Tuffset Bridge

[mekhem]

I got an email last week stating they expected to ship a few days later than planned. They'll also be sent in batches, so I expect not all orders will be shipped right away.
I'm not in a hurry though.

Must be a stressful time right now for Dan I'd imagine!

Same - Got my notification but not the ship notification. - which is totally fine since i wont have time to be messing with anything for the next couple of weeks,

[Downsman]

Just got mine today. the advantage of being in the same town they're putting them together. Hand delivered by Dan's father

Put it on my CIJ Jag, which is my current number one.

I won't lie, it is a serious fiddle to set it up. I over loosened the fixing screw on the G string when raising the saddle height, which meant the little nut it screws into dropped off. Had to loosen the strings take the bridge off again, spend about 15 minutes trying to reattach everything, put bridge back on, and tighten up the strings again. And then I did the same thing with the D string when loosening it to adjust the intonation. So same process again.

I think it's due to the 7.25 radius and a high fret somewhere so it was probably close to maximum height (wanted to keep the action low for the high E). My advice for both intonation and raising the saddles is to alternate between the two adjustment screws making very small changes at a time to keep from doing what I did.

However, once I got everything adjusted, and tightened up, I'm really happy with it. I think it looks great, and absolutely nothing is going anywhere in terms of possible movement. Everything that can be locked tight is locked tight. And it's comfortable to rest your hand on. If I get a rattle in the future one thing I'll know for certain is it isn't coming from the bridge.

I'm not someone who can comment on any tone differences. I'll leave that for someone with better (younger) hearing.

It is a big upgrade from the cheap mustang bridge I had on there before. The high E popped out of it's saddle at my last rehearsal so hope that's something I won't experience again.

[mekhem]

Nice!

[crazyzeke]

Just got mine today. the advantage of being in the same town they're putting them together. Hand delivered by Dan's father

Cool, how does it sound in comparison to other bridges, i.e. Mustang, Mastery, Staytrem if you have reference points?

[zhivago]

I looks really nice, maybe the All-Parts Mustang bridge on my '61 JM is due for retirement...

[Downsman]

Just got mine today. the advantage of being in the same town they're putting them together. Hand delivered by Dan's father

Cool, how does it sound in comparison to other bridges, i.e. Mustang, Mastery, Staytrem if you have reference points?

I've got three Staytrems, two Mustang bridges, one Jag with the vintage style bridge, and this one. Never tried a Mastery. In terms of tone I've never noticed a difference when switching bridges. Same with going from brass to steel saddles on a Tele, which people talk about as being a huge difference. Not saying they aren't there, it's just I don't notice them. Even pickups have to be pretty different for me to tell them apart.

For me the big advantage of the Tuffset is being able to adjust individual saddle heights without having screws sticking into your palm and without rattling from not getting both screws the same height. And have the saddles not have gaps between them, moving back and forth. Or strings popping out. Or the bridge sinking down over time. While it took longer than expected to set this one up, it really is a "set and forget" bridge.

[Deed_Poll]

Thank you so much for the write-up, Alex!

So all are aware, I've decided to make a tweak to the design for the next batch to hopefully prevent the problem Downsman experienced! It's just a substitution of an 8mm long screw instead of a 7mm long screw, just so it has a little bit more of a safety blanket against disengaging the retainer.

I'm also working hard to produce a (very basic) installation video, and I'll try to amend that with some dos and don'ts, and probably a disassembly / reassembly guide in the fullness of time.

A balance had to be struck with the manual, in which it had to be pretty detailed and comprehensive (since no other bridge is adjusted in quite this way), but I didn't want it to just be reams and reams of pages and information to the point that it would be a turnoff and people might ignore it.

So I made the decision a while ago to do it as an "Installation Guide" which kind of assumes you're doing a retrofit. It shows you how to replace your old bridge, install the Tuffset, which order to make the adjustments, and how - but its scope is inherently more limited than a full "manual" would be.

I wish I'd done just a couple of extra pages with warnings about loosening the locking screws too much, or how to put them back together if they do come undone. There's a QR code on the inside of the box lid that links to the Installation Guide page of the Tuffset website, so as and when I film these videos and produce the warnings, I'll post them up on there.

Really glad you like the solidity and feel of the bridge, and it sounds like you value being able to set it up perfectly and buzz-free for your instrument too! I'm sorry about the difficulties you experienced, and I'm relieved (and impressed!) you were able to reassemble the bridge too.

Do you mind if I use the pics of your guitar to make a post on the Tuffset Instagram?

Cheers all!

Dan

[Downsman]

The more I'm playing it, the more I'm liking it on my Jag. It just gives a nice classy look and feel. I've been cranking the fuzz and strumming hard and can't get the string to pop out, so again a clear improvement on the Allparts Mustang bridge I had on there.

And the screw length tweak will help avoid what I ran into for sure. People with a 9.5 radius neck probably won't notice any difference, but a bit extra margin of error for a 7.25 neck will be handy.

[Deed_Poll]

Fantastic! How are you liking the vibrato sound and tuning stability?

[Downsman]

Fantastic! How are you liking the vibrato sound and tuning stability?

I didn't think to check that yesterday. I just spent some time now going nuts with the vibrato. Going way beyond the light shimmery vibrato I'd normally use. Repeatedly divebombing as far as it will go.

All I can say is, wow! Even the G string has stayed rock solid tuning. I really wasn't expecting that. Could actually change how I use the vibrato. I'd never think to use it that aggressively except for maybe the end of the last song of the night.

[OffYourFace]

I can't wait to get mine! Dan, will the batch shipping out to the USA have the 8mm screws or is that for future manufacturing?

[Deed_Poll]

I can't wait to get mine! Dan, will the batch shipping out to the USA have the 8mm screws or is that for future manufacturing?

That's a great question, and I've been pondering it all day!

I've decided to retrofit all the bridges we have in hand with the 8mm screws ahead of shipping them to USA and Europe, and we're offering to send the screws out "loose" to any UK customers who want to fit them.

They're not *technically* necessary (the bridges will function fine with the shorter screws when locked), but it's a definite quality-of-life improvement and if it prevents even one person from accidentally disassembling their bridge I reckon it's worthwhile.

The bad news is that it will add a few days to the wait time, but we're in this to make the ultimate Offset bridge and I figure it's better to achieve that even if it takes just a bit longer!

If anyone's really upset by the delay, we're happy to send theirs out as is - but my advice would be to wait for the fix!

Cheers

[OffYourFace]

great thank you Dan! sounds good to me

[crazyzeke]

For me the big advantage of the Tuffset is being able to adjust individual saddle heights without having screws sticking into your palm and without rattling from not getting both screws the same height. And have the saddles not have gaps between them, moving back and forth. Or strings popping out. Or the bridge sinking down over time. While it took longer than expected to set this one up, it really is a "set and forget" bridge.

Great review, especially the second graph above. Reminds me how much grief and trauma (and in my case with the stock bridge, injury) I had with the stock and Mustang bridges, as in things were never quite perfect and you'd always be wondering when something bridge-related was going to go wrong. The Mastery too, has basically been a "set and forget" deal, and I've always loved what it brings to the tone/sustain, however subtle. Think I've only adjusted the intonation once, when changing string brand to Elixir after having years of Ernie Balls either breaking in the vibrato tail or having to be soldered across the wind to stop it doing that (Elixirs last longer, sound brighter during that time and I've never seen one unwind).

[mekhem]

I can't wait to get mine! Dan, will the batch shipping out to the USA have the 8mm screws or is that for future manufacturing?

That's a great question, and I've been pondering it all day!

I've decided to retrofit all the bridges we have in hand with the 8mm screws ahead of shipping them to USA and Europe, and we're offering to send the screws out "loose" to any UK customers who want to fit them.

They're not *technically* necessary (the bridges will function fine with the shorter screws when locked), but it's a definite quality-of-life improvement and if it prevents even one person from accidentally disassembling their bridge I reckon it's worthwhile.

The bad news is that it will add a few days to the wait time, but we're in this to make the ultimate Offset bridge and I figure it's better to achieve that even if it takes just a bit longer!

If anyone's really upset by the delay, we're happy to send theirs out as is - but my advice would be to wait for the fix!

Cheers

I was wondering this exact thing. I can wait. No issues.