metallisomething Posted July 21, 2004 Report Share Posted July 21, 2004 Im looking a STEWMAC for tune o matic bridges and i notice they have one thats $17.11http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Bridges,_tailp...s_Bushings.html and the Tone Pros that are $64.00 http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Bridges,_tailp...r_Hardware.html my question is, whats the difference? both are identical in terms of dimensions and specs. are the Tone pros really worth the extra money? and one more thing, the saddles are slotted, is each saddle slotted for each string or are the all the same, the reason being I'm left handed and will be flipping it around. besides that and the location of the saddle adjustments, are there any other problems with flipping the bridge around? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darren wilson Posted July 21, 2004 Report Share Posted July 21, 2004 I'm pretty sure that TonePros bridges are just OEM Tune-O-Matic bridges which they drill and tap for the little set screws that lock them against the posts. I don't think they're custom-fabricating them from scratch. (Though i could be 100% wrong.) They're perhaps a little pricey, but you're paying for their research & development, marketing and tooling to get up and running to make enough of them for some of the OEM deals they've got going now. Nobody else makes them, so you kind of have to pay what the market will bear, and currently, it seems that people are willing to pay the asking price. Is it worth it? Well, i wouldn't want to try to make one myself and likely waste a few perfectly good bridges trying to get the drilling and tapping done right. So for me, yeah... probably worth it. I wouldn't buy one from StewMac. WD carries TonePros parts now, and rhoads56 here is a WD reseller, so he can get you a deal. Whether it makes a big difference to the guitar itself, i'll let you know soon... i've got a 7-string TonePros on order from WD through rhoads56, and i'm just waiting for it to ship. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnsilver Posted July 22, 2004 Report Share Posted July 22, 2004 Darren, I think you are right about the Tone Pros being OEM equipment that has been drilled and tapped to provide their features. I ordered one from StewMac and it came in TonePros packaging but the bridge was clearly stamped underneath as Gotoh. Someone else on this site thought that Schaller was also supplying TOM bridges to TonePros. Wish I would have known about the possibility of getting the bridge through Rhoads56. I bought 3 of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
litchfield Posted July 22, 2004 Report Share Posted July 22, 2004 Paying more than $50 for a tome pros is a ripoff. I love them, but dont let em rip ya off. Even Ed Roman sells em for $50 (Not open to ed slamming now) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guitman32 Posted July 22, 2004 Report Share Posted July 22, 2004 I think this has been said before, but regular TOM's are a tried and true option. I have no personal experience with TonePros, but I would not pay that much more over a regular TOM...I just dont see the difference in sustain being all that much. As far as not having to intonate when changing strings cause of it locking and all, well, I dont usually intonate after every string change anyways, so that doesnt really matter to me. Just my 2cents...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myka Guitars Posted July 22, 2004 Report Share Posted July 22, 2004 I like the TonePros, although they are pricey for what you get. It is an OEM tune-o-matic with tapped set screws. That's it for the extra $50. You are paying for the patented idea. If you are making your own guitar (not to sell) then you can add set screws to a regular TOM bridge. Since I am selling most of the guitars I build I get the TonePros. It not only adds sustain but the transfer of vibrational energy is enhanced because of the elimination of excess slop in the bridge/post joint. I tested this and setup my first TonePros wihout setting the screws and played it for a bit. Then I locked the screws. There was a noticeable increase in sustain and the overall harmonic content of the guitar. I use the TonePros all the time now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darren wilson Posted July 22, 2004 Report Share Posted July 22, 2004 Slop in the bridge/post connection is only half of the problem with my guitar. The posts themselves rattle around in the bushings quite a bit. I think when my TonePros comes, i'm going to try and find some small set screws to put in the bushings below the posts, so i can screw the posts down tight against them to "lock" them in place as well. I'm pretty sure TonePros sources their bridges from several places, since they offer metric and imperial sizes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
metallisomething Posted July 26, 2004 Author Report Share Posted July 26, 2004 the posts rattle inside the bushings? holy, thats not good but does anyone know the difference between the two bridges at the top of the page? the difference in proce if so great, there HAS to be something Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drak Posted July 26, 2004 Report Share Posted July 26, 2004 I think when my TonePros comes, i'm going to try and find some small set screws to put in the bushings below the posts, so i can screw the posts down tight against them to "lock" them in place as well. Why don't you just wrap some teflon tape around the threads before you insert them? Available at any hardware store for a buck or less. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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