string alignment in relation to the neck.
If you don?t like fiddling around, buy a Faber locking kit instead.
One thing I want to point out and ask about..? The faber locking bridge has nuts made of brass. Brass compared to steel or aluminum is more sonically "dead". Maybe not the right technical description ( try a brass slide compared to a chrome / steel slide and you know what I?m talking about) But anyway, I am nut sure what the standard nuts are made from, but it sounds ok to me now..!?

I like my guitar giving me more treble definition and aggressiveness, and I like the way it cleaned up my muddy lower midtones and the base.
In the end you have to listen to your particular instrument / setup / to decide what is good for you ! :)
 
Brass compared to steel or aluminum is more sonically "dead"
I beg to differ on this one, why are brass saddles more desirable than steel.?
Brass saddles are considered an "upgrade" when compared to standard ones. Aren't most bells made of brass?

Mick
 
leadguitar_323 said:
Brass compared to steel or aluminum is more sonically "dead"
I beg to differ on this one, why are brass saddles more desirable than steel.?
Brass saddles are considered an "upgrade" when compared to standard ones. Aren't most bells made of brass?

Mick

Yes, maybe I was pushing it too far to say sonically dead, but try to listen to the difference between a brass slide and a steel/chrome slide. THATS the difference I am talking about. And the nuts purpose is closer to a slide than a bell, no ?! So are people actually aware of what they get from brass by upgrading ?
 
You can't compare a slide to a saddle, they have absolutely nothing in common apart from being brass. The slide has to move up and down against the string where as the saddles sit tight under string pressure. Its like comparing "apples to oranges". The nut has more in common with a bell than a slide, the strings , once again, under string pressure, sit on the nut, where as the slide only moves over the strings and like i said they are incomparable in those circumstances. Since brass saddles have been around since the very first Les Pauls were made i am certain people know what they are getting. Do you actually know what you are talking about or are you just guessing?

Mick
 
leadguitar_323 said:
Do you actually know what you are talking about or are you just guessing?

Mick
YES I GUESS 8)

I guess there is a difference between brass and steel nuts, as well as there is a difference between brass slides and steel slides.
I didn?t compare the slide with the nut directly, I made a deduction based on 5 things I believe I know:

1. That the string vibrates from the edge of the nut, and in case you use a slide, the string vibrates from that. So its qualities are reflected in the way the the string vibrates and in this sence both the slide and the nut serves the same two purposes: Absorbing and transmitting vibration.
(even they also have individually different function and qualities apart from that)

2. That a steel slide has a different sound than a brass slide. So therefore
the 2 materials have different sound producing qualities.

3. Since upgrading to brass nuts is something people do and pay for,
obviously there must be a difference between steel and brass.

4. I have read somewhere in this Forum that some people didn?t like the locking bridge with brass nuts because it made their sound darker. So I thought that there could be a connection here.

5. I just did a homegrown lockingbridge myself, and I noticed that the sound is brighter. Which is great for my particular guitar !
Maybe by adding the brass nuts, things will be less bright ?
Whether this is good or bad is not of my concern, to me it?s more about what is what ?

Ok- maybe I was jumping to conclusions, and I apologise for that, but:

I was thinking maybe this difference is not known to all people making an upgrade..in case my theory actually is waterproof ? Maybe steel nuts will give a different sound with the locking bridge and locking tailpiece installed, maybe with the locking bridge and the locking tailpiece in place, steel nuts can eventually become too bright, so it would make sence to go for the brass nuts !
I mean, adding three new components to your rig: Locking tailpiece, locking bridge and brass nuts.. Which part is responsible for what in relation to the change in the tonal behaviour ?

But I don?t know any of this for sure, I am not Einstein you know...

So:

I don?t feel bad about debating stupid questions or guesswork or deductions, because sometimes that?s what it takes to learn.
This only applies if you don?t know everything in advance offcourse,
but I won?t apologise for that !

So YES ! you can say I am just guessing, but I guess I do so because I don?t know everything !
:lol:
 

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