Just to throw another into the mix, the current Gretsch Space Control bridge is similar to the type offered on some of Japanese-made guitars from the 70's (some Jedson Telecaster style guitars had them) with graduated saddles on a straight threaded bar, whereas the original Space Control had six saddles all the same size, on a curved threaded bar, with much more elegant rounded studs. I've found a company called Music City Bridge in America who offer an original styled one, with the curved threaded bar as per the original but compensated for intonation. I ordered one for my Gretsch 6131-59 as that was the type it would've had in 1959 I'm in the UK, it cost about £80 including postage from America, and arrived in four days. My guitar now looks just like I wanted it to, and while I think it's lost a little bit of top end I have a treble control on my amp. It may have lost a little sustain too, but not much. It looks very cool, just like they did in 1959, and I'm really happy with it.
Heureux possesseur d'une GRETSCH 6120 DE 2013, elle avait un chevalet tune-o-matic d'origine. Je détestais ce chevalet à cause du réglage de l'intonation difficile a ajusté et son radius qui ne correspondait pas au radius du manche. De plus, les micros sont des Grestsch 2892371 et j'avais un problème pour obtenir le son Gretsch que j'adore. J'ai simplement changé le chevalet par un Rockin' bar du même radius que le manche, régler la hauteur des micros et la différence était vraiment flagrante. Aujourd'hui, j'adore le son de ma guitare branché dans ma carbon copy et monder blues junior. Vive le Rockabilly.
I totally concur that the rocking bar seemed to be the brightest of the group. Thanks for this, as I just recently purchased a Gretsch and have been considering swapping out the TOM.
Thanks for the thorough, well-produced comparison. The irony of you avoiding Lennon is that the Sorkin Bowtie made famous by John Lennon is from the very early period of his Rickenbacker 325 Mapleglo in Hamburg Germany when they were covering Elvis' Sun Studios stuff, Gene Vincent and Cliff Gallup, and all their Rockabilly influences. Just listen to the Hamburg live stuff. It's John and the (Silver) Beatles at their raving, rocking wildest!
Thanks for the info! In fact, I walked through those 'Beatles places' when visiting Hamburg a couple of years ago. Didn't know the Sorkin Bowtie comes from that very period though!
@@kpnashThanks for your reply and WOW - you're a lucky guy! I'm a massive Beatles fan AND Rockabilly fan, but I understand what you mean about not being your "cup of tea". They changed styles dramatically throughout their career, and even though that is part of their incredible talent and impact on music, I love their whole spirit and attitude in their Hamburg days - proto-Punkabilly! Also, forgot to mention Carl Perkins was obviously a favorite of theirs as well as Chuck Berry (not exactly rbilky, I know 😀). Not at all surprising that John got to jam with Chuck later and of course paid tribute to his first loves on his "Rock n' Roll" album, just as Paul got to jam with Carl.
Hi Kirill, well done again with this topic and comparison and very good playing! I also bought the Sorkin Bowtie years ago and was disappointed that it does not fit without the flat plate. Carl Perrkins used one combined with a Bigsby on his Gibson Goldtop (think its the Glad all over video). Would be good to know if he used a customized base then? I myself use a Compton Bridge. Its a brass version and chambered. That guy helped me to make sure that it will fit my bridge space and the neck radius. I´m very happy with it! No problems with holding tuning and it also is a part of the big sustain the guitar has now. I see your point with getting it with another tool. For me its better when the base is alreday what I want. One question regarding the distance of the spring and the bridge. Is muting(hand on bridge) possible with that spring so near?
No I didn't have any issues with palm muting. Maybe I'm not the most aggressive palm muter on the planet Earth, but for what do I do, muting bass strings while Travis picking, it doesn't pose any challenges. I fitted the Sorkin, in the end, onto my other guitar, a one having the bridge studs mounted directly into the body. I got rid of the bridge base and just put the Bigsby part onto those studs. The stud spacing of the Sorkin bridge is still somewhat different than the one of the standard Tune-o-Matic, but comes pretty close. It fitted well due to the tolerances of that particular bridge and that particular guitar, I believe. Checked the Glad All Over vid, and Carl's bridge base looks different than the modern Sorkin base, maybe it has the other shape underneath as well. Yeah, I had a plan to get a piece of ebony and to make myself a custom adapter plate for the Sorkin, but was lucky that it mated with that other guitar in the end!
I liked the Sorkin bridge the best, but perhaps it wouldn't be the best for rockabilly. I no longer have a Gretsch guitar, and I think the tune-o-matic bridge is one of the reasons why. I just hated it.
Was actually my fav as well, sound wise! There's an installation issue though, its stud spacing doesn't match the guitar, putting it just on the top doesn't work well either, because it requires a flat top. For just a quick test, it works fine, however a gigging instrument requires something which would be more stable.
Nice comparison and nice performance. Also after years of people talking sustain to death nice to hear someone else say to just use a compressor. Other thing to consider is that a lot of bridges were designed for use with wound 3rd string and will react and intonate different if modern skinny strings w plain 3rd.
Great comparison I have a 7593 and a 6120 with stock tunomatics and country gent with a rocking bar. Your demo proves my own opinion that the less components in the bridge the better. Much crisper high ends. Will be changing my tunomatics. I struggled with rattling screws from the start but now am convinced. Solid all the way.👍
Just to throw another into the mix, the current Gretsch Space Control bridge is similar to the type offered on some of Japanese-made guitars from the 70's (some Jedson Telecaster style guitars had them) with graduated saddles on a straight threaded bar, whereas the original Space Control had six saddles all the same size, on a curved threaded bar, with much more elegant rounded studs.
I've found a company called Music City Bridge in America who offer an original styled one, with the curved threaded bar as per the original but compensated for intonation.
I ordered one for my Gretsch 6131-59 as that was the type it would've had in 1959 I'm in the UK, it cost about £80 including postage from America, and arrived in four days.
My guitar now looks just like I wanted it to, and while I think it's lost a little bit of top end I have a treble control on my amp. It may have lost a little sustain too, but not much. It looks very cool, just like they did in 1959, and I'm really happy with it.
Heureux possesseur d'une GRETSCH 6120 DE 2013, elle avait un chevalet tune-o-matic d'origine.
Je détestais ce chevalet à cause du réglage de l'intonation difficile a ajusté et son radius qui
ne correspondait pas au radius du manche. De plus, les micros sont des Grestsch 2892371
et j'avais un problème pour obtenir le son Gretsch que j'adore. J'ai simplement changé le
chevalet par un Rockin' bar du même radius que le manche, régler la hauteur des micros et
la différence était vraiment flagrante. Aujourd'hui, j'adore le son de ma guitare branché dans ma carbon copy
et monder blues junior. Vive le Rockabilly.
I totally concur that the rocking bar seemed to be the brightest of the group. Thanks for this, as I just recently purchased a Gretsch and have been considering swapping out the TOM.
Thanks for the thorough, well-produced comparison. The irony of you avoiding Lennon is that the Sorkin Bowtie made famous by John Lennon is from the very early period of his Rickenbacker 325 Mapleglo in Hamburg Germany when they were covering Elvis' Sun Studios stuff, Gene Vincent and Cliff Gallup, and all their Rockabilly influences. Just listen to the Hamburg live stuff. It's John and the (Silver) Beatles at their raving, rocking wildest!
Thanks for the info! In fact, I walked through those 'Beatles places' when visiting Hamburg a couple of years ago. Didn't know the Sorkin Bowtie comes from that very period though!
@@kpnashThanks for your reply and WOW - you're a lucky guy! I'm a massive Beatles fan AND Rockabilly fan, but I understand what you mean about not being your "cup of tea". They changed styles dramatically throughout their career, and even though that is part of their incredible talent and impact on music, I love their whole spirit and attitude in their Hamburg days - proto-Punkabilly! Also, forgot to mention Carl Perkins was obviously a favorite of theirs as well as Chuck Berry (not exactly rbilky, I know 😀). Not at all surprising that John got to jam with Chuck later and of course paid tribute to his first loves on his "Rock n' Roll" album, just as Paul got to jam with Carl.
Great comparison and you are a very talented player.
Hi Kirill, well done again with this topic and comparison and very good playing!
I also bought the Sorkin Bowtie years ago and was disappointed that it does not fit without the flat plate.
Carl Perrkins used one combined with a Bigsby on his Gibson Goldtop (think its the Glad all over video). Would be good to know if he used a customized base then?
I myself use a Compton Bridge. Its a brass version and chambered. That guy helped me to make sure that it will fit my bridge space and the neck radius. I´m very happy with it! No problems with holding tuning and it also is a part of the big sustain the guitar has now. I see your point with getting it with another tool. For me its better when the base is alreday what I want.
One question regarding the distance of the spring and the bridge. Is muting(hand on bridge) possible with that spring so near?
No I didn't have any issues with palm muting. Maybe I'm not the most aggressive palm muter on the planet Earth, but for what do I do, muting bass strings while Travis picking, it doesn't pose any challenges.
I fitted the Sorkin, in the end, onto my other guitar, a one having the bridge studs mounted directly into the body. I got rid of the bridge base and just put the Bigsby part onto those studs. The stud spacing of the Sorkin bridge is still somewhat different than the one of the standard Tune-o-Matic, but comes pretty close. It fitted well due to the tolerances of that particular bridge and that particular guitar, I believe. Checked the Glad All Over vid, and Carl's bridge base looks different than the modern Sorkin base, maybe it has the other shape underneath as well. Yeah, I had a plan to get a piece of ebony and to make myself a custom adapter plate for the Sorkin, but was lucky that it mated with that other guitar in the end!
@@kpnash in the end I like the fixed studs better to not have to move around after restringing everytime. Thanks for the info.
In Soviet russia Guitar plays youuuu
I liked the Sorkin bridge the best, but perhaps it wouldn't be the best for rockabilly. I no longer have a Gretsch guitar, and I think the tune-o-matic bridge is one of the reasons why. I just hated it.
Was actually my fav as well, sound wise! There's an installation issue though, its stud spacing doesn't match the guitar, putting it just on the top doesn't work well either, because it requires a flat top. For just a quick test, it works fine, however a gigging instrument requires something which would be more stable.
Nice comparison and nice performance. Also after years of people talking sustain to death nice to hear someone else say to just use a compressor. Other thing to consider is that a lot of bridges were designed for use with wound 3rd string and will react and intonate different if modern skinny strings w plain 3rd.
@@trinacria1956 thanks!
By the way, from the perspective of physics, there's no sustain in the guitar sound, only attack and decay ;)
Great comparison I have a 7593 and a 6120 with stock tunomatics and country gent with a rocking bar. Your demo proves my own opinion that the less components in the bridge the better. Much crisper high ends. Will be changing my tunomatics. I struggled with rattling screws from the start but now am convinced. Solid all the way.👍
@@lctq2 exactly! Just a single piece of brass/alu/copper/whatever, that's it! Arghhh, also ebony, I have an ebony bridge in my Danelectro bass!