If not an original Sustain Block bridge, what?

[MarkF786 25]

1 hour ago, MannMade USA said:

If you are using a stoptail bridge... check out mine - MannMade #2310 - https://guitarvaultusa.rainadmin.com/shop/c/p/MannMade-USA-Intonatable-Stoptail-Bridge---Gibson-x42807340.htm

 

Nice looking wraparound!  The only caveat in my Tally Pro (with "PROTOTYPE" as the serial number) has the stud placement a little off, rendering many adjustable wraparounds unusable because there isn't enough saddle travel.  The Pigtail worked the best, though I did have to reverse all the saddles so they weren't push all the way back.  Note on the Pigtail how the saddle slots go behind where the studs meet the bridge.

[MarkF786 25]

3 hours ago, cynic said:

The Mann bridge was made to Hamer spec.  I can't imagine much difference at all in the quality of materials used as neither company was/is known to skimp in that area.  The one (only?) difference is the original Tally bridge will have the grooves for the saddle adjustment screws to travel in while the Mann, being modeled after an earlier version of the Sustain Block, will not.  As the Mann was built to spec and not as an alternative option (such as your Pigtail adjustable), in terms of overall appearance, performance, adjustability, string spacing, materials, and reliability (based on Mann's stellar hardware reputation) you should expect zero difference between the two.

Is the Hamer Sustain Block also made from brass?

[cynic 6,505]

4 hours ago, MannMade USA said:

You got lucky... those were NOT supposed to be on sale! 

Oopsie.....sorry about that Mann.  I wasn't trying to get over on ya.  I just saw the email, got excited, and hit the button.

I'll just keep my mouth shut and appreciate the discount.  First round is on me.

[gtrdaddy 8,618]

3 hours ago, MarkF786 said:

though I did have to reverse all the saddles so they weren't push all the way back.

You do realize there are Allen screws on both sides of the bridge so you can move the entire bridge, either side independently, forwards and backwards so that you can avoid reversing the saddles?

[MarkF786 25]

18 minutes ago, gtrdaddy said:

You do realize there are Allen screws on both sides of the bridge so you can move the entire bridge, either side independently, forwards and backwards so that you can avoid reversing the saddles?

I knew there'd be someone questioning what I'm saying.

I've been working on guitars for 25 years and can setup a guitar better than most boutique builders.  I'm obsessive about it actually, have many books on the topic, have every imaginable tool Stew Mac makes, and know how to use them.  And I'm an engineer by trade, meticulous in detail.

The f'ing Allen screws are adjusted - look at the picture.  I've worked at this endless ways over two years, even precisely measuring the stud placement and comparing it to boatloads of guides on building guitars, and getting second opinions from builders - and the stud placement is wrong.  I've tried nearly 10 bridges that either wouldn't work, or required extreme adjustments. I'll see if I can find a picture with the factory bridge to show how "off" it was; it was pushed back so far with the Allen screws, it looked ready to fall off.  Maybe this is why it's a "PROTOTYPE".  With all that tried, the current state is the best I could come up with.

If you truly understand guitar setup and want to know more, PMing me and I'll share all the details.

[MarkF786 25]

P.S.  It's a matter of balance.  I don't want the bridge pushed too bar back on the studs; I rather want it in the middle.  I don't want the saddles too far back; I rather want them in the middle.  Sure, it's possible to take either to an extreme, with the other compensating.  If you spent the years, with the many bridges tried, I did on this particular problem, you'd know what I mean.

[MarkF786 25]

And take the MannMade wraparound bridge, mentally map it onto the pictured guitar (where the saddles sit in relation to the studs), and see how far you'd have to turn those Allen screws to make the saddles align with where they'd need to be (if you hope to keep the saddles roughly in the middle).  Since I've tried this exercise (with actual bridges) many times, I can already see that to make it work, the bridge would have to be pushed so far back, the Allen screws probably aren't long enough. 

See what I mean?

Maybe Mr. Mann has the eye to see what I see.  I'd be willing to bet $100 that with that MannMade wraparound, the saddles on the E and G string would be 100% back, and even then the bridge would be pushed a little too far back.  But the problem is with my Tally Pro, not his bridge.

Edited March 13, 2020 by MarkF786

[Travis 3,767]

10 hours ago, MarkF786 said:

 

 

Please do let us know how it compares.

 

Looks to be super high quality

[Travis 3,767]

Got mine today!!!  Looks amazing and a little surprised at the heft of it. Thanks, John @MannMade USA

Now... about that trem I’ve got in my shopping cart... 🤔

[gtrdaddy 8,618]

5 hours ago, MarkF786 said:

I've been working on guitars for 25 years and can setup a guitar better than most boutique builders.  I'm obsessive about it actually, have many books on the topic, have every imaginable tool Stew Mac makes, and know how to use them.  And I'm an engineer by trade, meticulous in detail.

5 hours ago, MarkF786 said:

The f'ing Allen screws are adjusted - look at the picture.

5 hours ago, MarkF786 said:

If you truly understand guitar setup and want to know more, PMing me and I'll share all the details.

Firstly, no one here is a mind reader. I'm far from the only one on this board who looked at your picture and can easily see there is a lot more adjustment travel available on that bridge before it will fall off. If it's aesthetics you don't like, we aren't mind readers; it doesn't change the fact that you can still make a hell of a lot more of an adjustment on it so you don't need to flip your saddles. 

Secondly, you want to curse at me for making a helpful suggestion?

Thirdly, condescension, braggadocious and childish behavior have no place on this board. If you knew who you were talking to, and who other members on this board are, you would feel pretty stupid at this point.

Lastly, YOU, know NOTHING of me, you have big stupid fucking balls.

DR DWEP

 

 

Edited March 14, 2020 by gtrdaddy

[MarkF786 25]

26 minutes ago, gtrdaddy said:

Firstly, no one here is a mind reader. I'm far from the only one on this board who looked at your picture and can easily see there is a lot more adjustment travel available on that bridge before it will fall off. If it's aesthetics you don't like, we aren't mind readers; it doesn't change the fact that you can still make a hell of a lot more of an adjustment on it so you don't need to flip your saddles. 

Secondly, you want to curse at me for making a helpful suggestion?

Thirdly, condescension, braggadocious and childish behavior have no place on this board. If you knew who your were talking to, and who other members on this board are, you would feel pretty stupid at this point.

Lastly, YOU, know NOTHING of me, you have big stupid fucking balls.

DR DWEP

 

 

Dr Dwep,

Flip those saddles in your mind and see how far back they'd need to sit.  Then imagine if you wanted to give them a little room to adjust intonation, which will push the bridge back further.  And how well will that bridge now sit without forward lean?  And so on.  Been there, done that.  Over time, I learned to look at the position of the furtherest back saddles in relation to the center of the studs - and from that I can quickly gauge how well a bridge will work (and the MannMade wraparound won't work). Many bridges have failed to work, to teach me that hard lesson.

Online, people often assume they know better (on whatever topic it may be).  As I posted my comment, I thought to myself, "I know someone is going to try to say I'm wrong" and you were with first to take a swing.

There's no more condescension or anything else beyond what was in your original message.

Mark

Edited March 13, 2020 by MarkF786

[cynic 6,505]

7 minutes ago, MarkF786 said:

"I know someone is going to try to say I'm wrong"

You may be able to work on a guitar, but your reading comprehension sucks.  

[gtrdaddy 8,618]

11 minutes ago, MarkF786 said:

you were with first to take a swing.

There's no more condescension or anything else beyond what was in your original message.

Mark

Original message; nothing more than a helpful suggestion to a majority of people reading it:

2 hours ago, gtrdaddy said:

You do realize there are Allen screws on both sides of the bridge so you can move the entire bridge, either side independently, forwards and backwards so that you can avoid reversing the saddles?

You Son, are a choad.

 

Edited March 13, 2020 by gtrdaddy

[MarkF786 25]

Do you realize, that I realize, that there are Allen screws on both sides of the bridge?  And on it goes... I've just shortcut the debate.

I tend to be confrontational, to quickly get to the point.  Sorry for the abrasion.

[gtrdaddy 8,618]

5 minutes ago, MarkF786 said:

Do you realize, that I realize, that there are Allen screws on both sides of the bridge?  And on it goes... I've just shortcut the debate.

I tend to be confrontational, to quickly get to the point.  Sorry for the abrasion.

Apology accepted. 

Going forward, try to remember this isn't The Rear Page.

[MarkF786 25]

And I guess it comes from experience, of politely engaging in dialog, where 20+ posts later there's still a debate around the topic, rather than directly assertion the facts.

My point it, my original comment was well founded, on years of effort.

One thing I learnt in my career: starting any new job, my boss would my question my statements, like they would any employee.  In time, they'd learn I'd never make a statement unless I've thorough researched it to be true; my word then became gospel.  That basic principle has fueled my career to great success; if I state an "opinion", it's 99% accurate.

I don't say this to pat myself on the back, but rather to say we should all seek to only make a statement if we're very confident in what we say.

[gtrdaddy 8,618]

OMG.

[MarkF786 25]

LOL.  It's been a rough week, preparing a very large company to deal with COVID-19.  I'm probably more abrasive than usual, being forced to exert that level of energy to get things done.

This banter here is supposed to be fun.  I guess that's a fail.

Edited March 13, 2020 by MarkF786

[MarkF786 25]

1 hour ago, Travis said:

Looks to be super high quality

Great pics, Travis.  How does it compare with the stock bridge?  Anything worth noting?

[Travis 3,767]

4 minutes ago, MarkF786 said:

Great pics, Travis.  How does it compare with the stock bridge?  Anything worth noting?

I like the coloring of the nickel plating on the Mann bridge better. Guess the stock talladega bridge is chrome. I’m a little colorblind so I never would’ve been able to tell without seeing them side by side or waiting a few years for them to corrode/tarnish. 
 

personally, I LOVE natural tarnish on nickel. Pitting on cheap metal I do not...

 

was a little surprised at the weight of the Mann bridge. Really looking forward to getting it installed on something. Altho that won’t be soon since I don’t have any current projects going. I’m anticipating this bridge adding a lot of brightness due to the mass of the brass I have a feeling it’s going to go into something with a whole lot of mahogany to balance it out. 

[0054 2,625]

Got mine today, excellent packaging!!!

 

[RobB 5,814]

50 minutes ago, gtrdaddy said:

OMG.

Priceless! Maybe he and Spidey can form a band?

[0054 2,625]

1 hour ago, MarkF786 said:

if we're very confident in what we say.

I think we may be very confident!

[Travis 3,767]

11 hours ago, MannMade USA said:

You got lucky... those were NOT supposed to be on sale! 
Since these are a limited run, the sale price should not have applied. 

Since it went thru, I will honor it.

The sale ends Sunday at midnight, and is valid for any in stock item  (guitars, amps, parts & accessories)

Is there a code to enter for the 20% off?

i was trying to order a trem that appears to be in stock and I’m not seeing any sale price applied. I can call tomorrow if it’s not going thru online. 

[hamerhead 16,299]

That looks great!

And John's packaging is waaay nicer than having them suck 'n' sealed on cardboard.