bowtie bridges...

[beatlejon]

Im thinking about buying one for my upcoming 325V59.....are they difficult to install??

Thanks

[beatlefreak]

Very easy - They just sit on top of the guitar. I have an extra brand new bowtie bridge. PM me if interested.

[kiramdear]

Is the intonation OK on those? They're non-adjustable, right?

[beatlefreak]

No, but they're compensated. A bit of moving them around and the intonation is set.

[tennis_nick]

No, but they're compensated. A bit of moving them around and the intonation is set.

It depends which model you get...

Most cheapie bowties are intonated for a plain G, while most sets use a wound G for these shorties, You'll have have to dish out for the proper one, they're quite a bit more expensive.

[beatlefreak]

I was able to intonate properly on my 325v59 using a bowtie that was not real expensive.

If you're paying a high price for a bowtie simply because it's compensted a little differently, I think you're getting ripped off.

[1OUfan]

Keep in mind that the finger board sits higher above the body of the 325V59 than it does on the 325C58 and than it did on Lennon's V81. This will cause you to have raise the saddle of the bowtie pretty high, which can in turn cause some difficulty with tuning and with the saddle canting over more.
Bob

[paologregorio]

Are you sure you want to use the bowtie bridge? They work nicely, I'm sure, but I don't think they're necessary in order to install the Bigsby; I think you can leave the original bridge on the guitar and still use a Bigsby.

[tennis_nick]

I was able to intonate properly on my 325v59 using a bowtie that was not real expensive.

If you're paying a high price for a bowtie simply because it's compensted a little differently, I think you're getting ripped off.

It's more than just a little differently.

Take a look at strings, larger strings require more compensation. Wound strings are compensated mostly with the core of the string taking effect on it, which is why on a standard gauge, your D string requires less compensation than your G (which is thicker than the core of the D).

The standard 325 usually have the wound G string. The wound G having a smaller core than the Wound D, it would require less compensation than the D, which means it would be closer to the nut than the D to be properly compensated.

The cheaper Bowties are intonated for a plain G, and while it doesn't sound like a big deal, you can tell right away that the Plain G will require MORE compensation that the wound D, because of the core thing again. The result is a G saddle terribly flat for use with a wound string.



This bridge has the proper shape for the wound G to be intonated, you see the G is slightly forward compared to the D


I can't find pictures of the "improper" bridge (for a wound G anyhow) But I seem to recall seeing a lot of them on eBay a long time ago.

[beatlefreak]

It makes absolutely no sense that two bowtie bridges made of the same material, one intonated for a plain string and one intonated for a wound string, should cost vastly different amounts of money. I still say someone's ripping you off. And while we're on the subject, who's telling you this ****, anyway? Here's a picture of one of my bowties (and it was not expensive). I can't see any difference from the picture you posted. Can you?

[customxke]

I've never seen a bigsby manufactured bridge compensated for a plain G (most, if not all bow-tie repros are NOT made by bigsby), and bigsby manufactured bridges for archtops can be had easily for about $20. If your bow-tie is compensated for a plain G, you could always pony up another 20 and make it right. Also, most of the cheapies are not really aluminum. I think they're zinc. (I found this out when giving some repop bigsby parts an acid bath to get them to match some elderly bigsby parts on a resto job)

[tennis_nick]

It makes absolutely no sense that two bowtie bridges made of the same material, one intonated for a plain string and one intonated for a wound string, should cost vastly different amounts of money. I still say someone's ripping you off. And while we're on the subject, who's telling you this ****, anyway? Here's a picture of one of my bowties (and it was not expensive). I can't see any difference from the picture you posted. Can you?

Man, it's like wondering why a cheeseburger costs $1 more than a hamburger because of 20cents worth of cheese.

I'm just reporting what I'm seen, the ones intonated for the plain G haven't been around in a while, and when they were BOTH on the market, the wound G compensation was going for more than the other one, I don't know how the market is now, but I was seeing buy-it-nows with $40 differences, and they were selling, which is quite mad!

[beatlefreak]

I don't know how the market is now, but I was seeing buy-it-nows with $40 differences, and they were selling, which is quite mad!

It's worse than that, Nick. Look at this auction:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 0307132331

[tennis_nick]

I don't know how the market is now, but I was seeing buy-it-nows with $40 differences, and they were selling, which is quite mad!

It's worse than that, Nick. Look at this auction:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 0307132331

Yup, there's the inflation I'm talking about.

[kiramdear]

That's outrageous