NGD - 4 years in the making!

[Foxmeister]

So, my Brian May Super turned up today, a mere 4 years after I got on the waiting list!

Silly money really, when the Special is about 1/4 of the price of the Super, but it's only money and this will be a keeper for sure.

 

[Whizzinby]

Looks amazing. Nice.

 

[fretworn]

 

[jaxadam]

I don’t know anything about this, and I don’t really like it, but if it’s you’re cup of tea I’m stoked for you!

 

[jellodog]

Looks very well made.

Will the little roller saddles fall out of the bridge when you change strings? Or are they held in place somehow?

My entire rocking bridge falls out when I change strings on my Jazzmaster

 

[TSJMajesty]

That's badass! My buddy has one and of course he loves it! Bought an AC-30 to go with it.

 

[Foxmeister]

Will the little roller saddles fall out of the bridge when you change strings? Or are they held in place somehow?

I've not changed strings yet, but it does look like string tension is the only thing holding them in place!

 

[Stone]

Wow What a beauty !!!

 

[Sleezy E]

 

[TubeStack]

Wow, that is wild and super cool. Enjoy!

 

[jellodog]

I found this info about the roller saddles:

The strings ride in roller saddles. Brian made each of the rollers using a hand drill as a sort of manual lathe. The rollers aren’t captive — so a broken string during a show means a roller is bouncing around on stage somewhere. Switching to a captive design would force Brian to change his playing style, so he just keeps a healthy supply of spare rollers on hand.

Source:

The Red Special: Brian May’s Handmade Guitar

Guitarists are a special breed, and many of them have a close connection with the instruments they play. It might be a specific brand of guitar, or a certain setup required to achieve the sound the…

hackaday.com

 

[Foxmeister]

I found this info about the roller saddles:



Source:

The Red Special: Brian May’s Handmade Guitar

Guitarists are a special breed, and many of them have a close connection with the instruments they play. It might be a specific brand of guitar, or a certain setup required to achieve the sound the…

hackaday.com

On the subject of the roller bridge and saddles, I contacted BMG enquiring about the possibility of buying some "spare" rollers in the event of a loss, and they had this to say on the subject:

ROLLER BRIDGE
One of the trade-offs in employing an authentic replica bridge assembly (rather than the far more modern but inaccurate Wilkinson roller bridge that was standard on the previous Super production) is the lack of continuous string height adjustment. Instead, should it be required, the action is raised by disassembling the bridge and placing shims underneath the saddles (additional brass shims can be provided if you require them).

The bridge saddles' intonation grooves are precision machined so that the roller anvil snaps into the groove, locking the rollers in place and allowing them to spin freely whilst preventing them from flying off should you break a string, or when changing strings.

 

[jellodog]

On the subject of the roller bridge and saddles, I contacted BMG enquiring about the possibility of buying some "spare" rollers in the event of a loss, and they had this to say on the subject:

The bridge saddles' intonation grooves are precision machined so that the roller anvil snaps into the groove, locking the rollers in place and allowing them to spin freely whilst preventing them from flying off should you break a string, or when changing strings.

Oh, I was hoping that they may have made a change like that. It must be a very fine tolerance because it's hard to see that in your photos.

Well that must be a relief!