flashriprock

If others decide to route using a Dremel, one thing I learned was that mine was not sitting perfectly perpendicular to the surface using that crude plastic circular attachment. I know this because if I rotated the Dremel 90, 180, and 270 degrees, the bit would shave off slightly more around the edges of the route. If it was perfectly perpendicular, it shouldn't have done this. You might consider getting this precision router base from StewMac instead. Here's a link.

Here're the routes before final touch up. They weren't perfect, and that bugged me a lot. Fortunately, once the baseplates were installed they actually weren't too bad. The critical routes are around the sides at the edges, and the front, and everything else is obscured by the saddles.

Each time I moved the template I relied on alignment lines at the outside edges of the template and matched them to lines on the underlying guide.

I decided to stick the guide on the guitar and route through it as I went. I didn't have to, but I figured it would give me additional confirmation that I was on target. The first thing I did was drill the holes for the plates. The thinking was that my routes might be slightly off or too snug, and whatever happened I wanted to make sure the baseplates ended up straight and properly spaced.

I sited in the mid point for the bridge using both a laser and thread. I measured it, re-measured it, and then re-re-measured it.

@curtisa, thank you for those two posts on your and @Pariahrob's builds. Those are the best, and only, detailed install posts I've seen for the T4M bridge. It's clear you both have mad skills to install them as they deserve to be installed. Makes me wish I could learn to do builds like yours from scratch. I unfortunately have neither the skills, nor the tools. And since I've already installed mine in my own clumsy way, I'll just share my experience so others can improve the process. In my case, I decided to try to route the baseplates using what I had on-hand -- a Dremel. I wanted to make a template, but 1) I couldn't figure out how a template would work for such a shallow route (the Dremel bit would chew up the template itself because Dremel bits don't have ball bearings like a router bit -- I've since learned these do exist) and 2) I lacked the tools to even cut cleanly through a thick MDF board to make the template. Then I realized I could make a template based around the Dremel's circular attachment. I just needed to create a reference guide for where I wanted the routes (which I did in PowerPoint), plus a template for the Dremel (which I cut out of thick frame mat board). It's a similar concept to the one used by @curtisa in his link above -- just way more crude and DIY. Here's the guide.

You are so right! And I'm glad you mention this because the individual saddle route was something I tried hard to avoid, but, it's now the only option with T4M. Below is a picture of a single baseplate configuration that T4M used to offer. This set-up was my first choice because it would require just 4 screws and I'd have perfect saddle spacing and lots of intonation range for each saddle. Unfortunately, they no longer off it. I corresponded with Alberto, who was very responsive and and helpful, and he said the only option now is to go with individual saddle baseplates.

I chose the T4M saddles. For me, they stood way above the alternatives. The Hipshot single-piece bridge seemed outstanding and it would have been an easier install, but it would also be the mainstream choice if I ever decide to get a Kiesel Vader for example. By comparison, the T4M saddles were the most beautifully engineered of the lot, and to my knowledge they are not OEM on any production guitars, except perhaps high end exotics, giving me an opportunity to make something unique. But, the T4M saddles meant a more challenging install, and I am not a luthier or a wood worker. The issue is that T4M recommends routing each saddle’s baseplate about 2mm into the body of the guitar. This is tricky stuff for someone like me with no skills or tools, and so I wouldn’t recommend it for others like me. But that's OK because I don’t even think it’s necessary to route for the baseplates. By my calculations, the T4M saddles have the vertical adjustment range to get one’s string height just fine even if they’re sitting on top of the body. Despite this realization, this was a project and I decided to go for the most challenging install of all – recess the plates, cut each plate’s individual route (as opposed to one large rectangular route), and then stagger each saddle’s distance to roughly follow the natural intonation distances for a set of Ernie Ball 0.10s. The question was how, and using what tools?

Individual Saddle Systems Strandberg Bridge Nope – I tried. Apparently they used to sell their hardware separately, but no more. The only want to get Strandberg hardware is to buy a Strandberg guitar. Hipshot Solo Guitar Bridge ($300 saddles only) Pricey, and not especially compelling design-wise IMHO. Full design specs here. ABM 3801 ($240 saddles only) Functional, but again, not very compelling to look at IMHO. Fanned Fret Headless Bridge Saddles ($180 incl. head pieces) Can be found on eBay. These are intriguing and well-priced. Clearly modeled after Strandberg and T4M. Quality unknown however. Don’t see them installed often. Technology 4 Musicians ($190 saddles only, $280 w/ head pieces) Beautifully engineered saddles, and recently redesigned. Circular ball bearing plates now used at thumb screws so tightening strings is buttery smooth.

Single-Piece Bridges Hipshot bridge-only ($240), with head piece ($350) Expensive, but a very well-reviewed system. Standard equipment on all of Kiesel’s headless guitars. Seems like the best premium choice in the single-piece bridge category. ABM tuner + separate bridge ($220). Head pieces extra. Tuner and specs Bridge and specs Mera Submarine III (price unknown) Hybrid concept. Features a single baseplate and separate slots for individual saddles for each string.

Headless bridge hardware tends to be a little pricey, averaging $200-300. When one considers they also represent replacement tuners, however, they’re perhaps not as expensive as they first appear. I’ll quickly run through the competing non-tremolo systems I found when researching this. Prices shown are for mid-2018 for 6-string installs. Systems fall into two categories: single-piece bridges, and individual saddle systems.

I then drilled out the four bridge screw holes to a uniform diameter and filled them with dowels. I didn't worry too much about sanding them flush because I knew I would be routing out this area for the new bridge install.

Removal pictures.

Here were my string heights and intonation distances from the nut for my setup with the stock bridge.

Here are some pictures of my stock "Licensed by KD patent" bridge.

THE BRIDGE. I'll start by explaining the stock bridge, removing it, discussing some alternative bridges to consider, why I chose the Technology 4 Musicians saddles, and then walking through my install process. The NK headless comes with a bridge whose most distinctive markings are the words "Licensed by KD patent." It consists of roller saddles and tightening screws at the rear. These tightening screws are sometimes too stiff to twist by hand, so it also includes a clever little magnetic Allen crank that attaches to the top of the bridge (seen sticking out of the top). I would describe it as clever and utilitarian. It doesn't exude high quality, but then again, they can be readily found on eBay for just $50 so they are a bargain by headless bridge standards too. It's possible it could have worked out just fine, but like others it also struck me as the first thing one would replace if they could -- and I did. For more information, below is an excellent post from another member. Operation Shoestring (by curtisa, 12/10/16)

Here’s a comparison pic.

Here's another.

By the way, on the topic of this guitar's design, it does appear to be influenced by a guitar called the SkerveTEN 6. Here's a picture of one, and one can see shared design cues between them both.

Thanks for the question. By my count I made (am making) about 9 discrete upgrades which I've listed in my post this evening. Stay tuned!

So what improvements did I make to mine? I'll list them out, but first a preface -- I've never done anything like this before in my life. I didn't know what I was doing, and the things I learned were only possible thanks to the generosity and expertise of people on boards like this, YouTube, and elsewhere. To all of these people, THANK YOU. I'll chronicle my experience here to hopefully help others on their journey too. Now, here's a list of what I've done (and "am doing") to mine, and I'll cover each in successive posts. New bridge. (Technology for Musicians (T4M) saddles) New locking headpieces (same, T4M) New nut (Tusq) Relocate control knobs New electronics (full-size CTS pots and Switchcraft toggle) Revamp control cavity and new backplate New pickups (Seymour Duncan, Distortion trembucker and Jazz neck) Killswitch install and learnings Replacement neck (from manufacturer) Yes. I might have gotten carried away with this. After binge watching luthier videos on YouTube this evolved into an excuse to try my hand and some of these upgrades, plus a commitment to do as much of it as I could by myself. I bought the guitar to play, but it became a fun project instead. My next post will dive into #1, my T4M bridge upgrade.

So what are the cons? What needs addressing on this guitar? Final set-up would bring the guitar to its fuller potential. As I mentioned, my action was actually nice and low but one issue with mine (and others from what I've read), is that some of the frets could use additional polishing. For example, some of the lower frets on my high strings are scratchy. This is fixable of course with polishing, and more importantly the fret work in general was well done (no sharp edges and no high frets). I would guess that this is the one enhancement that would likely benefit most new owners of this guitar. As for other "cons," I think some of this comes down to personal preference. From user reviews, many owners are happy with the guitar straight out of the box, but here are some common upgrade ideas. The bridge is the thing most people take issue with, and I'm not crazy about it either. I'll discuss it in more depth later, but for now suffice to say it's clever, but quirky, and some people complain of it going out of tune. Pickup upgrades are another item that some people insist on, while others are content with the stock pickups. I didn't feel strongly about this myself. Control knob placement. I rarely see anyone discuss this, but to me it's the most important mod for the guitar. Maybe it's my strumming technique (or lack thereof), but I find my picking hand hitting the volume knob and the toggle switch. This is most pronounced when palm muting higher strings. This can be rectified, and I'll share my experience for solving this.

This is where my purchase was supposed to end. I got just what I wanted, which was a relatively inexpensive (~$350) practice guitar. But then things changed when I started to really appreciate certain things about this guitar over my traditional ones. This included: Ergonomics. This guitar is very comfortable to play in the classical position, my preferred position. I chose it for this reason, and it lived up to this hope thanks to the body cut-aways in the lower rear of the body. Weight. It's light and compact. I'm not sure exactly how much it weighs, but one of the things I learned is that the body is chambered. I requested a picture of how and where it's chambered and they sent me the attached picture. Resonance. 90% of the time when I practice my guitar is un-amplified, and I think the chambered body gives the notes a more satisfying resonance over my traditional solid body electrics. Fit and finish. Neck fit was snug, and out of the box the action was respectably low. I actually prefer this guitar's traditional C-shape neck over the wide flat shape of another guitar I own, and it was very easy to play. I deliberately chose a natural satin finish because I'd read that some owners complained about areas of overspray with their colored-top models. Mine doesn't have that problem with a uniform satin finish throughout. Overall, the tolerances and finish well exceeded my initial expectations.