PSA: New Babicz FCH Full Contact Hardware Gold Tune-O-Matic Bridge - Original Series - $100

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tobijohn
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I came across this on another guitar site. I don't know anything about them and it's going to be a while before I spend $100 on a bridge/tailpiece but a deal is a deal and this is definitely one of them:

https://reverb.com/item/6419609-new-bab ... _82BdmmHBU

But who knows, maybe after i do a little research I will buy a $100 bridge/tailpiece...
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Whew, gold only. If they had it in chrome I'd be very tempted.
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RiverDog wrote: Fri Jun 04, 2021 1:56 pm Whew, gold only. If they had it in chrome I'd be very tempted.
https://reverb.com/item/6419566-new-bab ... price-drop
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tobijohn
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I'm not sure why $10 would make a difference to me but it does. Now I'm tempted. The only thing that's saving me is that the Agiles I was considering for an upgrade all have nickel hardware. Another $10-15 lower though and I'm done for...
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tobijohn wrote: Sat Jun 05, 2021 10:16 pm
I'm not sure why $10 would make a difference to me but it does. Now I'm tempted. The only thing that's saving me is that the Agiles I was considering for an upgrade all have nickel hardware. Another $10-15 lower though and I'm done for...
You would have to buy new tuners and pickguard bracket and pickups, we all know how you like mismatched hardware color :D
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tobijohn
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ID10t wrote: Sat Jun 05, 2021 11:31 pm
You would have to buy new tuners and pickguard bracket and pickups, we all know how you like mismatched hardware color :D
Exactly! At the very least, I'd have to swap everything from an Agile with chrome hardware and I've got enough projects already in the pipeline...
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Ok, it is somewhat more complicated than other T.O.M.'s I've seen.
But what makes it special (as in worth that much more money?)
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tobijohn
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mickey wrote: Sun Jun 06, 2021 1:42 pm Ok, it is somewhat more complicated than other T.O.M.'s I've seen.
But what makes it special (as in worth that much more money?)
From the few reviews I've read and watching the install video, the sustain is noticeably improved and the individual string height can be adjusted.

What I'd love to see is a reasonably priced TOM bridge that allowed for side to side adjustment. I've got a couple guitars where either the neck is just slightly off center or the bridge anchors were drilled slightly off center so the gap between the E strings and the edge of the fretboard at the last fret is greater/lesser than at the first. There is a bridge already out there that allows for side to side adjustment but it costs more than the guitar did. The only reasonably simple workaround for this that i can think of is to get a set of blank saddles and cut the grooves to compensate...
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A luthier would fill the (bridge/tailpiece) holes and redrill them.
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tobijohn
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mickey wrote: Sun Jun 06, 2021 2:44 pm A luthier would fill the (bridge/tailpiece) holes and redrill them.
Yes, I know but that's something outside of my current skill set plus the cost of that would be more than the value of the guitars. Anyway, it isn't so great that it affects the playability, in fact I suppose it might be an advantage if you like bending strings as the high E is closer to the edge than the low E and you're pushing the string away.

Actually, if i ever sell it, maybe I'll claim that I had it intentionally done for that very purpose...:)
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But that is how you improve your current skill set!
Without risking anything of value. :D
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Lacking Talent wrote: Sat Jun 05, 2021 9:45 pm
RiverDog wrote: Fri Jun 04, 2021 1:56 pm Whew, gold only. If they had it in chrome I'd be very tempted.
https://reverb.com/item/6419566-new-bab ... price-drop
Great, thanks for the GAS! :lol: :shock:
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I'm with @mickey. You should do it, mang!
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tobijohn
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Mossman wrote: Tue Jun 08, 2021 11:29 pm I'm with @mickey. You should do it, mang!
I'm dangerously close to the edge as well...
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tobijohn wrote:
mickey wrote: Sun Jun 06, 2021 1:42 pm Ok, it is somewhat more complicated than other T.O.M.'s I've seen.
But what makes it special (as in worth that much more money?)
From the few reviews I've read and watching the install video, the sustain is noticeably improved and the individual string height can be adjusted.

What I'd love to see is a reasonably priced TOM bridge that allowed for side to side adjustment. I've got a couple guitars where either the neck is just slightly off center or the bridge anchors were drilled slightly off center so the gap between the E strings and the edge of the fretboard at the last fret is greater/lesser than at the first. There is a bridge already out there that allows for side to side adjustment but it costs more than the guitar did. The only reasonably simple workaround for this that i can think of is to get a set of blank saddles and cut the grooves to compensate...
Maybe look for a used Schaller.

https://reverb.com/item/1606199-schalle ... -1999-gold
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tobijohn
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honyock wrote: Wed Jun 09, 2021 3:32 pm
Maybe look for a used Schaller.

https://reverb.com/item/1606199-schalle ... -1999-gold
Thanks, something like that would be perfect but I'm not sure if that exact one would be compatible with a metric import guitar...
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tobijohn wrote:
honyock wrote: Wed Jun 09, 2021 3:32 pm
Maybe look for a used Schaller.

https://reverb.com/item/1606199-schalle ... -1999-gold
Thanks, something like that would be perfect but I'm not sure if that exact one would be compatible with a metric import guitar...
https://www.btnmusic.co.uk/product/scha ... -studs-m8/

Just what the doctor ordered.
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honyock wrote: Wed Jun 09, 2021 5:17 pm

Just what the doctor ordered.
I knew I'd seen something like that before. The problem is that with the cost of those and the bridge, I'm at close to $100 (I'm not that much in love with a Davidson LP). Stew-Mac has blank saddles for Gibson SAE bridges but I haven't been able to find any blank metric ones. They have to be out there somewhere though...

EDIT: I just remembered, I have a tap and die set with both SAE and metric so maybe the problem is solved (assuming the Gibson saddles fit in a metric bridge saddle groove). Still, I would have preferred a cheap remove and replace solution...
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tobijohn wrote:
honyock wrote: Wed Jun 09, 2021 5:17 pm

Just what the doctor ordered.
I knew I'd seen something like that before. The problem is that with the cost of those and the bridge, I'm at close to $100 (I'm not that much in love with a Davidson LP). Stew-Mac has blank saddles for Gibson SAE bridges but I haven't been able to find any blank metric ones. They have to be out there somewhere though...

EDIT: I just remembered, I have a tap and die set with both SAE and metric so maybe the problem is solved (assuming the Gibson saddles fit in a metric bridge saddle groove). Still, I would have preferred a cheap remove and replace solution...
Yeah, probably better off buying blank bridges from GFS at $23

https://www.guitarfetish.com/XGP-Import ... _5926.html
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honyock wrote: Wed Jun 09, 2021 8:07 pm Yeah, probably better off buying blank bridges from GFS at $23

https://www.guitarfetish.com/XGP-Import ... _5926.html
Thanks, that's exactly what I'm looking for and with the whole assembly, I don't have to mess around getting those damn saddle adjustment screw e-clips on and off. The gold one is currently out of stock but I put myself on the notification list.
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tobijohn wrote:
honyock wrote: Wed Jun 09, 2021 8:07 pm Yeah, probably better off buying blank bridges from GFS at $23

https://www.guitarfetish.com/XGP-Import ... _5926.html
Thanks, that's exactly what I'm looking for and with the whole assembly, I don't have to mess around getting those damn saddle adjustment screw e-clips on and off. The gold one is currently out of stock but I put myself on the notification list.
Yeah, those are the bane of my existence.

I've gotten quite good at filling and drilling the bushings. I have done it on right handed guitars that I wanted to be lefties and I'll be doing it on my Mustang so I can swap out the grabby Tune o Matic for a Mustang style bridge with adjustable saddles.
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honyock wrote: Thu Jun 10, 2021 12:24 pm
I've gotten quite good at filling and drilling the bushings. I have done it on right handed guitars that I wanted to be lefties and I'll be doing it on my Mustang so I can swap out the grabby Tune o Matic for a Mustang style bridge with adjustable saddles.
Incidentally, my b-stock MS-60 got here a few days ago. Where are you getting the Mustang style bridge from?
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tobijohn wrote:
honyock wrote: Thu Jun 10, 2021 12:24 pm
I've gotten quite good at filling and drilling the bushings. I have done it on right handed guitars that I wanted to be lefties and I'll be doing it on my Mustang so I can swap out the grabby Tune o Matic for a Mustang style bridge with adjustable saddles.
Incidentally, my b-stock MS-60 got here a few gays ago. Where are you getting the Mustang style bridge from?
I've had mine for a long time, I bought it for the 1st right Mustang I had, actually bought 2 and used the saddles on my SJM (post size was not exactly the same as the SJM so I couldn't do a drop in replacement) They are all pretty similar.



The adjustable saddles were nicer for the SJM with the flatter radius. I replaced the threaded saddles for these style because I was having issues with the strings moving around before I put some 13s on it.

I haven't looked what the radius is on the H-B neck to see if the fixed radius of the true Mustang saddles would work of not

Oddly the new Mustang has flush mounted bushings so that the TOM can be lowered enough to get decent action. However, the H-B TOM bridge is so rattle-y and the studs are just so loose. I have stripped the body bare and will be working on the retrofit this weekend. I also found some cheap 2P3T switches on Amazon so I am going to do some rewiring as well. Not sure if it will just be the on/off/on where you can pick in phase or out of phase. I might try something different like a 2P3T setup bridge/both/neck in phase for the one switch then maybe keep the 2P2T and make it a series/parallel for the other since in phase/out of phase isn't as desirable to me.
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I confess that I am perhaps unreasonably annoyed by the giant Babicz logo on the tailpiece. Now I'm wondering if you could build a guitar where every possible piece had the manufacturer's name on it: Babicz tailpiece, Seymour Duncan pickups, Grover tuning machines...I haven't seen any be-logo-ed nuts, but I'm sure they're out there.
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