I want a better bridge

[GAD]

I hate the bridge on my Guild X170T. On my Gretsch I replaced the bridge with a Compton and/or a TruArc (I have both), and will probably do the same on the Guild, but I'm also interested in replacing the base. Anyone know a good source for a quality base for this type of guitar?

Thanks. Here's a pic of what's on there now for reference.

 

[Jeff Haddad]

I put a brass TruArc on my White Falcon - the color pretty much matches the gold hardware. I just used the existing base since it was a wood base under the original Space Control bridge. You might try StewMac for an appropriate bridge base if you want to ditch the aluminum Bigsby bridge base. Just make sure the height matches.

 

[Walter Broes]

There's nothing really wrong with the common tune-a-matic spaced rosewood based bridge bases you can buy all over the place, except maybe for a X170, they're a little tall. A D'Angelico collector might scoff at them, they're generic mass produced items and hardly Brazilian rosewood, if even real rosewood, but for laminated electric archtops, I think they work.

I have a stainless steel Tru-Arc on my main X175, but it has more neck angle (=taller bridge) than most X170's I've seen, and even then, with a regular Tru-Arc, and one of the bases mentioned above, it's almost too tall.

If you have access to a skilled luthier, I'd suggest having a custom bridge base made out of a nice piece of rosewood or ebony. And if you were to order a Tru-Arc for this guitar, I'd get the "low rider" version, made specifically for guitars with a shallower neck angle/lower bridge height.

P.S. - having a wood base for the Bigsby saddle made is an option too - they do sound nicer and fatter on a wood base than they do on the stock metal one!

 

[rhcole]

I bought a roller type tuneamatic bridge off of eBay but had to sand and shape the base to the right height. The X-170 doesn't accommodate most bridges because the strings are way too high even at the lowest settings. I finally bit the bullet and did it myself.

I'm glad I did it now, but it was a pain to get it right.