Hi All,

i am sure that if I hunt around the forum I probably will find the answer to this, however, your help will be much appreciated.

just before Christmas I purchased a 70's strat, it was an absolute bargin and i picked it up from the fellas house so if it wasnt 'real' I know where I would be going. I have varified the neck as a 1977 and the body is definatly 1977 - 79, (the date is hard to make out) it was hand painted !!! a most discusting blue but after wading through 4 colours the original wood finish came through, the electrics are definatly 1978 - 80 (all serial numbers work out), I have had to scource pickguard, pup covers, VTT etc as the ones on the guitar were destroyed with some sort of cleaner !! now comes the bit that I am so not sure of ....

The bridge (trem) was a nickel colour, one piece and as heavy as you like, there was no serial or markings visable but when i scratched a small area away it looked like brass/goldish !!! anyway, my problem is the saddles look like they are too squashed up and the strings sit ok in the middle but go towards the adjusting screws on the ends, both E's and A & B, all a bit weird, now this has been the set up on the guitar since at least the 80's as varified by the fella (when he got it), I now want a more asthetic look and I am going to replace either the saddles or the bridge or I suppose both.

I would like to know the exact measurements for a 1977 strat ie; saddle width, string spacing ect, I have read so much on the internet I am getting really confused (easily done) also people what should I be looking for to replace them.

a lot to ask I know but this guitar sounds so sweet and I want to start giggin it asap ...

regards

UJ

I wouldn't be in too big a hurry to replace the bridge. Sounds like it's the short lived one piece cast one Fender used in the '70s. They are rare and apparently increase the sustain and bass response. They were dropped because they tended to wear out. They normally had a serial number on the bottom of the block, 010347.

Hi steve, Thanks for the reply

yes I was thinking the same and prob just replace the saddles with slightly thinner ones. I have looked for the serial number but I think, and only think mind you, that this was possibly gold hardware !! weather this was done later on or came pleated I have no idea but it is obvious that the nickel plating was done in before the fella brought it in the 80's, I would then assume that the serial would be under the plating somewhere and that could be two lots, gold & Nickel.
Would you know the width of 1977 saddles !! as im thinking of putting 60's re-issue ones on which are thinner.

Regards

UJ

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"To Infinity & Beyond"

All,

I can post a few pics if someone tells me how to do it onto here !!

Regards

UJ

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"To Infinity & Beyond"

Thanks mike for the upload advice so, Hopefully a few pics to see what I mean


By thebiguj at 2012-01-04


By thebiguj at 2012-01-04


By thebiguj at 2012-01-04

Regards

UJ

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"To Infinity & Beyond"

For whatever reason, it appears someone has used the original 1970's bridge saddles on a non-factory original bridge! Your intonation screw holes are not right for the current string saddles, so they are kinda fanned-out, causing your strings to not lay in proper line across the saddles tops I'd buy a whole new bridge! Well, not NEW, lol, but a stock 1970's bridge Also, the pivot screws (should be 6 of them) dont all look right. You have 3 originals, but the others look like pop-rivets !!!! Get some real screws in there while you are at it

Steve,

The rivets (lol) are actually scres with a allen key top !! I do have the originals but they were loose in the holes, I was intending to put some wood fill in the holes and then re use the originals .... do look like pop rivets now you mention it ....

So what you think is that the bridge is not original stock !! interesting ... as of my original post this is one almighty single lump that has been in the guitar since the 80's, I guess someone was happy with the look !! would you think a 70's re issue would fit ? as an original replacement may be a few quid . . OR do you think I should change the saddles to suit !!!

Regards

UJ

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"To Infinity & Beyond"

Definately something not kosher about it! The string and spring holes positioning is different to the genuine article. This is what you third pic should look like, the underside of the genuine Fender 1970s cast trem/block. Note part number and casting marks.

Steve,

Yes I definatly agree that this is not the genuine article, it has been suggested to me that it is a replacement brass one, and someone from here messaged me this :

http://www.eddievegas.com/store/details ... Bridge.php

It's definatly the one but mine has been nickel plated afterwards !! now the obvious has shown itself, the saddles from the one above are 'fender' stamped and so slightly thinner than mine which would then match up with the holes !!! They are advertising this one as a 70's block but show fender saddles !! did they ever have them in the 70's ? the plot thickens .... I contacted the fella I brought it from to ask about the bridge as he originally said that he had not changed it, he informs me that it possibly did get this 'upgrade' when it went in for a overhaul in the 90's ... I think he would remember, anyway did you notice the price of this block !!!!

Regards

UJ

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"To Infinity & Beyond"

It is possible that the brass block was an "upgrade" option. Although the original one piece was excellent for sustain & bass response it was made from a dense alloy and apparently did wear with heavy use, not sure how tho?

"Although the original one piece was excellent for sustain & bass response it was made from a dense alloy and apparently did wear with heavy use, not sure how tho?"

The '70s 1-piece bridges were made from cast zinc ("Zamac" alloy), similar to the zinc trem blocks used on Mexican Strats. I've never heard claims that the '70s bridges improved sustain and bass response -- they're more often called tone-suckers.

Zinc's a weak metal that cracks fairly easily. If you over-tighten the mounting screws and then try to use the trem, the corners of the bridgeplate can crack off. The spring holes on the block can crack while adding/removing springs if you stick the end of the spring into the hole and then pull up too far on the spring while trying to get the other end hooked onto the claw anchor. And steel trem arms can easily strip the block's threads if you overtighten the arm (or wear out just from long term use).

Healthy old 70's bridges are valuable because so many broke or were thrown away when the owner's upgraded to steel or brass bridges. The only reason anyone takes an upgrade bridge off of a '70s Strats and replaces it with a 1-piece zinc bridge is for "historical correctness". Having original-spec parts increases value as a collectable even though it's a functional/tonal downgrade.

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"It's definatly the one but mine has been nickel plated afterwards !!"

That Schecter brass bridge is nothing like the thing that's currently installed in your guitar. The shape of the block, the location of the string & spring holes, the closed-bottom trem-arm hole vs the open-bottom trem-arm hole on yours. The Schecter bridges were 2-pieces just like most Strat trems -- the block is attached to the bridgeplate with 3 screws (and the strings/screws were "vintage spaced" not narrow spaced like your current bridge).

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Some '70s Strats with the cast bridges sound great. No one can argue with Trower's "Bridge of Sighs" tone. But he's always said he had to try dozens of '70s Strats to find a single good sounding one. In most cases, you'll get better results with a steel or brass bridge.

If you want your guitar to be a player rather than a collector's piece, I'd go for a Fender American Vintage Reissue bridge, or a Callaham, or a GFS, or any other "US spec"/"vintage spec" 6-screw bridge rather than trying to find an original cast-zinc bridge.

That comment came from the guy who built Blackmore's Strats in the '70s.

Thanks all for your replies and patience

this bridge thing is still confusing and I suppose that there were/are many replacement/upgrade bridges out there so although this appears to be one of the upgrades, it's been on the guitar for many years, originally brass and the tone is great.

I have measured the bridge on the strat and it is just under 2 7/32 but just over 2 3/16 !! I am going to take the advice from strayedstrater and replace the whole bridge and look out for a USA vintage reissue on ebay .... sorry for sounding a bit stupid but do I just replace the bridge and keep the original saddles which are 7/16th (11mm) wide or the whole lot !!

now I have the bridge thing sorted I am going to ebay some of the other parts to finance the replacement.

The VTT (whitish) from the original set up are different colours !! the tones are a dirty creamy colour and the volume is a more white dirt colour, I have noticed with other auction items from strat dealers that there is sometimes colour descrepinces !! is this possible or has the Volume been replaced at some time, I don't want to mislead anyone ? the pickup covers are totally cream coloured on the tops and half way down where they change to more white where they have been under the pickguard ..

Regards

UJ

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"To Infinity & Beyond"

I hope the 6 trem mounting holes haven't been messed with (in order to get that replacement trem mounted).

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Member #26797
My other guitar is a Strat.

Here's the bridge on my '78 if that helps.

hmmmh, needs a clean.