Guitar Gear Forum

I have this HS strat here that has a vintage style Wilkinson bridge with stamped saddles. I didn't like the way those saddles felt under my hand, so I bought a set of stainless steel "block" modern style saddles.
I put them on the bridge today and I swear the guitar sounds different. It's smoother and less.... strat-like? But I didn't record it before and after to do an exact A/B comparison so it's possible that I am hearing things. Can a change this small affect not only the tone, but also the attack and feel of the guitar?

I don't know if I like it better. On one hand, it's closer to my Gibsons now. Definitely smoother and warmer. On the other hand, I like the Fender "clank" I was getting and it seems that it lost a lot of it. But then again, maybe it's in my head? Because I've played Am Std strat with this type of saddles and didn't notice anything, but I also didn't have a reference point to compare.

What do you guys think?

There is definitely something to this. I believe it’s also part of the reason Fender went back to this style of saddle while retaining other positives of modern tremolos.

I think EndTime has a similar opinion. Old school saddles= old school tone

I'm not too surprised..... different metal and mass on a contact point of the strings, only makes sense it would resonate differently

Yeah if you are talking bent steel saddles compared to the blocks, there is 100% a difference and at this point “Strat tone” is Whatver you like. But bent steel being the old school saddle is definitely the way to a more pure Strat tone. There’s a few companies making saddles the “true old school” way. Raw Vintage comes to mind. And a few others that are slipping my mind. I’m not sure what was on the Wilkenson but say Current Fender saddles I can’t get along with. They are just too quirky and inconsistent. But when I upgraded them to what I think k was the Raw Vintage ones, then all was good. And I work on a ton of Strats. The bent steel is just quirky. Maybe I haven’t mastered em, but there is only so much I can really do. Cause sometimes they are just buzzy, lack sustain and just don’t sound great. But sometimes, it’s like, Ahh that’s the tone.,, Took me a little while I hear it but those saddles are something unique to the Strat.

But again, my this point there are prolly more who like block saddles, or at least equal…. So it’s Whatver you like in the end

Next thing you know, you'll start swapping grille cloths in your cabs and rename this place TGP.

But honestly, I think it's legit. Might be similar to bone nut or brass nut vs factory plastic. Just enough of a difference to be worth it.

Callaham also does a solid replacement saddle for Strats. I bought some for my MIM Strat and they still retain that Strat snap and tone.

My question is did you also change strings at the same time? Yes every part of the guitar can change tone but you really need to compare same strings either new or used to know what changed the tone.

Mike Oxhuge wrote:My question is did you also change strings at the same time? Yes every part of the guitar can change tone but you really need to compare same strings either new or used to know what changed the tone.

Same set of strings. I have locking tuners so it was easy to unlock them, change the saddles and put them back in. The strings were changed on Monday so I didn't want to change them again after only 4 days

greatmutah wrote:Callaham also does a solid replacement saddle for Strats. I bought some for my MIM Strat and they still retain that Strat snap and tone.

Yeah man I really want to try Callahan hardware now that I'm playing strats more frequently.

Callahan stuff is the shit. Also like I said, every part of the guitar contributes to the tone. I don't care what dickbag YouTubers say. Lol.

I think saddles def have a meaningful impact on tone

All my saddles are solid steel...
All I can say is that, a lightweight aluminum tail piece changed my tone dramatically. So much so, that I had to take it off after only 30 seconds of playing!

Saddles have a massive impact on tone.

More expensive doesn’t always sound better fwiw. The cheesiness of typical fender hardware is a HUGE portion of the signature fender sound.

I am a believer in the saddle type and material. I also am a big believer in fretboard wood impacting the tone too.

Cole

colejustesen wrote:I am a believer in the saddle type and material. I also am a big believer in fretboard wood impacting the tone too.

Cole

Same. Rosewood and Maple boarded Fenders have a different response. You can compensate for each, but if you are looking for a certain tone its better to choose one over the other. It might be damn near in the range of a dog whistle, but I notice it.

Bent steel saddles are a big part of that early strat tone. My Xotic came with the Raw Vintage saddles (since they are from the same company) and they are great. I ended up putting some of the saddles on other guitars and have been impressed with the improvements on the other guitars. It turned my son's cheap Sterling Silo 30 into a much better-sounding guitar and has the added benefit of not cutting your hand open anymore.

I just wanna add that I have that Wilkinson trem with the old school style saddles on my Fret-King and it blows me away how well that trem stays in tune

Heath wrote:Bent steel saddles are a big part of that early strat tone. My Xotic came with the Raw Vintage saddles (since they are from the same company) and they are great. I ended up putting some of the saddles on other guitars and have been impressed with the improvements on the other guitars. It turned my son's cheap Sterling Silo 30 into a much better-sounding guitar and has the added benefit of not cutting your hand open anymore.

Your Xotic guitar is so freaking great, and the fact that you won it is even cooler! I didn't realize they made their own saddles. I generally prefer the solid style saddles, but I am going to check out these and see what I think. Thanks for the info!

Cole

colejustesen wrote:Your Xotic guitar is so freaking great, and the fact that you won it is even cooler! I didn't realize they made their own saddles. I generally prefer the solid style saddles, but I am going to check out these and see what I think. Thanks for the info!

The Xotic is absolutely a beast of a guitar. It plays beautifully and between the roasted neck and factory plek setup, it is scary stable. After I found the pickups I preferred for it (Dimarzio Area 67s in neck and middle and a Kinman Heavy Kick in the Arse in the bridge), it is pretty close to perfect.

The Raw Vintage saddles or pretty much any quality bent steel saddles should feel more jangly than solid steel saddles, graphtech, or brass. Whether or not that is your cup of tea is going to be completely subjective. I am currently trying to find a black 4-hole vintage mount tele bridge with 6 saddles that I can replace with the Raw Vintage ones for my tele. Tired of fighting the microphonic ashtray bridge. May end up going with a Babicz just to see if they live up to the hype.

Heath wrote:

colejustesen wrote:Your Xotic guitar is so freaking great, and the fact that you won it is even cooler! I didn't realize they made their own saddles. I generally prefer the solid style saddles, but I am going to check out these and see what I think. Thanks for the info!

The Xotic is absolutely a beast of a guitar. It plays beautifully and between the roasted neck and factory plek setup, it is scary stable. After I found the pickups I preferred for it (Dimarzio Area 67s in neck and middle and a Kinman Heavy Kick in the Arse in the bridge), it is pretty close to perfect.

The Raw Vintage saddles or pretty much any quality bent steel saddles should feel more jangly than solid steel saddles, graphtech, or brass. Whether or not that is your cup of tea is going to be completely subjective. I am currently trying to find a black 4-hole vintage mount tele bridge with 6 saddles that I can replace with the Raw Vintage ones for my tele. Tired of fighting the microphonic ashtray bridge. May end up going with a Babicz just to see if they live up to the hype.

Babicz makes great stuff. I have only used their Tele bridges, but you should know that they use aluminum for the plate. This does a great job with EFI, but some pickups don't play nice with it as it can cause eddy currents that will actually introduce more feedback. I have personally come to love ABM hardware out of Germany. They use brass for their plates, not die-cast, but milled from a solid piece of brass. They do offer aluminum too, but I can't remember if they do this for their Tele bridges. I think I might have a Babicz bridge that I ordered, that didn't up fitting the guitar I was going to put it on. If it is a 4 hole, and I can find it, I will let you know. I would have no problem just sending it to you.

Cole

Def not crazy. Reminds me of modern Tele saddles vs brass barrel saddles.

colejustesen wrote:Babicz makes great stuff. I have only used their Tele bridges, but you should know that they use aluminum for the plate. This does a great job with EFI, but some pickups don't play nice with it as it can cause eddy currents that will actually introduce more feedback.

That is good to know. I use a Dimarzio Chopper T in the bridge. I refinished this Warmoth tele from a solid color with white grain filler to a dye-based finish a few months back. It never gave issue before with the Wilkinson ashtray bridge, but it now screams with microphonic feedback with even the slightest amount of gain. I guess the thinner finish is causing it to be more resonant. I currently have every cavity in the guitar shoved full of foam trying to help.

colejustesen wrote:I have personally come to love ABM hardware out of Germany. They use brass for their plates, not die-cast, but milled from a solid piece of brass.

I am not familiar with them, but will look them up. I am always looking for good parts.

colejustesen wrote:I think I might have a Babicz bridge that I ordered, that didn't up fitting the guitar I was going to put it on. If it is a 4 hole, and I can find it, I will let you know. I would have no problem just sending it to you.

That is really nice of you to offer. If it is a 4-hole bridge, just let me know how much you want for it.

Telephant wrote:Def not crazy. Reminds me of modern Tele saddles vs brass barrel saddles.

My fave is vintage steel threaded barrel. I like the iffy intonation. Gives it character.

The brass sounds mellow compared to the snap of steel. The threading keeps the string in the a good spot.

Heath wrote:

colejustesen wrote:Babicz makes great stuff. I have only used their Tele bridges, but you should know that they use aluminum for the plate. This does a great job with EFI, but some pickups don't play nice with it as it can cause eddy currents that will actually introduce more feedback.

That is good to know. I use a Dimarzio Chopper T in the bridge. I refinished this Warmoth tele from a solid color with white grain filler to a dye-based finish a few months back. It never gave issue before with the Wilkinson ashtray bridge, but it now screams with microphonic feedback with even the slightest amount of gain. I guess the thinner finish is causing it to be more resonant. I currently have every cavity in the guitar shoved full of foam trying to help.

colejustesen wrote:I have personally come to love ABM hardware out of Germany. They use brass for their plates, not die-cast, but milled from a solid piece of brass.

I am not familiar with them, but will look them up. I am always looking for good parts.

colejustesen wrote:I think I might have a Babicz bridge that I ordered, that didn't up fitting the guitar I was going to put it on. If it is a 4 hole, and I can find it, I will let you know. I would have no problem just sending it to you.

That is really nice of you to offer. If it is a 4-hole bridge, just let me know how much you want for it.

The image didn't show for me... Do you also have the cavity lined AND grounded with shielding? That could also probably help.

Cole

The image was just a picture of the guitar. The cavities are shielded with the conductive paint and test good to ground on the multimeter. It's been a real head scratcher for me.