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Post subject: Looking for block saddles for my AVRI Thinline...
Posted: Sat Dec 12, 2015 10:00 pm
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So I really like my Thinline Tele. It sounds great now that I have swapped the mediocre Fender humbuckers for Lollar's Regals, but I hate the stamped steel bridge saddles. I want to find replacement block bridge saddles that fit this bridge. This isn't a tone thing really-just a playability thing. Here are some pictures of my guitar, and some vintage ones for comparison.

ImageThinlines by Zachary J Drummond, on Flickr

As you can see the vintage Thinlines didn't include stamped steel saddles. I believe that those saddles were made from cast steel, or something. It would be cool if I could find correct reproductions of these, but I'm pretty sure no one makes them. I'm also convinced that the modern CNC block style saddle is a better design anyway. More mass means more energy transfer.

I'm looking for your opinions here. Anyone have any experience that can help me find what I'm looking for? I'm particularly interested in brass saddles, or nickel-plated saddles.


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Post subject: Re: Looking for block saddles for my AVRI Thinline...
Posted: Sun Dec 13, 2015 7:02 pm
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I think the original 70s Fender saddles were cast pot metal - I know that was one of the changes CBS/Fender made to the Strat bridge that people always complain about.

I wouldn't try to find the Fender units; I would look for some kind of milled steel saddles for the bridge - there are several types available from Allparts, Stew-Mac, etc.


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Post subject: Re: Looking for block saddles for my AVRI Thinline...
Posted: Mon Dec 14, 2015 8:33 am
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You probably will need to change the bridge, and not just the saddles.

Make sure that whatever you get, it has the spacing needed for the WRH pickups. A Callaham vintage hardtail bridge will work, while most other short tele bridges will be too narrow.
If going with Fender parts, you want a Strat hardtail bridge (without a trem hole), not a Tele one.

Be careful getting the right bridge, or you may have to fill/drill holes.


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Post subject: Re: Looking for block saddles for my AVRI Thinline...
Posted: Mon Dec 14, 2015 4:14 pm
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John C wrote:
I wouldn't try to find the Fender units; I would look for some kind of milled steel saddles for the bridge - there are several types available from Allparts, Stew-Mac, etc.


I agree with you. I want quality new parts. I only pointed out the difference to show that the bridge saddles I have aren't accurate (nor comfortable).

arth1 wrote:
You probably will need to change the bridge, and not just the saddles.

Make sure that whatever you get, it has the spacing needed for the WRH pickups. A Callaham vintage hardtail bridge will work, while most other short tele bridges will be too narrow.
If going with Fender parts, you want a Strat hardtail bridge (without a trem hole), not a Tele one.

Be careful getting the right bridge, or you may have to fill/drill holes.


Good info! Thank you!

Someone on another forum suggested saddles from Gotoh. They seem fantastic to my needs. Is it possible to use saddles from another manufacturer on my bridge plate? The Gotoh bridge plate will require drilling/filling.


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Post subject: Re: Looking for block saddles for my AVRI Thinline...
Posted: Mon Dec 14, 2015 9:42 pm
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Zach_Drummond wrote:
Is it possible to use saddles from another manufacturer on my bridge plate?

Possibly. It mostly depends on the intonation screw hole position. They can be at a different height or require different screw diameters, or even be offset to one side, so you have to check this out first.

Also, saddles can sometimes vibrate against each other, creating buzz or unwanted harmonics. I always recommend using a piece of dental floss to separate the saddles after each re-stringing/adjustment. This might not be possible if the saddles are slightly different in size from what the bridge spacing was made for.
And yes, the bent steel saddles from Fender are far from the best in this regard, but at least the edges can be filed/polished a tiny bit to fix this problem without chrome/nickel flaking off, unlike the "vintage" cheapie nickel-plated soft metal ones.
Can't say about the Gotohs, though, as I haven't tried them.

Let us know what you chose, and post pictures afterwards :)


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