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PostPosted: Tue Apr 10, 2018 7:20 pm 
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Brazilian Rosewood
Brazilian Rosewood

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Maybe I'm missing something, but...

The saddles on this bridge are pressure fit. In order to change intonation, all 6 need to come out and be reset, as if you can somehow get it all right at once.

Anyone ever seen anything like this?

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PostPosted: Tue Apr 10, 2018 9:19 pm 
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Brazilian Rosewood
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When I saw that I thought it was a Kahler which, in my opinion, is one of the most elegant bridges I've ever worked with. You can set height, intonation, even overall spacing and spacing between strings, adjust the tension to compensate for different string gauges and lock/unlock with a single set screw. Not to mention fine tuners that actually seemed to work. I was totally impressed by the one I installed

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PostPosted: Tue Apr 10, 2018 9:26 pm 
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Brazilian Rosewood
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I wish it were a kahler...


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PostPosted: Wed Apr 11, 2018 7:05 am 
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Koa
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I would love to have someone advise me of how to go about getting this bridge intonated and pitch stable, as I've run into it before and utterly failed to do anything beyond generating non-billable hours. Sold through and apparently tolerated by Amazon and Ebay.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/6-String-Headless-Guitar-Bridge-Tailpiece-with-Worm-Involved-String-Device-/162789606102

https://www.amazon.com/MonkeyJack-Tremolo-Tailpiece-Headless-Electric/dp/B077YYBF8N/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1523446007&sr=8-1&keywords=6+String+Roller+saddle+Tremolo+Bridge+Tailpiece+set+for+Headless+Guitar+Part

The one we saw on a $200 rip-off of a US guitar design was similar to the Steinberger TransTrem and the follow-on XS Trem, but the saddle adjustment and retention system was largely missing, and the trem spring was curtailed in length, resulting in loss of any sort of consistency in function. Perhaps the 'Special worm involved string device for bridge parts' mentioned in the computer generated ad copy (no doubt carefully crafted using 'borrowed' computer code) was something the thieves planned, but somehow forgot to implement.

We advised the owner of his misjudgement in purchasing the instrument, and suggested he dispose of it carefully to avoid having the local watershed polluted with the broken dreams and bitter tears of the underage laborers undoubtedly employed in its making. And no, I am not at all upset about the hours I spent messing with that instrument to no useful end...I just wish that - having chosen to steal a design - the thieves would have made a better job of it.

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PostPosted: Wed Apr 11, 2018 9:34 am 
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Koa
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I actually just did one of these. Stupid design.

All I ended up doing was removing all six, folding up some masking tape and wedging it in between the saddles to hold them in place. Put one string on at a time, using a little piece of wood to tap the intonation in (carefully) on each string. Working the intonation down the line one at a time. Once it was satisfactory, I tuned it up, pulled the tape "wedges" out and then locked it back in place.

The guitar in the OP looks like a Strandberg or something.


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PostPosted: Wed Apr 11, 2018 10:43 am 
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Brazilian Rosewood
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Woodie, that's the bridge alright. Cursed thing.

Dan, I looked closer and saw the little set screw pushing laterally again the group of saddles. Sadly, the Allen key is neither imperial or metric, as far as I can tell. I've tried two different sets of each key and neither will turn it. Go figure..l


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PostPosted: Wed Apr 11, 2018 10:43 am 
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Brazilian Rosewood
Brazilian Rosewood

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Guitar is a Starshine...


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PostPosted: Wed Apr 11, 2018 12:46 pm 
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Contributing Member
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Thanks for the heads up on this, probably saved everyone some evaluation time. For me, it's going to be a big "no thanks".

Sent from my SM-T350 using Tapatalk

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PostPosted: Wed Apr 11, 2018 1:55 pm 
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Brazilian Rosewood
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The fretwork needed attention, but overall for 300$ you can't expect too much. But a very silly design. I expect they have a factory setup tool that's not included. Super microphonic pickups, and not that great sounding overall. But, 300$...

But the beast is tamed.


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PostPosted: Thu Apr 12, 2018 6:51 am 
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Brazilian Rosewood
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That is why all locking trems cost more than twice as much to set up as a fixed bridge guitars in my shop.

There are quite a few cheap (and some not so cheap) bridges trem and fixed that use this same adjustment arrangement. Only way I know to do the is loosen the lock screw just a wee bit and tap the around with a hammer and a dowel until they are correct....... Not really any more of a PITA than an original floyd R

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PostPosted: Thu Apr 12, 2018 9:27 am 
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Brazilian Rosewood
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The annoying part was trying to move just the one I was trying to move, without moving the ones either side...


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PostPosted: Thu Apr 12, 2018 10:21 am 
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Brazilian Rosewood
Brazilian Rosewood

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Woodie G wrote:
I just wish that - having chosen to steal a design - the thieves would have made a better job of it.


Woodie my friend,
There is no honor among thieves... ;) ;).

Their goal was to come up with something cheap and easy to make which *looks* externally similar to a quality well engineered product... Their goal is *not* to invest hours and hours into engineering development to make their knockoff design work properly... Because by then - they have already moved on to the next poorly knocked off unit... ;). At least it's not for the vast majority of these.... Often as not - they have no actual idea of how it's supposed to work or what it does on an instrument.. And certainly don't understand "The Secret Sauce"....

It's kinda like trying to use cheap knockoff chisels... They look like chisels... The package says "Wood Chisel Set"... They claim to be compliant to the relevant DIN or ANSI spec... Made of "Tool Steel"'or whatnot... Checking the metal shows it is nominally at the "correct" hardness... And yet the edge rolls over when it touches wood...

You missed it by this much.. Yes - it "meets" the specifications.. It just does not actually do the ONE thing it is supposed to do...


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