The saddle goes on the base. The two of them are known collectively as the bridge. The metal bits are thumbwheels and bridge posts.
On a T-O-M saddle, the sliding bits are saddle pieces. Many people refer to them as "saddles" and the T-O-M as the "bridge". This is because on a solid body or semi-hollow with fixed posts/rods but without a floating base, the TOM saddle is also the bridge. There are Nashville Stud TOMs and ABR-1 TOMs. Most archtop guitars use the ABR-1 TOMs.
Confused?
It depends on whom you are talking to. To archtop people, the floating bridge with a saddle and a base is simply, "the bridge". There are those who "pin" a floating bridge to the top with pins so that it doesn't move. This is known as a pinned bridge. It can be made to float by removing the pins. The holes in the top remain but are mostly hidden by the base.
Dan Koentopp carves one-piece floating bridges for his archtop guitars. So, the saddle and base are one as on a violin, viola, cello or double bass.
Last edited by Jabberwocky; 04-06-2017 at 08:17 PM.
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