GUITAR MYTH BUSTING | Expensive Gibson Bridges Sound Any Different? | Guitar Tweakz

[@eddiejr540]

Kris…I have to say the one thing that made THE most difference in my guitars was using steel threaded inserts on my bolt-on neck guitars…they resonate more, they sound louder and there is more sustain because the inserts pull the neck down into the pocket way tighter than wood screws could ever do…kinda off topic, but worth mentioning!!!

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[@GCKelloch]

Well, a Steel insert won't resonate more than the Maple. The reason there's more sustain is the increased down force and that the inserts absorb less vibration than Maple. I do a simpler mod to bolt-ons with similar results. I chisel out the center of the neck pocket so the surfaces don't touch to ~1cm around the edges. That increases downforce around the edges and reduces neck vibration damping. I think it actually holds the neck in place better. I do notice an increase in sustain.

[@firstdreamwalker]

@@GCKelloch the threaded inserts are worth making the mod anyway. The force you can apply to threaded screws is much stronger and you can hear the difference immediately!

[@oldasrocks9121]

Drill out the screw holes in the guitar body so the screw threads don't tightly bite the wood, best if the screws just pull out once unscrewed from the neck heel. If the screwthreads in the body are tight the clamping force of the screw head only clamps the plate to the body. If the screws move freely through the body holes the clamping force is distributed across the plate and pulls the neck tight into the neck pocket. This is exactly the same thing that's happening with the machine screws in your threaded inserts.

[@Soldier1287]

Oh, new mod spotted

[@Sinar-P]

I preferred the Custom shop. To me it had a balance between the three. The tail piece I couldn't tell.

[@stanislavmigra]

Im with you on that one

[@henrydavis4525]

this is the best bridge comparison video I've seen. You can really hear the differences between them. helped me

[@KrisBarocsi]

Much appreciated! Glad you liked it. 🙏

[@agriff4795]

The all zamac(zinc alloy) bridge and tailpiece had the harshest transients but the least harmonic content. The Gibson Historic ABR-1 has more balanced tone with both tailpieces, although more pleasing with the aluminum than the zinc. The winner: The machined brass ABM with the aluminum tail[piece has the smoothest tone with more harmonic overtones, that combination really lets your guitar sing!! Great video, as always, Rock on Brother!

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[@666thsense]

i have a full aluminum tailpiece and a full aluminum bridge with brass saddles on my most played les paul customs and the sustain, clarity, and richness of the tone jumped out immediately. the note almost becomes bell like. when playing with crunch, it sounds super layered and dynamic. massive difference from the typical pot metal gibson bridge and tailpiece. plus the weight savings is also noticeable.

[@brianrudolph8205]

I totally agree with your assessment of the brass sounding mellower. It's clear.

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[@craiger2399]

I liked the custom shop bridge and couldn't hear the tailpiece difference. I have a 79 Les Paul made in Kalamazoo. One piece body, T tops, etc. It weighs 5 kilos (11 lbs 3 oz)! But it sounds amazing, and even though it no doubt has zinc parts... I would never change it it, because I already love it.

[@vladimirerfan7721]

I have an 78’ Custom and it sounds amazing, but the bridge is a bit collapsed. I will change the bridge to an ABM Nashville one.

[@DimKAt21]

I think there are differences in every swap Kris made but it's more of a preference thing rather than better or worse. I'm not sure if I could hear the differences in a band situation though.

[@tylerthompson1842]

I agree and not only that but I found myself preferring different ones depending on what he was playing and where on the neck lol. I think I’d be happy with the after market brass saddles

[@ChuckChrome]

Great playing in so many different styles. Well done!

[@KrisBarocsi]

Thank you 🙏

[@mattier3030]

You should do the flame maple mod, where you buy longer abr1 threaded bridge posts and drop them all the way down onto the mahogany. Many on the posts are not very far into the maple. No drilling involved. I found it made a huge difference

[@theodorthiele]

I think it's a super interesting topic, and something I love geeking out about. With of course the dream being that someone could get a non-custom "cheap" Les Paul, and swap all the hardware and electronics to get something better than a custom shop because the hardware is more "vintage correct". A question to your specific test: Did you also swap the studs / thumb wheel / tail piece studs + bushings ? I have heard mention that it's actually an as big contributor as the tailpiece and bridge themselves - which kinda makes sense since that's what connects the strings to the body wood - but I haven't seen any testing done where those tiny little invisible parts are included. From what I can tell, the original is brass for bridge studs+thumb wheel, and steel for tailpiece studs and bushings - but Gibson uses whatever Zinc alloy for both.

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[@sidewaysrain7609]

I know for a fact that original 59 Les Paul saddles not only the bridge was brass but the saddles themselves when they came to a point was flat and much broader than modern saddles. Meaning the surface area in which the string arrested without grooves was probably two three times is wide! Yes original 59 saddles had no grooves from the factory.

[@colinmcnab6145]

You are wrong! The 59 abr bridge was made of zinc with brass saddles. The thumb wheels were also brass.

[@arnolddealiii4259]

I agree with your assessment. Brass was darker and warmer sounding, Zinc bridge and Saddles had the most top end to my ears, while the zinc with brass saddles was somewhere in the middle. I personally like more top end on a guitar and think it helps cut a bit better, but maybe the playing experience would change my mind. That said I like the Zinc saddles. As for the Stop Tail piece I heard no audible difference. I would go with aluminum as its lighter weight also. In fact if you could find an aluminum ABR-1 I'd go with that too. I put an aluminum bridge block on a stratocaster, the guitar was a half pound lighter if felt like. Also I think aluminum will sound better than brass or zinc, again I like brighter sound. Lastly try 480 cold rolled steel. Callaham guitar components are machined from 480 cold rolled steel and they sound fantastic for brighter sounds, and sustain for much longer.

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[@qua7771]

I'll bet you would like titanium. I'm not so much into bright, but I like a balance of it.

[@soundpainter2590]

Didn't Calaham make those inferior brake pads in Tommy Boy ? How dare you support them.

[@piratesting]

Man that groove you were playing was so nice. Is it something you played for this video, or is it something you have in a longer form?

[@skullheadwater9839]

I liked the Brass German bridge with the Aluminum, It has a softer attack which reminds me more of the vintage sound I enjoy.

[@ramlerendleg]

I've tried the ABM stuff and it really makes a difference, even in a band situation, I often play in a two-guitar setting, classic 70s to 80s rock sound and we've found that better hardware gives the guitars more overtones making them more distinguishable and giving us a more transparent and therefore bigger sound, It's not a scam!

[@alanst.4417]

Hi, Kris! It's always refreshing to see you with your trusty LP and I just love your riffs and attitude! Great that you came up with this comparison for us to be able to draw own conclusions without having to do the testing ourselves. Here I must say I prefer the brighter sounding cheap zinc alloy to the custom shop brass bridge, although I can't feel your player's experience. But it may be completely different with a brighter rig or when playing mostly clean of course... The bridge sonical difference seemed almost negligible to me as well as the weight reduction in such a mass... Cheers

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[@garyslash7552]

Thank you so much for this comparison, Kris. Great. Maybe I can contribute a bit to this topc. I own a 2001 Gibson Les Paul R8 and I have tried just about every ABR1 bridge which are on the market (Faber, Callaham, different Gibson biridges, ABM, Kissmystrings) and may different soptailpieces. I agree with themitsos' opinion that in a band situation you might not hear much of a difference. But this has never been the point to me. What I would lieke to achieve is to get the best (I know his is very subjective) possible sound out of my guitar. Sound differences can be clearly heard. If you decide to change the ABR you have to be aware that they differ not only in materials and of course soundwise but also in dimensions ever so slightly. This means that you have to readjust intonation, stringheight, pickup height etc. Most of the new bridges differ from old, "vintage" ones to a considerable extent. Materials are different as are the shapes of the individual saddles. Old ones are more massive and have a flatter top. The new ones have "sharper" tops. Faber and Kissmystrings ABR1 are the ones that get closest to the vintage ones. Anyway, I think it's worthwhile experimenting with different bridges and stoptailpieces and it's a lot of fun.

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[@Zygnus]

While hearing the samples I was thinking the high end ABM brass bridge sounded more "subdued" indeed - the word you used at the end, "mellow", may be more accurate. But... I'm not sure if this "mellow" also means "better" though, and thus if the cost of the upgrade is justified - it's just "different". Interesting video nonetheless, having done a similar upgrade in the past I was wondering if this is indeed worth it or not.

[@lastcall9998]

Is the Gibson Custom Shop ABR bridge this one: Gibson PBBR-059 ? I hope you can reply.

[@KrisBarocsi]

Hi, that bridge has the same measurement as the custom shop bridge I have. I'm not sure about the metals they use for the PBBR-059 though, I couldn't find that anywhere.

[@lastcall9998]

@@KrisBarocsi Thank you sir, you are so kind. You're guitar sounds great and looks awesome. Have a great life.

[@TommySG1]

I’ve always thought a lot of this stuff was smoke & mirrors, however on one of my Gibson SG’s when I strummed it unplugged, it sounded sorta dead… not very resonant. I installed one of the Lightning Bar tailpieces which have the string come out of the tailpiece at an angle so it avoids hitting the edge of the bridge which happens a lot on guitars not set up properly. Secondly I swapped the bridge itself on over to a Schaller roller style bridge which you may see more frequently on a Bigsby set up. Well the guitar came right to life and is extremely resonant now, that being said it made me a believer.

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[@Foxtrot1989]

It quite sonic in the combo of brass and aluminum that mitigates the most prominent of treble and most wide of bass. The midrange seems to hang relatively tight regardless.

[@maxo-mat581]

Hey Kris, super interesting video and so much fun to watch! I can clearly hear differences between the bridges and tailpieces. Would be happy to see more videos like this from you. For example also swapping pots, electronics and pickups and what difference it really makes. It's super interesting for me but I don't have the luthier skills and money to experiment and find out with my own guitars.

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[@reed_stamov]

Hi man, thank you for the video. Do you think you couldn't choose the zinq one because of the wood of your guitar? Would you pick that bridge for the vintage one?

[@noternunstoned]

Over wrapping causes a "looser" feel to the string breakpoint, not a big deal, but you notice the strings sound louder (a high pitched harp sound) when you strum them behind the saddles. I think these frequencies come through to the the overall sound slightly.

[@tylerthompson1842]

I like that duel overdrive pedal Toxic Twins.. nice little nod to Aerosmith there. But if that’s all you’re using then what is going on with the phantom tremolo here 10:45 ? The other tail piece wouldn’t do that

[@KrisBarocsi]

It’s an awesome overdrive! The only thing that caused the tremolo at 10:45 is my index finger. That‘s called a violin vibrato.

[@joanarling]

I play an ES335 copy which came with a really cheap bridge. The 100% brass bridge made quite the difference, perhaps a semi-hollow is more sensitive to the change. As has been said elsewhere, it will hardly be noticeable in a band context, but it sure sounds better at home.

[@ramlerendleg]

When you have two distorted guitars in a band, think Thin Lizzy, maybe AC/DC, lots of Southern Rock bands etc,, it does make a difference. From our experience it 's a bit like mastering/EQi-ing the guitar sound in a recording. The guitars come out less muddy, the attack is pushed forward a bit and the two guitars are more distinguishable, Everybody in the band says so as well as our sound guy.(Although I didn't mention it to them)

[@GuitarQuackery]

I really enjoyed this video. Thank you for taking the time to do this. But I am wondering if the test is inconclusive, due to the fact that the materials are not the only differences in these bridges. The fitting tolerances of the parts are definitely going to vary from manufacturer to manufacturer. And if parts are fitted more loosely on one bridge, than the other, I think it would make a difference. Just my thoughts.

[@frantisca]

Hey Kris: quite an effort you made to record this video with all those changes. Your beautiful LP sounds gorgeous ! Regarding the swaps, here is my feeling: The zinc alloy is the weakest of them all. Definitely not at the level of the 2 others. The regular CS with brass saddles: you start to hear vibrating the overtones and better sustain, a little mellower sound. The ABM all brass: rings the most and best sustain. Like it better for the chords, but to me the CS is the best compromise when played lead. The Aluminium tailpiece vs the alloy: very subtle difference, but still maybe a fuller tone... So I would go for CS bridge and Aluminium Tailpiece. Personally, I have tried several: Standard, CS, TonePros and Faber (German made). This last one has brass saddles, Aluminium lightweight tailpiece and the parts are anchored to the posts for stability and more sustain. Superior quality, like TonePros. My 2¢...

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[@ChuckChrome]

Kris, out of curiosity what pickups are you using in your Les Paul? The neck is very clear and defined. Much of this is your technique but I think the pickup sounds better than most in the neck. Thanks

[@Sollazzon]

Great Video! (as Always honestly) My experience on this specific 'tone Tweaking' is about two guitars: a LP '04 Std GT (nashville TOM) where I've installed a Faber ABR-1N and lightweight stop tail. It reduced the top end, the High freq. and added a lil bit of mids, and rolled just a bit basses. Plus it added a lil of resonance and sustain. The second experiecne is on a CS LP R9 '16 where I've replaced the original saddles (just saddles) with the AMB brass ones. In this case it heped to Add high freq. and to let the guitar ring ''more natural' ..I mean, with the originals it sounded a bit too dark. So Yes, .. defnetly a Test everybody should have to do on his own guitar, Not a Huge difference but just enought to tweak the general tone.

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[@MrEpic-lf4gn]

I didn't quite understand, sorry. You wrote that you replaced the saddles on the LP R9 with brass ones. But the R9 comes with brass saddles by default.

[@Sollazzon]

​@@MrEpic-lf4gn yes, saddles in Soft Brass by ABM 1510n. The guitar opened up on high freq.

[@MrEpic-lf4gn]

@@Sollazzon I still don't understand, sorry ) So you're saying that Gibson brass and ABM brass are different?

[@Sollazzon]

@@MrEpic-lf4gn yes, sure, brass is not always the same and Gibson do not have just 1 supplier. It may differ depending on the period or batch of production.

[@shredgd5]

I liked the Gibson aftermarket bridge and the Gibson standard tailpiece the best! They were the clearest and fullest sounding for me.

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[@valendis]

Very subtle differences, nothing I could hear in a mix tbh, that Les Paul sounds awesome though ^^. I'm curious about that "changing the electronics makes a big difference" I'm in the team thinking it makes no difference wether I put alpha pots or CBS pots except I have to select the CBS pots so it's not too "loose". I like the alphas for that very reason, there's a bit of resistance when I turn the knob, it feels better imo. Maybe there's a video about this on your channel?

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[@MatthewSwasta]

Why are the E and A string saddles flipped. Should the angle side be at the back for string break?

[@jfbegley]

Some really tasteful playing there Kris. Nice

[@Murphy_R9]

Stock Gibson ABR1's are made for Gibson by Kluson. same ABR1 bridge as Kluson sells.

[@user-of9ut1hd9q]

No love for TonePros? They make some pretty high quality after market parts for Gibson's and come with locking set screws. I upgraded the bridge and tailpiece on my Les Paul and noticed quite an increase in volume acoustically and more sustain overall.

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[@issacrodriguez91]

What about the difference between a Gibson tune o matic bridge to a Gibson ABR 1 ? Any real difference or is it just an aesthetic thing ?

[@beefyboytech]

The bell brass and brass saddles sound the same kind of warm tone. The others sound harsh twangy, but some people prefer twangy if they like country music.

[@chrisnahhas5151]

What’s the Custom Shop bridge made from? It has brass saddles, but what’s it made of?

[@ginoblaazer5103]

Chris wat a great video. Was just thinking about swapping the bridge on my guitar. I noticed you have your neck pickup really flat to the body is that something you prefer for all neck humbuckers or just this one?

[@AndyK.23]

Killer scientific comparison! The aluminum tailpiece is a must-have. All original bursts had the lightweight aluminum tailpieces, so there's that. The brass rolls off some of the brightness of the stock non-brass ABR. Could be a good thing, unless you have a dark sounding guitar that needs all the highs you can get. Super cool job!

[@KrisBarocsi]

Thanks Andy!

[@ilmisxx2]

expensive bridges and tailpieces do sound slightly different. Do they sound better? Well, if you just paid a good chunk of money, of course they do!!! 😅

[@KrisBarocsi]

Haha, I can agree with them sounding different. Better? Depends on what you’re looking for. Yeah I payed quite some money on the ABM parts and I really wanted to like them more. 😂 Luckily Thomann offers the money back service so if I wanted to send them back, it wouldn’t have been an issue at all. Long story short, I like them a little more than the others so they stay where they are. 😅

[@ilmisxx2]

@@KrisBarocsi Well, it never hurts to have spare parts for a guitar 😄or an amp for that matter

[@KrisBarocsi]

@@ilmisxx2 Talking of which, the original bridge of my LP is now on my ES-330L 😅 And it sounds amazing!

[@ilmisxx2]

@@KrisBarocsi awesome!! There are two things a guitarist can't have too many of - spare parts and overdrive pedals... Well... And guitars... And amps... Speakers come to mid too... You catch the drift 🤣🤭😅

[@qua7771]

It's a fairly cheap upgrade. I was able to tame ringing in the highs by simply replacing steel bridge post with brass ones. $20. Videos like these are helpful. Comments like these, not so much.

[@mabbatic]

Does the ABM improve sustain?

[@colmkelly5524]

Obviously amp settings were the same. It would interesting to hear what happens with each of the bridges when you turn up the treble on the amp and really expose the upper frequencies. I suspect the ABM bridge might have a more usable top end over all. The others were brighter but not necessarily in a way that is desirable, I felt, particularly if you were mixing a track and eq-ing the guitars to poke out.

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[@thenut1212]

Gibson Stop Bar tail pieces are made of lightweight aluminum, not a zinc alloy. At least the Custom Shop/Murphy Lab ones are.

[@MiguelOlivan]

I can see you top wrapping all your guitars, even your Hb ja kit. Does it make some difference to you? I have a ja-60, maybe I should try... Thank you for your videos!! Lots of info and fun!

[@gregorglasbruch6917]

If you top wrap then the influence of the bridge is decreased for the pressure onto the bridge is lower. The real truth comes out if you do not top wrap.

[@GCKelloch]

I'm pretty sure original TOM bridge saddles were Stainless Steel. I think that's what Gibson upgrade replacement bridges are. Brass saddle replacements came around for Fenders in the 70s, but Gibsons had stock nylon saddles then. I like the Steel saddles for the lower strings, and Brass for the top two plain strings. I'm surprised that the Al tailpiece sounds different. Sounds less aggressive and with more bass sustain. I like it. Wrapping the strings over the tailpiece reduces the break angle. It does slightly affect tone and sustain.

[@tedkellison2598]

Actually the original ABR -1 saddles were nickle plated machined brass. Nylon came along in the 60's on many models and chrome plated zinc (pot metal) came in the 70's.

[@geet77777]

What are the weights of the two? I have a les paul that is balanced weird, i need more weight in the back. came with a lightweight aluminum.

[@Fugettaboutit]

Aftermarket Gibson bridge sounded the most open, had the chirp/sparkle up top but had some nice width/bounce in the mids. The brass was the most 'focused' but also rolled off in the highs.

[@dananthony6258]

I love heavy les Paul’s. I don’t see enough difference to justify changing the original part imo. To each his own. Great compare video thanks for sharing it.

[@TheMytherian]

It’s interesting. I preferred the ABM stuff but each of the bridges had riffs that they handled better. I’d join the all brass bridge with the aluminium tailpiece to get the best of both worlds myself

[@KrisBarocsi]

I agree 100%. I‘ll keep the ABM parts on the guitar but I liked something different about all of these parts. For example for purely hi gain I‘d stick to the zinc alloy parts.

[@TheWGLOVER]

Wouldn’t a different brand of strings make a bigger difference?

[@billrunham9610]

Hi Kris - how about the Four Uncles ABR?

[@KrisBarocsi]

Hey, sorry but I never tried that one. I'll check it out. Cheers!

[@mygabrielle7477]

I have a 2001 standard. I started getting this weird buzz on the b string and I was suspecting it was the bridge. I swapped my Gibson Nashville style bridge with an aluminum one with titanium saddles and it fixed the issue but to my surprise I think it really brightened the guitar up. Acoustically and through the amp. But I was really surprised how the tailpiece made such a difference in your vid. I may have actually heard more of a difference than with the bridge. Damn……. About to shop tailpieces now?! Thanks. Lol

[@KrisBarocsi]

Haha, yeah this is a deep rabbit hole. But don’t lose yourself in it. Key is, if you really like how your guitar sounds like now, you’re fine. 😅 On the other hand, if you enjoy experimenting with different parts, definitely try a proper light weight aluminum stop tail piece. 👌

[@Minsk_On_Air]

hello , I just bought a 2000 standard with 490 B 498 T pickups. Neck pickup stay a little bit dark even after lowering it and raise the plots. What is the model reference of your new bridge please ? Its a faber ? Did you use new insert ? Thank you in advance

[@tubeaddicted485]

I swapped the bridge of a friends ltd 1000 series guitar, the new one was a ABM brass rollerbridge. Even with highgain sounds and the Emg81, the difference was from another world. Endless sustain, and the EMG81-honk was eliminated. Many people don't like rollerbridges, they think it will kill your sustain. But today, the manufacturing tolerances are almost zero, so there is nothing that kills your sound with the rollersaddles. The whole bridge was made of brass, not only the rollersaddles.

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[@willdenham]

Nice intro song! Real classy lead playing, like those double stop slurs.

[@robertbuffalo8287]

I prefer brighter sounds. Therefore, I do not like any zinc alloyed parts. However, to change things up I do have guitar with a brass nut. Wish you would have added Titanium to your testing. Stainless steel, Cold Rolled steel, Aluminum, and Titanium is what I like.

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[@Nizodizo]

I have two questions. What is up with the metric stuff? What is up with the top rap stuff?

[@geraldglaubitz9551]

Hi Chris , I like your playing very much, especially the phrasing and the feel. I think you are a very experienced guitar instructor. What would you recommend to improve the mentioned skills. I am almost in despair because I am not able to achieve this kind of abilities. Greetings, Gerald

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[@jorisguitars]

Video idea: You work for a giant music store, how about doing a comparison of 5 of the same/identical guitars with the same pickup heights, and see if they sound any different. That would give a new perspective on the tonewood debate would think.

[@KrisBarocsi]

Hey, we did something like that over on the Thomann channel years ago with my buddy Andy. Check it out: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jZ3Oo6espLSCabc

[@jorisguitars]

@@KrisBarocsi I've must have missed that video, thanks for sharing! I think it was a good video and would love to see a revisit of that but with another title like "Do Identical guitar models all sound the same? " Or something.... Play the same riff and than quick edit for a fast comparison at the end of the video (same pickup height of course). Thanks for the reply and I continue to enjoy your content!

[@Oscaraha]

Hey Kris, really interesting video/ topic. I wonder of what other qualities you look for in a bridge, besides translating the vibrations of the strings to the body and pickups? Isnt total stiffness of the bridge really the only quality that matters, so a diamond bridge theoretically should be about the best option you get? Or is there something thats just too much stiffness?

[@RJW14]

NGL I think the most expensive bridge sounded the "worst", with the gibson brass saddle one being the "best" middle. It's very much in the details though and none make or break the tone of the guitar. I've also seen someone replace the TOM bridge on his flying V for a roller saddle one, that increased the sustain a lot.

[@BradRocker]

I prefer the ABM bridge and ABM tailpiece combo. And the Kasleder OD really kicks A$$.

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[@SomeKindOfMadman]

Anything you change on a guitar will change the feel, tone and sound of the instrument, even if it’s just fractions; are the words of the Tech I frequent. Thanks Kris.

[@KrisBarocsi]

Thanks buddy! Very true! And how much those fractions matter to you is up to you. 👍

[@paulcowart3174]

In the comparisons I've heard it's the saddles that make the real difference Old 50's saddles had more mass...flatter tops with less angle The pointy tops are how most repros are made Need wider tops for more warmer sound IMO...wider base where the strings connect

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[@bradt.3555]

Have several of the aftermarket ones and they are the same brass saddles as my R8. The brass is light in color and it's hard to tell but yea they're brass. Just a scratch of a notch won't reveal it. And the vibration ends at the saddles, between saddles and tailpiece almost zero so tailpiece material is heard in what's called placebo.

[@omrinygate1356]

Hey, i really like your videos and ideas for testing, but i have one suggestion for your methodology- you are introducing a lot of variability when you play yourself. Try and make a contraption to strum open chords consistently so it's a true A/B test

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[@frankhughes5702]

I've been wondering if over wrapping the strings on the tailpiece gives better tuning stability🤷‍♂️

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[@stanislavmigra]

Great episode. I have love hate relationship with one of my guitars and Im hunting that one thing, that makes the hate part. And from this video, its clearly the bridge. There is inhertent zing, that every bridge changed and it was the same thing thru all the clips. With your guitar, I liked the Gibosn Customshop bridge the best. Can you please make similar video about Strat saddles? Like pretty please

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[@urbandombert]

Hi Kris, ich finde die Les Paul klingt mit der ABM runder, mit einer ganz leichten Kompression . Und vielleicht ist es Voodoo oder Einbildung, aber ich finde das die Obertöne irgendwie harmonischer klingen mit der ABM im Vergleich zu den Gibson Bridges. Beim Tailpiece war es für mich so, dass das Aluminium den Anschlag schneller macht. Die Paula wirkt direkter und klingt auch irgendwie holziger. Ich hab den Tausch auf meiner alten Korea Epiphone Riviera gemacht, da war es ein Riesenunterschied zu vorher. Ich habe allerdings auch zusätzlich noch die Einlassgewinde getauscht.

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[@BurningHearts70]

Hey, I have a question…why is the lighter tail piece “better” but if we are talking Floyd Rose the heavier brass or steel block is “better” seems contradictory..

[@marions.120]

I’ve switched any Gibsons I have with Nashville bridges to ABR-1’s, cut the saddles and I think the sound is better, tone. Even did my Gibson double neck and ten or eleven for friends. Don’t care for the Nashvilles. Thanks for this video, finally someone who gets it! ✌️😎🎸🎶🎵🎶🎵🎶

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[@206redrider]

We need some kind of guitar seismograph to gauge reverberations and sustain for such comparisons

[@damasterkarej]

For sure I could hear difference. What happen if you do the same thing but using Epiphone instead of 4K Gibson? ;)

[@KrisBarocsi]

Using the same bridges? Probably the same difference. If you compare the custom shop or the ABM with the original Epi bridge, the difference would be much bigger.

[@damasterkarej]

@@KrisBarocsi but that's not the same quality on a guitar. Will better bridge - a 5 min fix - give a lot more to overall tone? You have better timber here, better electronics, pickups, craftsmanship.

[@KrisBarocsi]

@@damasterkarej Well, if the quality difference between the original and the replacement bridge is big, you’ll hear even more of an improvement in tone.

[@mikemilenkovich]

I’ve found Gibson should use bigger bridge posts my 2020 epi studio sounds light years better than my 2016 Gibson studio

[@pardop5628]

Very interesting, i was not expecting so much difference with the bridge! Great video 👍

[@Nightryder7]

From you purchased bridge abm and tail pieces.

[@martinclayton7260]

There was definitely a subtle difference. I would like to hear that Les Paul with nylon saddles.

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[@svgitana2499]

I found that the heavier tail piece the better the sound and better sustain! Am I crazy?! I bought the German made Faber tail piece and bridge and put it on my Heritage H-150 👍🏻

[@jonathansinger3818]

IMO, The more brass the bridge contained, the more "mellow" the sound became. I would say you lose a significant amount of high end "sparkle". Any difference in sustain is moot because no one holds out a note or notes to the point where it would make a difference. I experienced way less difference in the sound of the tail piece changes, but will admit that the light weight tail piece was slightly brighter. That being said, anyone would be hard pressed to hear any changes at all if not compared almost immediately. Great video!

[@JamesFord-g5e]

I found the all brass bridge & saddles had best tone smoothness tail piece didnt seem any change and by the way i have perfict pitch hearing

[@dananthony6258]

You should watch Johan Segeborn’s ABR1 vs Nashville style comparison video. I almost fell off my chair. I couldn’t believe the difference. There’s a huge difference. The bridges on this video are pretty close imo.

[@Tonetwisters]

Bill Callaham was making THE BEST TunOtomic bridge anywhere ... out of a solid block of cold rolled steel ... but appears to no longer offer that.

[@EinzigWahrerGrymbart]

I've got very cheap headphones. It really suprised me, how much difference can be heard. It's all a matter of taste from that point but there was a warmer, less sparkly sound coming from the ABM. I liked that one the most. Really appreciate the effort you make to create those videos. Great comparison in my opinion.

[@KrisBarocsi]

Thanks so much! Yeah it’s surprising how you can hear the differences here even with cell phone speakers. 😅 I wasn’t expecting that.

[@walterschock1270]

Agree Kris 100%

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[@planzed.2]

Great comparison man, hope you’re well. It seems the 100% brass has less of those whistling frequencies & more of the frequencies we want, very cool, thanks!

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[@scottdavidson6066]

The ABM brass bridge rings out more to me, with more high-end harmonic content. I like it.

[@charlesb7831]

Funny I'm actually looking for a full Brass bridge and tail peice for my Epiphone. I sold my Les Paul because the Epiphone was all around better and I didn't worry about it as much, the Les paul was a Case Queen lol

[@asdaven1]

I didint hear much of a difference between brass and zinc saddles. The brass saddles mightve been slightly more dynamic but I dont know if worth changing. Those two were probably the least different from one another. The full brass bridge was the biggest difference. But I felt it sounded dark and really mushy. Brass works good as saddles and maybe bridge posts working with other metals. But big parts made of brass dont sound good . Thats why Telecasters dont use a brass bridge just brass saddles on a steel bridge. The tailpieces was the next smallest difference. I feel the Zinc might have more sustain and bottom end response. Whereas the aluminum has more upper end response. I feel the tailpiece material would make a lot bigger difference when the setup is a wraparound bridge not a tuneomatic setup. Something not mentioned hear but worth testing is the bridge post and tailpiece post material. In my experience switching the bridge posts to brass posts and/or brass wheels made the biggest difference for me more so than brass saddles or a different tailpiece. I love the aluminum or zinc tailpieces either way. But I settled down on Steel Tailpiece studs (for strength and sound) and Brass studs and or wheels for the tuneomatic bridge. Brass tailpiece studs sounded muddy. I think the original vintage setup was that....that is Steel tailpiece studs with brass tuneomatic bridge mounting studs and or wheels. Id be curious to see what a stainless steel or steel bridge would sound like....dunno if they make them. But Fender uses a lot of steel for bridges yet Gibson dosent. Zinc dosent sound good on Fenders in my experience but yet is fine on Gibsons. Dunno why. And some zinc components are actually vintage accurate in some cases going back.

[@Nowandthen-zen]

Kris craft, useful and informative ✌🏻🎸🎶

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[@GraniteSoundtrack]

Love you and your videos, but there was an insignificant difference with the fully bell brass saddles. That was all I heard. Nothing would come through a mix as far as I heard.

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[@herrjordan23]

Some tasteful playing in the intro!

[@KrisBarocsi]

Thanks so much! 🙏

[@tony_dms350]

I believe that you would find a bigger difference between an abr1 and a Nashville style bridge than from the bridge and tailpiece alone!

[@sickb2200]

I can only tell some very slight difference using the bridge pickup. Not worth the time and effort. The ONLY reason I would consider a bridge upgrade is for tuning stability.

[@kmichaelp4508]

Man! I could hear the difference out in my back yard!

[@KrisBarocsi]

It’s surprising, isn’t it? Cheers man!

[@Ace8Three]

There was some magic in brass saddles.

[@jeremiahfiek5495]

If you dont put brass posts and inserts the zinc or steel ones will cancel out a lot of the natural frequencies of that brass bridge. Example: drop a bare brass saddle on the ground... then thread a steel screw or set screw into it and drop it again. The brass ring is now dead and you get a thud

[@alegutierrezmusic]

Minor differences on high frequencies and sustain, I would spend the money on pickups instead.

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[@Mpcoluv]

I vote ABM Bell Brass bridge and the aluminum tailpiece

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[@bigbasil1908]

There's not much difference between the 3 bridges except that you are playing the guitar a bit differently on the bell brass bridge each time.