A Guitar And Gear Support Forum

On the old forum there was a detailed discussion of some drop in tuners to replace the stock Firefly tuners. I seem to recall there was also a recommendation for a bridge replacement. After a year of playing the snot out of this thing, I figure she's earned an upgrade or two for putting up with me.

Can anyone point me in the right direction?

Mike

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I put Wilkinson tuners on mine, don't remember if they were ebay or stratosphere. I dont see any extra holes so they must have lined up. Bridge was from Amazon, direct fit, i can get you the name once i log on and go through my purchase history.

Thanks

I found these on eBay for $26 delivered being sold by Stratosphere. Are these the ones?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/143667886824


I'm guessing they have to make a positive difference in the FF's ability to hold tune?

How's the nut?

Even if well cut, a denser material will beef the tone

I used Hipshot on one, and Guyker on another for tuners. The Hipshots worked with the plates, but make sure if you use them, you get the longer shaft tuners, that way there is enough grab on the threads. The Guykers were a direct fit. As for the bridge, thanks to [mention]tobijohn[/mention] and others, I use the Wilkinson roller bridges on almost all of my TOM style guitars. They work well, but a little filing of the post slots helps with ease of adjustment.

i put some crappy cheap chinese lockers off amazon on mine. they don't feel that much smoother than the stock ones but they do lock and hold tune fine. i could probably track down which ones if you care, if i remember they were like $15 or maybe a little less. not much of a reward for a year of faithful service, honestly. lol

PsychoCid wrote: ↑Wed Aug 05, 2020 11:30 pm How's the nut?

Even if well cut, a denser material will beef the tone

nut's bone and cut ok, at least on mine. along with tuners, bridge was a real weak spot.

For the bridge I used a Kmise BM-06 Locking Tune-o-matic Guitar Bridge Roller thru Amazon.

For the tuners I used the Wilkinson 6 InLine EZ-LOK Locking TUNERS 19:1 Mini Chrome thru Stratosphere.

The bridge from Amazon is now $19

Metallor Tune-O-Matic Electric Guitar Bridge for SG Les Paul LP Style Guitar Parts Replacement Chrome.

All very helpful guys...keep 'em coming.

I especially appreciate the specific model suggestions on the tuners and roller bridges as I'm fairly new to the lingo and don't want to order the wrong ones and have to deal with returns.

As for a general budget, I'm willing to put about $75 into the Firefly to improve it overall. I've definitely already gotten my $139 delivered out of her, and she has "good bones" as they say.

My FF has a bone nut as well and it seems okay, but if there's something better, I'm open to suggestions.

I've been playing it with 10's, but plan to try 9's for my next set. I realize this question is fraught with potential for disagreement, but are Elixrs worth the money?

Mike

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I put some basic wilkinson tuners on mine and the thing doesn't stay in tune. I've not used these before. I'm thinking the nut sucks.

I had a tun o matic bridge floating around so I used that.

My tuners have been ok. Not great, but it stays in tune. Mine had a buzz that wouldn’t go away. Replaced the bridge with this, $15.99 on Amazon, and have had no problem.


Metallor Tune-O-Matic Electric Guitar Bridge for SG Les Paul LP Style Guitar Parts Replacement Chrome.

I have 2 of those FF338s. My Gold one is amazing. Looks and plays great. Replaced the bridge and knobs and nothing more. Plays great, stays in tune, sounds awesome.
My black FF338 got a new bridge, new tuners, new knobs, new electronics and Buddha Humbuckers. Sounds and plays great, just not as good as the gold one.
Still for the price, can't go wrong. However, I doubt I'll be buying more of them.

I put these on my Grote which is another cheap chinese 335. Drop in no exposed holes no ream nothing. I picked because Amazon Prime in case I needed to return.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07MQ ... UTF8&psc=1

Just ordered a set of those -- which as far as I can tell are the same Jin Ho tuners that Reverend uses on all its guitars, and are also marketed under the Wilkinson brand -- yesterday, coincidentally! Great minds, and all that, I suppose.

Got another set of locking Guykers for a different project, too...

Guykers are on the way Thanks!

Is the Wilkinson Roller Bridge a superior product to the Metallor TOM mentioned above? Both can be had for about $20.

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exonerv wrote: ↑Sat Sep 19, 2020 7:48 am Guykers are on the way Thanks!

Is the Wilkinson Roller Bridge a superior product to the Metallor TOM mentioned above? Both can be had for about $20.

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I haven't used the Metallor bridge, but it looks like a drop-in replacement Nashville-style (no retaining wire) with the same type of adjustment and non-roller saddles as a normal TOM. I'm certain it'll be better than the junk bridge on the Firefly. The Wilkinson bridge has roller saddles and you adjust them by loosening a locking screw and pushing them to where you need them to be. They can be tricky to get exactly where you need/want them, but I've found they have extra travel, plus you have the added bonus of slotted post holes for even more adjustment if needed.

I first used one on an Epiphone SG Special that seems to have had the bridge post holes drilled too far forward, and I could never get it intonated. I used the Wilkinson bridge, with it adjusted all the way back on the posts, and had plenty of travel for the saddles for intonation. This, with the added "softer" feel of the bridge while palm muting, and the better tuning stability that I found, keeps me believing that the Wilkinson bridge is a good buy, at least for me.

I can't see the purpose of a roller bridge if there's no tremolo? Chinese do not use the word "tolerance" when they make anything and a few things i have seen with rollers are so sloppy. Wilkinson branded stuff has been ok but i can bet a lot of that is fake wilkinson, i have already seen fake Grovers.

mozz wrote: ↑Sat Sep 19, 2020 11:47 am I can't see the purpose of a roller bridge if there's no tremolo?

Because I'm lefthanded, I just flip the replacement TOM bridge so the saddle adjustment screws are facing the stop bar (ala Gibson)as t his saves me the trouble of reversing the order of the saddles to match the string gauge. I've been tempted to use roller bridges because it's easier to adjust from the front. However, I've heard that this can theoretically introduce an element of intonation instability in a traditional TOM because you don't want the strings sliding back and forth over the saddles...