Gretsch Replacement Bridge - Titanium TruArc

rockabilly69 · #1 06-30-2021, 05:04 PM

I just replaced the bridge on my Gretsch Double Anniversary 6118T SGR with a TruArc. For two reasons, the stock bridge is the wrong radius and doesn't match the fingerboard radius, and the new bridge is made of titanium, which has a cool ring to it (on this guitar any way)! Soon as I plugged it in, I got a good vibe, so I turned on the recorder, and wrote and recorded this song. This was a fun one, kind of Creedence tremolo, mixed with some Who power chords. As Pete Townsend is one of my favorite guitarists, on the chorus, I hit the G chord hard, and then added a sus4 to try and get the sound of his Gretsch 6120, like on the album "Who's Next"! I even threw in a little Joe Walsh style slide guitar across the power chords in the chorus.

Don't listen on a phone or little computer speakers. I don't think you'll hear the full range of this guitar! At least use some headphones

FrankHudson · #2 06-30-2021, 08:28 PM

Very cool musical piece there.

The TruArc is a rocker bridge, right? Any troubles around that?

rockabilly69 · #3 06-30-2021, 08:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FrankHudson

Very cool musical piece there.

The TruArc is a rocker bridge, right? Any troubles around that?

Thank you for the nice comments. It really doesn’t rock Frank, it’s pretty steady on the posts. The guy that designed it, Tim Harman, says it, "tips on the bridge" rather than rock

And no, NO problems, actually this is one Bigsby guitar that really stays in tune! In the verses, listen to the 7th chord track that is working against the two harmonized (actually octaves) guitar tracks, you can hear me using the Bigsby on almost every chord!

Glennwillow · #4 06-30-2021, 11:38 PM

Hi Daniel,

Is this one of your compositions? It's pretty cool!

I really love the tones you have gotten down in this recording, Daniel! Very, very nice!

Man, you are getting up there pretty high on the harmony! Well done!

- Glenn

rockabilly69 · #5 07-01-2021, 12:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Glennwillow

Hi Daniel,

Is this one of your compositions? It's pretty cool!

I really love the tones you have gotten down in this recording, Daniel! Very, very nice!

Man, you are getting up there pretty high on the harmony! Well done!

- Glenn

Thanks Glenn, and yes, I wrote it last night while testing out the new bridge on the guitar, and yes, that's a full voice high harmony, I'm lucky I didn't pull something!

I know one day you'll wind up with Gretsch, it's inevitable

Glennwillow · #6 07-01-2021, 09:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rockabilly69

...I know one day you'll wind up with Gretsch, it's inevitable

It may be!!!

I may have to face up to selling something else to get there...

- Glenn

mherrcat · #7 07-01-2021, 12:29 PM

I just bought a 6118T Players Edition Anniversary LIV on Reverb. Really good deal from a guy who bought it just to do a recording session. Basically brand new at a substantial discount. Couldn't pass it up.

Not sure where the talk about Gretsch bridges not matching the fretboard radius comes from, unless it is from older models when quality control or manufacturing processes were not sufficient. I just checked the rocking bar bridge on mine and it is 12" radius same as the fretboard.

I also have a 6118T-60 Vintage Select '60 Anniversary with the Hilo'Tron pickups that I bought about a year ago. This guitar has the open back, Waverly-style tuners, not the locking tuners that the Players Edition has, and I have some issues with it staying in tune. I replaced the original Space Control bridge with an ABR Tune-o-Matic stye roller bridge but that didn't seem to help much. I was thinking of replacing the tuners with locking Graph Tech Ratio tuners but it appears that I would have to significantly ream out the holes in the headstock to fit the Ratios. Not sure I want to do that. I may replace the nut with a Graph Tech nut as well, which might help the tuning issue.

I am also replacing the stock Bigsby springs with Reverend Soft-Touch springs and am experimenting with some round core strings. I think I prefer the pin-style Bigsby string attachment better than the string-through style. Something about the sharp edge of the hole against the string on the string-through roller seems like a bad idea to me.

rockabilly69 · #8 07-01-2021, 02:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mherrcat

I just bought a 6118T Players Edition Anniversary LIV on Reverb. Really good deal from a guy who bought it just to do a recording session. Basically brand new at a substantial discount. Couldn't pass it up.

Not sure where the talk about Gretsch bridges not matching the fretboard radius comes from, unless it is from older models when quality control or manufacturing processes were not sufficient. I just checked the rocking bar bridge on mine and it is 12" radius same as the fretboard.

I also have a 6118T-60 Vintage Select '60 Anniversary with the Hilo'Tron pickups that I bought about a year ago. This guitar has the open back, Waverly-style tuners, not the locking tuners that the Players Edition has, and I have some issues with it staying in tune. I replaced the original Space Control bridge with an ABR Tune-o-Matic stye roller bridge but that didn't seem to help much. I was thinking of replacing the tuners with locking Graph Tech Ratio tuners but it appears that I would have to significantly ream out the holes in the headstock to fit the Ratios. Not sure I want to do that. I may replace the nut with a Graph Tech nut as well, which might help the tuning issue.

I am also replacing the stock Bigsby springs with Reverend Soft-Touch springs and am experimenting with some round core strings. I think I prefer the pin-style Bigsby string attachment better than the string-through style. Something about the sharp edge of the hole against the string on the string-through roller seems like a bad idea to me.

Mine had a different radius, so maybe it was one of the first ones off of the line. Although the one I bought was a customer return, so who knows something could have happened there! But even it was the same radius, I would still keep this new Titanium bridge, as the guitar rings more with it.

I tried the Reverend Spring, and I know many people like it, but it wasn't for me, it was too squishy. I like it tighter, as I think it reacts faster.

I like the pinless Bigsby, and I've had no problems with it. My other two Gretsches have the pins, so on those I just capo the string onto the fretboard until I get the end into the tuner and tightened up. So no problem anyway. I've been playing Gretsches for 20 years so I'm used to Bigsbys

Currently I'm using Thomastik roundwounds on my 6118T SGR and my 6120T '55VS, on my 6128T FSR DuoJet I just installed a set of Newtone Nickel Master strings. I just found you can't order the Newtones in the USA anymore (at least the strings I got), so I will probably use Pyramid Maximum Performance strings on that one.

As for your out of tuneness, have you checked all the contact points of the string, I had an old DuoJet (with the open back tuners), that the strings were ever so slightly, hanging up in the nut, so I slightly opened the nut slots with sanding cord, then lubed them, along with lubricating the bridge contact points and after that never had a problem with tuning. BTW I have NEVER had good luck with roller bridges, every one I've ever used robbed sustain. I did just recently change the bridge on my newer DuoJet with a Gretsch SyncroSonic and I love the in-tuneness of that thing. Check out this thread...

https://www.acousticguitarforum.com/...d.php?t=619095

BTW I love the sound of Hilotrons, I have an old Gretsch Corvette that is in pieces in my basement that I need to put back together with a single Hilotron. Have you recorded anything with yours? If so, post it up, as I would love to hear it.