The Point of Roller Bridges & Why I Put One on My Epiphone Guitar

I recently installed a Northwest Guitars branded Roller bridge on my Epiphone G400; replacing the Tonepros hardware I had on there before.
/ thebadmotivator

[@sfcmp7005]

This video reminded me of when I got one of these, and put it on my Epiphone Les Paul Classic. I was hoping it would allow the strings better movement over the saddles. I figured being rollers had to work. What I found that was absolutely amazing, was that I put the bridge on, and boom! It intonated first try! No adjustment needed at all, for any of the strings! I'm sure I was very lucky, but either way, I'll take it. Thanks for posting this video! I just bought another one, that I'm going to put on my 335. I am having some difficulty with it, and I'm hoping this will resolve it like it did the other.

[@JohnSmith-xl9bo]

The notch in a regular bridge can diminish the resonance of the string. The Roller Bridge allows a fuller resonance to take place enhancing sound and tone.

[@BadMotivator66]

could well be! i'd not thought of that. thanks for watching!

[@JohnSmith-xl9bo]

Sure great vid! :)

[@kennyh5083]

Rollar Bridges are good on trem equipt guitars otherwise a soft rounded top saddled bridges are best.@@BadMotivator66

[@marcwolff1921]

If you want a greater range of intonation on your tonepros bridge, just turn the saddle around

[@quantum_net219]

Same with the standard TOM bridges. This, and also make sure to lower the action, either through the bridge or truss rod, that will make the string go less sharp on the upper frets.

[@RockStarOscarStern634]

It actually reminds me of another neat Gizmo, the Zero Glide nut which is basically a newer version of the Zero Fret System where the Zero Fret is now attached to the nut.

[@2dazetake]

Got to make sure you lube the rollers, the unwound strings will just slide over the roller if not lubed,try not to get the lube on the roller, where the string sits, just the shaft,SGs some come with a Nashville bridge, and the adjustment screws go towards the back of the guitar, the saddles are turned 180 on a Nashville bridge, that's why they need to face the rear,a lot of people don't realize that, you can also use a little piece of shielding tape on the bottom of the thumb wheel shaft, to tighten up a loose post.

[@sebsefyu]

Thanks for posting this. I bought roller bridge and have yet to install it on LP but it seems like a great choice for the bridge anyway

[@bestplans9051]

You'l love it Sebastian! I added one to my EPI LP and it's made all the difference in the world. Makes the strings easier to bend also and sustain (even bending) is much much better!

[@RockG.o.d]

with the abr 1 tune o'matic bridge, if you can't move the saddle for that one string back further, then you can turn it round, and that may give you just the right amount of new distance needed. now will continue watching the video.

[@rofflestomp684]

I recently put roller sattles on my hollow body that had some minor tuning issues even after filing the original Tune-o-matic Bridge sattles to remove sharpe edges and burrs. So much better now! The sustain is noticeably improved as well. I removed the rollers and their bearing shafts, then dipped them in bicycle chain Wet Lube. Awesome result! My Starcaster is next. From here in Philadelphia, Happy Coronation Day!

[@RockStarOscarStern634]

The Roller Bridges also help the strings last longer by having them turn the Wheels

[@danielvalles9554]

Regarding the saddle being slammed all the way to the back.. You should be able to remove the screw and flip it around and you'll have a slightly extended range... Or, you just need to flip the entire bridge and have it facing the other way around.

[@Factory_Muff]

So I’m just rediscovering my first guitar that I’ve abandoned at my moms house over 20 years ago. It’s a 1993 Epiphone Les Paul Standard that was from the Made in Korea days before they started making them in China. It has that annoying sharp break angle and remember having some problems with it before I stopped playing it so long ago. So hopefully this will work on the Korean Epiphone as well.

[@BadMotivator66]

yes it will fit!

[@jmch6359]

This told me what I needed to know. Cheers, mate -

[@BadMotivator66]

glad it helped :) thanks for watching

[@marsattacks7071]

Note : these grooves over each saddle are ONLY a mark from where you have to file for each string diameter accordingly... The depths of each groove goes like this : for the plain strings, the diameter of the strings have to be inside the grooves. For the other winded strings, half of each string has to be outside the grooves. These grooves have to be filed with the right files (kit for nut files) so the strings won't rattle. You can, of course, file each one a few thousands of mils (inches) larger to avoid strings getting caught in the grooves. The best way to do that is to ask a luthier to do a fine adjustment : saddle flings, string actions, intonation of course and radii of the the bridge all at the same time. BUT ! I agree with you. If a bridge with rollers works well (for string breaks and tuning stability when bending), it's great !

[@BadMotivator66]

thanks for watching! :)

[@ronthunders6124]

I don't understand why roller bridges and nuts and string trees aren't the standard on all modern electric guitars. I just don't get it. They solve all the godamn fuckina annoying bullishly that these "vintage" style guitars have.

[@BadMotivator66]

simply cos it's not vintage! haha

[@RobotShlomo]

There's a story about how a guy was watching his wife make a roast for dinner, and he said "why do you cut the ends off it?". She says "That's the way my mother did it". So she asks her mom why she cut the ends off the roast, and her mom says "That's the way I saw your grandmother do it". So she asks grandma why she cuts the ends off the roast, and grandma says "That's how I got the roast to fit in the pan". Point being, the guitar companies just do things now because that's the way they've always done them, and nobody wants them to change even though roller bridges are better. "We've done it this way. We've always done it this way. And we'll keep doing it this way".

[@RoboRocker69]

What a stupid family. :)

[@TommeP]

Some say that you dont have that much sustain on a roller bridge

[@RaiynStorm]

Some people don't know what they're talking about. Don't knock it until you try it.

[@randymiles904]

I have this bridge on a few of my guitars, and I love them. Good intonation, and bends, and vibratos are crazy good.

[@MrLeomejia]

Today one that I bought in AliExpress arrived... I'm planning upgrading a generic Flying V that i have, I didn't know all the advantages it had, I liked the system simply because of the appearance, thaks! helped a lot

[@BadMotivator66]

thanks for watching!

[@RavenMadd9]

thank you brother...gonna try that.....have same intonation problem with my gotoh

[@garrynathan8478]

Hi I bought 2 roller bridges from Northwest Guitars for my Epiphone Wilshire, the first was a straight the same drop in but found there was a little play between the posts and holes of the bridge and so I bought the chunky roller bridge with locking small grub / allen key, way to go IMO, no play everything tight and locking. I sprayed a small amount of white lithium grease in all the areas of contact, eases everything up, much happier with upgrade.

[@youflatbro7498]

BOOM! PLANK!!! LOL Made my night. Thanks for the video.

[@BadMotivator66]

thanks for watching! :)

[@tonefingerz2021]

so i raised my stop bar with the screw adjusters to get a slinkier feel supposedly and i had to raise the action a smidge to keep it the same height cuz the break angle relaxed when i raised it. i really like how it feels. thx r the vid. little things give me new inspiration. im really curios of the roller bridge now as well.

[@raymondvaughan6262]

Love roller bridges on leverson blade guitars which used for years come as standard on the rh2 and rh4 brilliant things

[@Nicklowend]

I have the same problem with G string, and was looking for a bridge that solves this. Thanks man!!

[@BadMotivator66]

thanks for watching! :)

[@monmixer]

Tune-o-matic roller bridge is pretty decent for 20 bucks. Great value for the money,. There are only so many ways to make a roller bridge and a lot of them suck because they are a pain in the ass to intonate, Especially if those allen screws are right under the strings.

[@Wargasm644]

Get a Schaller, you can align the rollers individually

[@bestplans9051]

DId the same and added a new Tuniq nut to my Epi Les Paul, HUGE DIFFERENCE! Much better tone, longer sustain and tuning is way better.

[@dbrown6451]

Sir, you have to file the saddles. Thats why your strings popped out. Those are just markers to start your filing centered on saddle.

[@BadMotivator66]

aaah lol! well the bridge post holes were drilled off-centre anyway

[@Techead78]

I think your treble strings are off because the bridge is set perpendicular to the strings. A traditional TOM has some angle. The angle narrors the string spacing and shifts all the strings toward the treble side. I have this very same bridge and have seen this issue. It's a great bridge with great adjustiblity... a lot of adjustiblity.

[@BadMotivator66]

i compared it with it's brown counterpart (should have been made identically) and the bridge alignment was definitely off. and on the brown one the tailpiece was routed off-centre. I ended up trading this guitar because i just couldn't get it to play right! thanks for watching :)

[@Some_retard]

My D string always breaks first and broke in just 2 days recently, so I've ordered one of these. I'm hoping it works. I've had issues with the sharp edges cutting into my hand while palm muting as well, didn't factor that in as a reason to buy it, but it's a good bonus

[@BadMotivator66]

it sounds like this bridge could fix those issues! thanks for watching

[@FF-so3su]

👍Good video, no bull, well done👍🙂

[@BadMotivator66]

thanks for watching :)

[@tonefingerz2021]

cool. i lowered my stop bar back all the way down. even with same pickup height it just didnt have that tone i love. plus i have a 11 thru 52 set and i guess it needs more tension. i liked the more slinky but for how aggressive i attack i need a stiffer string. i goota try that roller bridge. i got a epi LP 6 months ago and have nt touched guitars that cost more then twice as much. i want to but it pulls me to it. its a unreal guitar 500 buks for plus top pro pickups amazing and fretboard looks like a sheet of glass when u look down it from the back. but i still wanna try a gibson to see what the difference is. ive never tried one

[@BadMotivator66]

glad you're happy with your epi! the gibson standard LPs i've tried havn't really buzzed me. didn't feel special and sounded muddy. didn't resonate too well or play very nice. (sorry for late reply. notifications went weird!). Yeah string tension does definitely affect the sound

[@lillehammerexperimental]

Hey thanks for the video... which model bridge and tailpiece is it please? Cheers!

[@BadMotivator66]

hey! i can't remember but the bridge is from northwestguitars. wilkinson also make one 'in this style' in the same factory, so i hear

[@tjforgey7854]

Your bridge should be slightly slanted to aid in intonation.thats why your strings don't line up on the pups.

[@BadMotivator66]

yep i missed that detail at the time haha i'd not thought about it before

[@rainshadowband3161]

Have a Gibson SG with a Vibrola. It was embarrassing that Gibson would price these guitars so expensive when the stupid thing couldn't stay in tune. Threw on locking tuners and a rolling bridge. Now it's a normal guitar (as far as staying in tune). That's how I learned the ABR-1 Bridge is just trash. Love the nitro finish over the Epiphone's paint job, but both sound the same after set up with same PUPs.

[@BadMotivator66]

it's not a bad bridge, i think it's a manufacturing thing. perhaps the routing wasn't quite right or the wood moves in the climate

[@thomascelentano433]

I could you were English by the thumbnail. I don't know how. Anyway thanks for the video, Helped me decide what to do on my new Les Paul.

[@BadMotivator66]

glad to help! haha

[@alex1982maple]

Can anyone help point me to some resources on adjusting the intonation on the style of bridge?

[@shmeet]

_______________Why didn't you just reverse the saddles like you did for the G string on the roller bridge?

[@BadMotivator66]

in the end, i think i did! lol

[@alphanumeric1529]

You're supposed to file V's into the saddles, mate.

[@dodgyaz]

I noticed your bridge is parallel to the stop bar. My Epi SG and all others I have seen are angled. I am guessing thats why you couldnt intonate the G with the saddle in the stock position?

[@BadMotivator66]

yeah very good point! the bridge is routed off-centre. the strings are closer to the fretboard edge one side than the other

[@the_nondrive_side]

It seems to be a function of the set screws that hold it in place. The strings cross over the screws on the pick-ups... The neck is the first place it's obviously out... This a set neck or.. when you're holding it up and "it's a plank.." you can see the posts and that you've essentially installed the thing wrong causing the string offset... Go adjust the damn thing properly and check it out. Oh and you needed to flip the G because of that.

[@BadMotivator66]

i ended up trading that guitar haha :) that was the only way the bridge would fit on the guitar. it did slot in as it's meant to. definitely off-centre bridge route i think. i've had routing issues with a few of the epis i've owned

[@the_nondrive_side]

You keep stating something that's not likely a fact.. the bridge was mounted wrong and that angle would bring the strings to alignment. Thus... Not off center. You mounted it completely wrong.

[@zipchtkdn7804]

If you put a graph tech nut on there take that junk off that's on there it'll fix that bottom E string

[@BadMotivator66]

nope- it turned out the bridge posts were actually routed off-centre!! on the brown g400 i had the tailpiece is routed a little off-centre too. i hope modern epiphones are made to a far higher standard!

[@BenjaminKanarek]

Did the original poles for the tune-o-matic bridge fit the new roller bridge?

[@BadMotivator66]

no it came with it's own special ones

[@HassHeater33]

I have the same roller bridge and it won’t fit on a epiphone Flying V

[@unicornpoo7441]

How so? Did you happen to buy Gibson posts instead of Epiphone posts?

[@HassHeater33]

Unicorn Poo not sure what u mean, the bridge comes with posts and I used those.

[@unicornpoo7441]

Well there's 2 versions, one with thin posts/bushings and one with thicker epiphone style posts/bushings. I thought perhaps you may have used the thinner ones. Or didn't it fit in another way?

[@allrockzcarlo]

I wish you did before and after sound difference of the tune o magic bridge , uhmm by the way thanks for this video I change my mind upgrading my ibanez as73 bridge to roller bridge

[@BadMotivator66]

it's more a preference and style thing than an imperative, i think. if you have tuning issues or the saddles are rough on your hand, then rollers make sense. each to their own. thanks for watching :)

[@allrockzcarlo]

Bad Motivator you mean there's no difference on the sounds?

[@tonefingerz2021]

it looks like it may have more versatile palm muting areas

[@Leel7077]

Nice setup! Do you have issues with bendinf though?

[@BadMotivator66]

Hi, nope this doesn't cause any issues with bending. thanks for watching :)

[@benjamincardenas4219]

bought a roller bridge for an epihone sg, it came with the right hardware but it still doesnt fit, the eyelets of the bridge dont match up with the pins, what do I do now?

[@BadMotivator66]

hi! yeah i had that as well it was really confusing. the bridge goes on sorta wonky. one post 'at the front' and the other 'at the back of the little eyelets either side'. i can't remember offhand which way it fits, but i think it only fit one particular way, and i had no issues intonating it after that. hope that helps!

[@benjamincardenas4219]

Yes it did finally fall in place, using old post, the bridge was super cold from being outside in mail box in sub freezing Michigan temps perhaps it shrunk a tad until room temp. Works great now. Thanks

[@BadMotivator66]

glad it all worked out for ya :)

[@harcourtmudd]

Moving out of Michigan will fix a lot of things... :)

[@matrixmodulator]

i was wondering after a while, do they still roll easy or gets stuck with time?

[@BadMotivator66]

they were fine. the issue was that the bridge posts holes weren't drilled centered

[@ismgon8337]

Can you adjust each saddle individually?

[@BadMotivator66]

Yes

[@tonefingerz2021]

so a wilkeson roller bridge will fit on an epi LP

[@BadMotivator66]

you would have to check with wilkinson. all i know is this is made in the same factory :/

[@bestplans9051]

I got mine from StewMac Tone and it fit perfectly. Didn't even have to remove the bridge pins.

[@nmssis]

did the roller bridge make string bending easier?

[@BadMotivator66]

no it didn't really affect the bending, but i do think the roller saddles help with tuning stability. and the biger bridge gives more room to move the saddles to intonate. thanks for watching :)

[@nmssis]

great, thanks for sharing

[@tonefingerz2021]

also how is palm muting

[@BadMotivator66]

muting is fine! bigger flat bridge so no sharp bits like on a normal one

[@trillrifaxegrindor4411]

on the tone pro or any other tune-a-matic you just turn the fucking saddle around the opposite way,wow some guys just dont know shit do they?

[@BadMotivator66]

the tonepros was too flat radiused so i found i was getting choking on higher frets whatever i did!

[@trillrifaxegrindor4411]

sorry for the anger,you just needed a little help with an experienced setup guy. the tone pros is a much better bridge imo

[@BadMotivator66]

i've been setting up my own guitars for a long time now :) i suspect as the tonepros i bought was 2nd hand off a schecter guitar, it may have been the wrong model or something. either way the bridge and fretboard weren't playing ball and when i put the old bridge back, the choking disappeared again!

[@100truckyou]

You look like Michael Padget from Bullet for my Valentine.

[@BadMotivator66]

umm thanks? haha i was big into scream aim fire when that album came out!

[@100truckyou]

@@BadMotivator66 Still my favorite album by them.

[@guitarist0210]

Bruv your g string saddle that far back there's a problem with the guitar, it shouldn't have to go that far back!! Change your nut out, recut, see where your at, your g should be above your d,

[@BadMotivator66]

hi! yep i think the bridge was routed off centre. i could never get the darn thing intonated nicely. I ended up trading it for a tanglewood les paul. thanks for watching!

[@guitarist0210]

Bad Motivator yeah no problem!!! I'm actually a certified master luthier here in the u.s., went to musicians institute and was working in fender custom shop for a while B4 I decided to move back east to be with family, still custom make my own brand but I have a lot of knowledge to share!!

[@guitarist0210]

Not motavator** darn auto correct lol but I'm sure you get it, great vid and good info for those just learning or self taught on what's going on with hardware on a guitar