Roller Bridge Install

Darren Wright

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Springfield, Missouri
I found that the Oscar Schmidt LP copy I bought a few weeks back had the intonation off slightly. I set it the best I could, but ran out of room on the factory bridge. So I found another bridge that had some additional room for adjustment. It's a Wilkinson Roller Bridge, which as the name implies, has rollers to prevent the hang-up of the wound wires during tuning. There were several good reviews on it, so decided to get one. I got it tonight and thought I'd tackle the install.

First I lined up the new saddles to the approximate positions of the old ones.
2014-02-10 20.46.58.jpg

I noticed was the posts were different sizes, which meant that I had to pull the factory ones out and replace them with the ones that came with it. After much pondering I decided to dive in.
2014-02-10 20.44.57.jpg

Using the wedge I keep by the door and a claw hammer, they actually came out quite easily and the new ones were of the same diameter.
2014-02-10 20.45.11.jpg2014-02-10 20.45.44.jpg

Unfortunately the pin centers between the old and new bridge were about 1 mm off. I was able to squeeze it on, by setting the height of the pins where I needed them, then squeezing the bridge on to them. I'm quite happy with the results, have plenty of room to adjust the intonation now too.
2014-02-10 21.30.55.jpg
 
Looks good, Darren. :thumb: Did you also replace the strings after installing the new bridge? You should, because the old bridge put crimps in the strings that will potentially throw off the intonation with the new bridge. (In other words, don't bother spending much time adjusting the intonation until you put a new set of strings on.) Strings are expendables like sandpaper. When I was playing 4 hours a night/6 nights a week, I'd change strings on my main guitar every two days, and about weekly on my secondary guitar.

I'm partway through an upgrade on another inexpensive guitar myself. I've got a low-mileage Indonesian-made "Blazer Series" BC Rich Mockingbird that hadn't been out of the case in over a decade until a couple of nights ago. I paid about $200 new for it back in the late '90s. Cheap, but very playable neck. With about $100 worth up upgrades and a bit of adjustment, it should play and sound like a $500 or $600 guitar. Just last night I put new tuners on it, and I'll probably end up replacing the pickups and pots, too.
 
Thanks all

Looks good, Darren. :thumb: Did you also replace the strings after installing the new bridge? You should, because the old bridge put crimps in the strings that will potentially throw off the intonation with the new bridge. (In other words, don't bother spending much time adjusting the intonation until you put a new set of strings on.) Strings are expendables like sandpaper. When I was playing 4 hours a night/6 nights a week, I'd change strings on my main guitar every two days, and about weekly on my secondary guitar.

I'm partway through an upgrade on another inexpensive guitar myself. I've got a low-mileage Indonesian-made "Blazer Series" BC Rich Mockingbird that hadn't been out of the case in over a decade until a couple of nights ago. I paid about $200 new for it back in the late '90s. Cheap, but very playable neck. With about $100 worth up upgrades and a bit of adjustment, it should play and sound like a $500 or $600 guitar. Just last night I put new tuners on it, and I'll probably end up replacing the pickups and pots, too.

I haven't yet, been using the old ones to set the string height, but will be. I'm considering ordering the graptech nut for it too while I'm doing this.

So what pickups and pots have you been using?

Geeze...I couldn't find either of these tools on StewMac

I'm thinking about filing a provisional patent on them along with the setup I use for removing the knobs. ;)

guitarknobpuller.jpg

I've also got a proprietary guitar tuner system, though I'm trying to work out keeping the scratches off the neck still.
5320707590_2aef803442_z.jpg
 
I love your auto-tuner. :thumb:

...So what pickups and pots have you been using?...

I just ordered these. Replacing the really cheap pickups with only slightly less cheap ones. I've got a pair of these in my Oscar Schmidt ES-335 knockoff, and I've been very pleased with them:

http://www.dragonfireguitars.com/Vintage-Buckers-Pickup-Set-Your-Choice-of-Colors-2115.htm

I also ordered a pair of these pots:

http://www.dragonfireguitars.com/Push-Pull-Pot-20030.htm

And this toggle switch:

http://www.dragonfireguitars.com/LP-Toggle-Switch-Chrome-Your-Choice-of-Tip-Color-2049.htm

The Mockingbird I'm putting all of this in currently has a single volume and single tone. I'm going to wire it with separate volumes for each pickup and no tone pots. (I never, ever have my tone knobs on anything other than wide open, so why bother?) I'll be able to switch to single coil on each pickup independently by pulling up on the volume knob for that pickup. Should be a pretty versatile setup.

The guitar in question...

White%20Mockingbird%20Cropped%20800.jpg
 
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