SB-0190 NON-TREMOLO TOP LOADING BRIDGE for Squier (Bullet Mustang)

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guitalias
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SB-0190 NON-TREMOLO TOP LOADING BRIDGE for Squier (Bullet Mustang)

Post by guitalias » Sat Sep 05, 2020 4:14 pm

Does anyone have experience with these SB-0190 NON-TREMOLO TOP LOADING BRIDGE as a replacement bridge for a Squier (Bullet Mustang) standard bridge? I've seen them suggested sometimes but not convinced they are better than correcting the problem of too long intonation screws on the SBM.
I would have thought the offset string/screw would cause the saddle to rattle from side to side.
https://www.allparts.com/products/sb-01 ... ing-bridge

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Re: SB-0190 NON-TREMOLO TOP LOADING BRIDGE for Squier (Bullet Mustang)

Post by epizootics » Sat Sep 05, 2020 10:06 pm

No experience with this bridge in particular, but years ago I had a Chinese knock-off Telecaster that used the same offset saddles. They work fine! If you're anxious about sideways movement, you can always add a small nut on the inside of the bridge at the base of each of the intonation screws. Those are usually M3. Once you get your action and intonation right, simply tighten the nuts against the bridge. No more movement!

On a side note, though, those might not be the best option for a Bullet Mustang. The E to E spacing seems to be 2 1/8", vs. 2 1/16" on the Squier. It's not much but it might bring those E strings too close to the edge of the fretboard if you don't have much wiggling room there. And those saddles are usually made of cheap pot metal, ie. die-cast zinc alloy. That's not an issue in itself, but some people find that stuff sounds bland as a saddle material.

I must say I'm on the fence about this one. I've had fine-sounding guitars with pot metal saddles. I like aluminum saddles the most, but they're not always an option. I usually find that zinc alloy sounds fine as long as there's a steep break angle behind the saddle, which is the case with top-loading designs where the strings attach in the bent part of the bridge.

Overall, though, it's hard to tell if this bridge would be an improvement over the one you have on your guitar right now. They're both Chinese made, and the tolerance in their production will be similarly poor. The inner threads for both the intonation and height screws might be too wide, resulting in a rattly design. You can't really tell until you get one and play it for a while!

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mastermorya
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Re: SB-0190 NON-TREMOLO TOP LOADING BRIDGE for Squier (Bullet Mustang)

Post by mastermorya » Sun Sep 06, 2020 12:15 pm

Also available on ebay, I just got one. I'll report back. https://www.ebay.com/itm/SB-0190-010-No ... 2749.l2649

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Re: SB-0190 NON-TREMOLO TOP LOADING BRIDGE for Squier (Bullet Mustang)

Post by mastermorya » Thu Sep 10, 2020 2:09 pm

So I got one of these today, and I am going to try it out on on my Mustang HH. Initial thoughts:

It doesn't seem to be be much more solid than the standard bridge. Not particularly heavy.

Not exactly a drop-in. The plate itself is a bit more narrow than the standard bridge. Note that the standard bridge has five holes, three in the bottom, at the center, right, and left, and on the top on the right and left. This replacement bridge has only three holes at the bottom, and the right and left ones are not in the same place as the standard bridge. But I found that if I use the same center hole, the bridge ends up fitting with equidistant space between itself and the pickgaurd on the top of the bridge plate and the right and left sides. So I think it will look ok.

As I think has been pointed out, the string spacing is a bit weird, wider than the standard bridge, with some extra width between of 3rd and 4th string because of how the saddles are shaped. We'll see if that makes any kind of difference.

Initially I contemplated taking the saddles from this and putting them on the standard bridge, but that won't work because these saddles are wider and more importantly the holes need to be offset from where the saddles screw into the bridge. Because the holes are in the same place as the saddle screws on the original bridge, cannibalizing the saddles from this bridge onto the standard bridge won't work.

I'm not mad about it, given that it cost me like $16. Waiting on new pickups so once I get those installed, I'll try out the new bridge.

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Re: SB-0190 NON-TREMOLO TOP LOADING BRIDGE for Squier (Bullet Mustang)

Post by mastermorya » Sat Sep 19, 2020 3:43 pm

Update: this bridge sucks. It doesn't appear to be any more solidly made than the stock Mustang HH Bullet bridge, and has the added benefit of cheap ass screws, one of which was stripped after about 5 seconds of trying to unscrew one of them. Don't buy it. Stick with the original mediocre bridge. If there are better options, this is not one of them.

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Re: SB-0190 NON-TREMOLO TOP LOADING BRIDGE for Squier (Bullet Mustang)

Post by guitalias » Sat Sep 19, 2020 9:43 pm

mastermorya wrote:
Sat Sep 19, 2020 3:43 pm
Update: this bridge sucks. It doesn't appear to be any more solidly made than the stock Mustang HH Bullet bridge, and has the added benefit of cheap ass screws, one of which was stripped after about 5 seconds of trying to unscrew one of them. Don't buy it. Stick with the original mediocre bridge. If there are better options, this is not one of them.
Thanks for reporting back about this.
I'm satisfied with the standard bridge for my playing ability, but need to replace so I can reassemble my sacrifice Bullet Mustang.

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Re: SB-0190 NON-TREMOLO TOP LOADING BRIDGE for Squier (Bullet Mustang)

Post by Gordon » Sat Sep 19, 2020 11:08 pm

The cheap hardtail bridges (the ones with the mounting screws at the corners) are all more or less the same. If you want an improvement, you have to look into the vintage bridges (the ones with the 3 mounting screws behind the saddles), but most are string-through, or larger than the one you want to replace. And you have to drill new mounting holes. The best choice to me would be the Wilkinson: https://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-Wilkinson- ... 4791751442 (exists in gold and in black, bent saddles or modern ones), which has string-through and top-loading holes. Are there better options? Yes, but this one's rather cheap, size is correct, and sturdy enough to consider it a permanent fit.
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Re: SB-0190 NON-TREMOLO TOP LOADING BRIDGE for Squier (Bullet Mustang)

Post by guitalias » Sun Sep 20, 2020 1:01 am

Gordon wrote:
Sat Sep 19, 2020 11:08 pm
The cheap hardtail bridges (the ones with the mounting screws at the corners) are all more or less the same. If you want an improvement, you have to look into the vintage bridges (the ones with the 3 mounting screws behind the saddles), but most are string-through, or larger than the one you want to replace. And you have to drill new mounting holes. The best choice to me would be the Wilkinson: https://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-Wilkinson- ... 4791751442 (exists in gold and in black, bent saddles or modern ones), which has string-through and top-loading holes. Are there better options? Yes, but this one's rather cheap, size is correct, and sturdy enough to consider it a permanent fit.
Sold. I had considered the Wilkinson previously, but when I'd searched either couldn't find stock or a seller who would send to Oz.

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Re: SB-0190 NON-TREMOLO TOP LOADING BRIDGE for Squier (Bullet Mustang)

Post by mastermorya » Sun Sep 20, 2020 9:05 am

Gordon wrote:
Sat Sep 19, 2020 11:08 pm
The cheap hardtail bridges (the ones with the mounting screws at the corners) are all more or less the same. If you want an improvement, you have to look into the vintage bridges (the ones with the 3 mounting screws behind the saddles), but most are string-through, or larger than the one you want to replace. And you have to drill new mounting holes. The best choice to me would be the Wilkinson: https://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-Wilkinson- ... 4791751442 (exists in gold and in black, bent saddles or modern ones), which has string-through and top-loading holes. Are there better options? Yes, but this one's rather cheap, size is correct, and sturdy enough to consider it a permanent fit.
Do you need to drill new holes for this one?

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Re: SB-0190 NON-TREMOLO TOP LOADING BRIDGE for Squier (Bullet Mustang)

Post by Gordon » Sun Sep 20, 2020 1:50 pm

mastermorya wrote:
Sun Sep 20, 2020 9:05 am
Do you need to drill new holes for this one?
Yes, three.
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Re: SB-0190 NON-TREMOLO TOP LOADING BRIDGE for Squier (Bullet Mustang)

Post by Sweetfinger » Thu Sep 24, 2020 3:36 am

mastermorya wrote:
Sat Sep 19, 2020 3:43 pm
Update: this bridge sucks. It doesn't appear to be any more solidly made than the stock Mustang HH Bullet bridge, and has the added benefit of cheap ass screws, one of which was stripped after about 5 seconds of trying to unscrew one of them. Don't buy it. Stick with the original mediocre bridge. If there are better options, this is not one of them.
I've never had problems with these and have installed twenty? maybe thirty, over the years. It is a substantial improvement over the stock bridge. Your mileage obviously differed.

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