stonge Posted January 20 Share Posted January 20 back in the 2FIG days, I borrowed three sustainblock bridges (from NotSteve, NotChris, and Ken Keller lol) and the spacing (and saddle widths) didn't quite match between any of them. Sometimes I suspect the 'blueprints' were just sketches were drawn on the back of cocktail napkins lol. I think they were also built in batches between several different suppliers. I'd have to recheck the drill jig I built, but I think I used .385 string spacing and .375 wide saddles (standard bar stock width). according to the Seymour Duncan website (String Spacing Explained: Humbuckers vs Trembuckers) the pole-to-pole spacing (low E to high E) for Gibson pickups is about 1.930 inches (49mm) but the spacing on tremolo-equipped guitars is about 2.070 inches (52.6mm). Never thought about it, but slanting a Gibson humbucker would allow a polepiece under the high and low E strings until a wider spacing was created for humbuckers to cover tremolo-spaced bridges (Floyd-spacing). Magnetic fields don't end precisely above the polepieces so I don't suspect there's a terrible dropoff due to the misalignment between pickup and bridge, but some might consider it a visual problem as shown above. FWIW - John Mann's bridges are (imho) about the best compromise on spacing given the variations on the early Hamer sustainblock guitars; I also think the build quality is as good as or better than most of the original Hamer sustainblocks I've seen. There are two 79 Sunbursts and two 1980 Specials in the basement (including a skinny-necked Special iirc); I'll try to get some photos but I'm pretty sure there is a mix of aligned/"mis-aligned" polepieces. 7 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ua D Posted January 20 Author Share Posted January 20 (edited) The Mann bridge should be here Monday(damn ice storm slowing things down) so I’ll just be patient until then and pitch the neck correctly when it gets here. But it looks like a 2.5 degree angle will get me there. Edited January 20 by Ua D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cboss Posted January 20 Share Posted January 20 FWIW I cannot hear any audible difference between the sizes, but it can look pretty off, like the pictures posted above Eddie slanted his pickup to supposedly optimize this, but he also took a chainsaw to an Explorer so go figure 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cmatthes Posted January 21 Share Posted January 21 12 hours ago, Cboss said: Eddie slanted his pickup to supposedly optimize this, but he also took a chainsaw to an Explorer so go figure In all fairness, it was a Sabre Saw to an Ibanez Destroyer. 😉 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe G Posted January 23 Share Posted January 23 Mann bridge #001 of the run back to back to a 1981 Special (serial No 1 2939). It looks like a run of replacement "vintage" saddles at a narrower width would solve this. I am on the phone with John as I write this and he is doing a run of Hamer saddles right now. John said they will be $85 a set in nickel and $125 in gold. John is asking what width saddle would be best and how many. No need to pre-order, he will do a run this month shooting for March 1 availability. If there is interest, at some point he will do a run of narrow drilled baseplates. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kizanski Posted January 23 Share Posted January 23 1 minute ago, Joe G said: Mann bridge #001... Wow - that's a huge difference! I would bet that, aside from Hamer owners needing a replacement bridge for their twig-necked Special, the Mann bridge spacing is going to be what most people will want and need. 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cboss Posted January 23 Share Posted January 23 33 minutes ago, kizanski said: Wow - that's a huge difference! I would bet that, aside from Hamer owners needing a replacement bridge for their twig-necked Special, the Mann bridge spacing is going to be what most people will want and need. It will not be, unless they have an f-spaced pickup.. that will be way too big for anything normal spaced.. it will look like the OP's pictures above This guy seems to have such a great reputation, but was this produced on a Monday morning? Noticeably thinner as I marked, holes are off, Saddles are scrunched in there pointing out to the sides.. WTF Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kizanski Posted January 23 Share Posted January 23 44 minutes ago, Cboss said: It will not be, unless they have an f-spaced pickup.. that will be way too big for anything normal spaced.. it will look like the OP's pictures above This guy seems to have such a great reputation, but was this produced on a Monday morning? Noticeably thinner as I marked, holes are off, Saddles are scrunched in there pointing out to the sides.. WTF Pickup pole piece spacing is bullshit. The guitar needs to first be playable in your hands. The pole pieces will pick up the string vibrations. 2 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe G Posted January 23 Share Posted January 23 Mann bridge 001 compared to a 1980 Sunburst greenburst, with a large neck (serial No 0 1636 or 1638). 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hamerhead Posted January 23 Share Posted January 23 45 minutes ago, Cboss said: Noticeably thinner as I marked, holes are off, Saddles are scrunched in there pointing out to the sides.. WTF That is pretty much what you got from Hamer - a variety. It just depended on the day. John's are absolutely accurate and on par with what Hamer used. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kizanski Posted January 23 Share Posted January 23 2 minutes ago, Joe G said: Mann bridge 001 compared to a 1980 Sunburst greenburst, with a large neck (serial No 0 1636 or 1638). No way those are the original bridge saddles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HSB0531 Posted January 23 Share Posted January 23 (edited) Mann-o-Mann, what a mess! Looking at the 1980 GreenBurst, it looks like the saddle bolt hole spacing on the original bottom plate isn't wide enough for the saddles, and that's causing them to fan out. Edited January 23 by HSB0531 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe G Posted January 23 Share Posted January 23 47 minutes ago, Cboss said: It will not be, unless they have an f-spaced pickup.. that will be way too big for anything normal spaced.. it will look like the OP's pictures above This guy seems to have such a great reputation, but was this produced on a Monday morning? Noticeably thinner as I marked, holes are off, Saddles are scrunched in there pointing out to the sides.. WTF That's on me and my awful photography skills. I took the picture at an angle to try and remove a reflection of my hands and the camera. I also didn't notice that the bridges were not tight together in the shot. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hamerhead Posted January 23 Share Posted January 23 5 minutes ago, kizanski said: No way those are the original bridge saddles. I think they are, Mike. I've seen them before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kizanski Posted January 23 Share Posted January 23 16 minutes ago, hamerhead said: I think they are, Mike. I've seen them before. Ok, but they sure aren't the right ones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe G Posted January 23 Share Posted January 23 2 minutes ago, hamerhead said: I think they are, Mike. I've seen them before. I bought the Greenburst off of Ebay from BadgerDave a long time ago. To my knowledge, other than the era correct replacement reverse zebra neck pickup, (because the baseplate on the original pickup was stripped) and two holes in the neck pickup cavity of the body under the neck pickup where the original was direct-mounted to the body, the guitar is stock. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kizanski Posted January 23 Share Posted January 23 2 minutes ago, Joe G said: I bought the Greenburst off of Ebay from BadgerDave a long time ago. To my knowledge, other than the era correct replacement reverse zebra neck pickup, (because the baseplate on the original pickup was stripped) and two holes in the neck pickup cavity of the body under the neck pickup where the original was direct-mounted to the body, the guitar is stock. @BadgerDave? I don't know... That dude sounds sketchy. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HSB0531 Posted January 23 Share Posted January 23 2 minutes ago, kizanski said: @BadgerDave? I don't know... That dude sounds sketchy. I'll vouch for him. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe G Posted January 23 Share Posted January 23 Same bridge compared to a 1979 Sunburst single piece neck (serial # 9 0896). This one journeyed from Peter Fung to KurtL to the unmentionable banned one who loves KISS and then to me. Please forgive my lousy photography skills. LOL! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kizanski Posted January 23 Share Posted January 23 4 minutes ago, Joe G said: ...the unmentionable banned one who loves KISS... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BubbaVO Posted January 23 Share Posted January 23 Those Hamer saddles look like they need braces. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HSB0531 Posted January 23 Share Posted January 23 Somebody Please buy one of these! https://www.msi-viking.com/Mitutoyo_500-196-30_6-Inch_Absolute_Digital_Caliper 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cboss Posted January 23 Share Posted January 23 1 hour ago, kizanski said: Pickup pole piece spacing is bullshit. The guitar needs to first be playable in your hands. The pole pieces will pick up the string vibrations. Absolutely true.. really the only issue is Aesthetics Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cboss Posted January 23 Share Posted January 23 My 86 TLE 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JGale Posted January 23 Share Posted January 23 New Mannmade saddles in brass chrome black. Definitely softens up the attack with some increase in sustain. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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