Andy Eagle ( Guitar repair tech for 30 years )

[Eagle]

Hello Andy, this stop tail here can that fit on any Tune o Matic bridge? and will it only work (Magnetize) using those posts that come with the stop bar?
Also I don't think it has any effect on the tone as advertised

ResoMax NV Tailpiece (Select Finish)

ResoMax NV tailpiece is made from our lightweight, high-strength Resomax material that will increase harmonic content and leave your guitar dripping with tone. This is a great option to upgrade or replace the existing tailpiece on any electric guitar that currently has a standard tune-o-matic...

graphtech.com

thank you again for your expertise

Just fit an aluminium stop tail, you can get these to fit anything and by a large range of makers. Gotoh is best quality /value balance .

 

[Stone]

Just fit an aluminium stop tail, you can get these to fit anything and by a large range of makers. Gotoh is best quality /value balance .

Thanks Andy, Yes i love Gotoh products but really wanted to replace mine cause of the locking magnetic does Gotoh Offer such a part ?

Thanks

 

[Eagle]

Thanks Andy, Yes i love Gotoh products but really wanted to replace mine cause of the locking magnetic does Gotoh Offer such a part ?

Thanks

No they don’t. resomax can easily be pot metal . I would pass .

 

[Mookyshoots]

No they don’t. resomax can easily be pot metal . I would pass .

If this is the same Resomax bridge I once had, steer clear. It has slots on the underside that the strings sit in and makes string changes a nightmare as you have to hold each ball end in place until there's no slack or they just fall out.

 

[Eagle]

The other thing about this tailpiece is I don't recall restringing a regular bridge was ever remotely difficult and you are paying top dollar for a probably $5 OEM pot metal stop tail that allegedly fixes a problem that nobody had. An aluminium bridge with brass posts and steel inserts will certainly be the best option and no more expensive.

 

[laxu]

Thanks Andy, Yes i love Gotoh products but really wanted to replace mine cause of the locking magnetic does Gotoh Offer such a part ?

Thanks

If you have the tools, you can pretty easily turn any tailpiece into a locking one similar to the Tonepros bridges. You just need a drill, tapping bit to make threads and grub screws like you find on Fender saddles.

You do want a drill press or similar because otherwise it can be hard to drill it at the right angle.

You can see how the Tonepros works in this pic:

 

[Eagle]

If you have the tools, you can pretty easily turn any tailpiece into a locking one similar to the Tonepros bridges. You just need a drill, tapping bit to make threads and grub screws like you find on Fender saddles.

You do want a drill press or similar because otherwise it can be hard to drill it at the right angle.

You can see how the Tonepros works in this pic:

You can but don't. These bridges sound better acoustically with the grub screws removed. Bridges that stay on with string tension find their own best contact point and the vibration of the string goes though it if you add the lock it just interferes with it.

 

[laxu]

You can but don't. These bridges sound better acoustically with the grub screws removed. Bridges that stay on with string tension find their own best contact point and the vibration of the string goes though it if you add the lock it just interferes with it.

I actually did this mod on a Gotoh bridge and honestly didn't notice any real difference. It was just nice that the tailpiece doesn't fall off during string changes but that's all.

The mod on the bridge was more useful because there was a lot of slop in its post holes. On a properly machined bridge I wouldn't bother.

 

[Eagle]

I actually did this mod on a Gotoh bridge and honestly didn't notice any real difference. It was just nice that the tailpiece doesn't fall off during string changes but that's all.

The mod on the bridge was more useful because there was a lot of slop in its post holes. On a properly machined bridge I wouldn't bother.

I have too and I see the convenience but the acoustic tone is worse IMO.

 

[Bob Zaod]

99% of tuning issues are how people put their strings on and tune. The 3x3 head is only an issue on Gibson because of the 17 degree angle on the head.

Thank You. I have had a few friends ask me how my guitars stay in tune so well when theirs dont. Also depends on how late in the gig it is because I beat the crap out of my guitars but I don't do anything special. Keep good tension when winding and never more than 2 full wraps. Also a good stretching session after the strings are on and tuned. I always lube the nut too. I know a real pro probably doesnt have to lube a well cut nut but I'm not a pro so I do haha.

 

[dk_ace]

I do different levels of setup for different people. Most people are happy to trust me to optimise the setup for the string type and the instrument in question. This takes in to account the limitations of a particular design.

With a lot of my professional clients I set up an appointment and sit with them playing and telling me what they are hoping to get out of the guitar. If the guitar has nothing fundamentally wrong with it other then set up I can do that during the appointment. This allows me to see what they play like and try different things with immediate feedback.
I can demonstrate that when you get to a functional medium low action lowering it more may take more than you gain . For example a high E set a 50/1000” is not really harder to play than one at a 40/1000” but the dynamic range is less and the ceiling limit on the strings is compromised. The effects of fret hight on set up options comes in to play at this point. The grip you require on a string to articulate a note easily starts to go with a combination of lower fret and lower action. I can get them to feel it and see the reaction.
The big thing that is almost always wrong is relief and the effects that has on playability on the upper half of a curve radius means it the neck is functioning properly I can usually transform the performance . Often people come wanting the lowest action and easiest player possible and they end up finding that doesn’t necessarily work for their pick technique.
One thing I would mention is radius gauges are not a good way of setting action. Set every string to a number in a noted reference point.

Yes set up is about feel but this is on top of a correctly functioning core setup .
Over the years I have sat in with many pro players ( quite a few you would know) and often they have setups that don’t work best for their requirements and by the end of the time they are arranging to send me every guitar they own.
To keep a guitar setup tuned to this point is difficult if you don’t do it yourself because temperature string changes/ anything effects it. And all this is on top of perfect frets and an ‘ideal’ relief architecture . Of all the repairs and work I do this and refrets are the most important things.

Assuming level frets and the relief is set as you describe, what’s a measurement you would consider a “functional medium low action?” There’s a lot of subjectivity on the internet about what is low, medium, etc, just curious what is usually in the ballpark of what you’re aiming for here.

I do my own setup and fretwork (short of refrets), and I’ve tried many setup approaches but have never felt like I really found the optimal action height. I can play on anything from high action to fairly low action, but I haven’t found the setup that felt perfect for everything I do yet. I’ve found what you’re describing on some setups being too low where it’s counterproductive, but I haven’t found that perfect middle ground yet.

My dynamic swing as a player is very wide, from barely touching the string to clean it up totally and get a really soft voice to hammering it pretty hard (I can make input meters clip with lowish output PAFs that aren’t supposed to clip short of active pickups). I find that I play better and more comfortably the lower I take it without going too far. I often feel like I’ve gone too far and can’t find that perfect spot.

D

 

[Eagle]

Using a Stew Mac action gauge measuring at the twelve fret 50/1000” high E to 60/1000” low E. This will work with no buzz and good dynamic range as long as the frets are level and there is the correct relief occurring in the right place (5~7/1000”) at fret 7 when fretting at 1 and 12.

 

[dk_ace]

Using a Stew Mac action gauge measuring at the twelve fret 50/1000” high E to 60/1000” low E. This will work with no buzz and good dynamic range as long as the frets are level and there is the correct relief occurring in the right place (5~7/1000”) at fret 7 when fretting at 1 and 12.

Fretting at the first or measured with the string open?

 

[AlbertA]

Fretting at the first or measured with the string open?

I do Fretting at the first and 12th for the relief measurement, open string for action.

 

[Eagle]

Fretting at the first or measured with the string open?

No open because that is how it will be when you play and if the nut it the right hight it needs to be in the equation. You can test the action over the nut by fretting the second fret and looking at the clearance over the first. You are looking for a gap that is visible but almost touching.

 

[Eagle]

Fretting at the first.

This is one way but I think it is disingenuous because it is not the actual action you play. The action can only be measured really when everything else is correct. A high nut ruins the feel and negatively impacts the intonation . It must be corrected before you can make a meaningful action adjustment. For me the action is a measurement of what you feel when you’re playing.

 

[BahamaDada]

Hey Mr @Eagle

First of all thx for doing this. Your posts "vibrate" experience. And that is something I highly respect.

What's your take on the topic of active vs passive pickups? Do you lean on one side? What's your experience with actives? Have you (like many others it seems) "outgrown" them?

I have had both in my 1s and go back and forth every few years between having several Seymour Duncans and diverse EMGs.

 

[Eagle]

Hey Mr @Eagle

First of all thx for doing this. Your posts "vibrate" experience. And that is something I highly respect.

What's your take on the topic of active vs passive pickups? Do you lean on one side? What's your experience with actives? Have you (like many others it seems) "outgrown" them?

I have had both in my 1s and go back and forth every few years between having several Seymour Duncans and diverse EMGs.

Thanks for the kind words.
On your question;
I think that there’s plenty of room for both. I have a few guitars with EMGs and I still like them. I like many gravitated to them in the 80s when they solved a lot of common problems these days I think you can choose pickups purely for tone and deal with the other stuff in your rig. For instance nobody needs output just to get gain anymore . But between MK’s Pensa Suhr and DG’s red strat I certainly can’t see why anyone would think they sound in any way inferior. I have stopped having a favourite instrument or tone and trying to replicate it in a backup because you never can. There will always be one that for whatever reason you prefer so instead of trying to get four more embrace the differences and get something more .
These days I mostly play real single coils and paf style pickups from Lollar, Throbak, Abby (fender) MJ (Duncan) Tom Holmes and Ron Ellis but my EMGs are going nowhere.

 

[BahamaDada]

Thanks for the kind words.
On your question;
I think that there’s plenty of room for both. I have a few guitars with EMGs and I still like them. I like many gravitated to them in the 80s when they solved a lot of common problems these days I think you can choose pickups purely for tone and deal with the other stuff in your rig. For instance nobody needs output just to get gain anymore . But between MK’s Pensa Suhr and DG’s red strat I certainly can’t see why anyone would think they sound in any way inferior. I have stopped having a favourite instrument or tone and trying to replicate it in a backup because you never can. There will always be one that for whatever reason you prefer so instead of trying to get four more embrace the differences and get something more .
These days I mostly play real single coils and paf style pickups from Lollar, Throbak, Abby (fender) MJ (Duncan) Tom Holmes and Ron Ellis but my EMGs are going nowhere.

Thx for the insightful answer! I can totally see why these kind of pickups (let's take an EMG81 for example) was essential for driving "lower gain" amps back in the late 70s or 80s into proper distortion (often in combination with a Overdrive pedal).

Today, for many people, they seem to be totally overkill.

 

[dk_ace]

No open because that is how it will be when you play and if the nut it the right hight it needs to be in the equation. You can test the action over the nut by fretting the second fret and looking at the clearance over the first. You are looking for a gap that is visible but almost touching.

My nut height is good. I’m running a little less relief than you suggest - didn’t grab the feeler gauges but probably closer to .001-.003. My current action on my primary guitar is .031 (2/64) up to .047 (3/64) on the bass side, so quite a bit lower than you recommend. I don’t have any buzzing, but I’ve been wondering if my dynamic range is being limited without me realizing it (although I probably have more than enough).

The thing that would probably help that guitar the most is a refret. The fret height is very low after many level and crown jobs and years of playing.

I’ll try your specs on a different guitar and see how that works out, thanks for clarifying!

D