Intonation is a finicky think, close enough is usually good enough. 👍 Experimentation like this is always a good thing. I am thinking about doing the same. Appreciate the video!
Yeah I hear ya. These saddles are the best I've come across so far. You set 1 string and the other is dialed in automatically as well.. No need to split the difference like with typical saddles...
I used to use a boss TU-1 to intonate. Finally after 40 years I got a Peterson Strobe tuner. Utterly amazing. I would like to point out that you can file your saddles. Especially, if you own a set of diamond nut slotting files. Just file away until you are happy. A lot of high end bridges come with un-slotted saddles and you have no choice but to set your string spacing, radius, and slots
Ordered a set today to replace another Gotoh saddles that I have. These seem to be a far better solution than anything I've seen out there. Of course not counting the modern telecaster saddles with individual screw for every string, but those change the sound and I adore the sound of my vintage vibe tele
@@dmytrogarastovych7684 oh wow! That's a long wait! Yeah I hope they work out great on your guitar. I ordered 3 more sets to put on my other 3 saddle teles 😃!
@@godzoo18 I didn't feel the difference in sound as my saddles were from same material and approximately same weight. If tele with modern saddles sounds good I would definitely not replace for the vintage ones. I only change what doesn't work for me
Fitted to my 2019 MIM Player Telecaster. Same thing once you set up it stays in tune.😊. I wanted more tradition Tele sound is the only reason I changed from the block saddles and bridge plate.🎉
I bought these Gotoh In Tune brass saddles for my Harley Benton Telecaster style guitar because I'm interested in how they affect the tone, but the intesting thing is the saddles that came with the guitar had almost perfect intonation when the guitar was delivered, and with just some minor adjustments the intonation is perfect. Not bad for of a $138.00 guitar.
Gotoh parts tend to be VERY high quality, and nearly always expensive. I’d say it’s worth it in this particular case though, as these saddles are CLEARLY a much better design than the Wilkinson ones. A couple of tips here: 1) I always like to start by turning the screw in reverse until I feel the initial thread fall into the right place and then start going forward. This can help lessen the chances of cross-threading at the outset. 2) It’s a good idea NOT to tighten the screws against the tension of the strings when adjusting the intonation. If need be, I’d rather start with the saddles slightly too far back, and then loosening the screw to move them forward so that the aren’t having to work against the string tension and putting all that extra wear on the screw threads. 4) Same thing applies when it comes to adjusting the height of the saddles. 5) If you want more precise intonation, a strobe tuner may be a good idea for this. They are expensive though!
Yup I agree with every thing you said. However at #2 you have to be careful when shortening the string that the saddle is actually moving forward. Most action adjusrment screws are are sharp at the bottom and bite somewhat in the bridge plate. Sometimes you'll make an adjustment to move the saddle forward and you feel the screw turn, but what's happening is the screw moves backs off away from the bridge plate and the saddle stays put hahaha. Usually I always make the adjustment to lenghten the string and typically I just loosen the string at the tumer 1 full turn before making the adjustment at the saddle, however in this case I didn't have to do that as I knew the positioning from the start was going to be pretty accurate😀 And #1 the counter clockwise tio is a good trick to use👍but on these saddles, the adjustment screw hole is actually tapered, so once you get the screw end pressed into the tapered opening, you're lined up and good to go. I had no issues at all. Yeah like you said, these are definitely good quality! I ordered 2 other sets😀
@@j-man9457 That a good point about the action adjustment. I’ve never seen this problem with screws biting into the bridge plate that way before. Maybe it’s because my Telecasters have always been poor quality, or because I’ve never had one with a true 3 saddle design before-for example, I had a 90’s Mexican-made Squier Telecaster once with a top loading 6 barrel-type design where the action adjustment screws (especially on the low E) would often work their own way loose over time and start rattling, and the saddle would gradually collapse. Something tells me you’ll NEVER have that problem with these saddles though!
Nice,I am going to put those on my Harley Benton TE52...I got it to intonate really well with the stock straight saddles,so these should be even better.+I really like the sound of the brass on a telecaster.the tone balances well with the insrument.😊
I bought these from NextGen for $29.00 + $9 shipping CAD when I put in the new knobs for my Jazzmaster type. I installed them, but my neck needs work first before getting them set. Cool video, J!
Yeah 2daze! I was skeptical at first but I'm super impressed with how precise these are, and yes they look ile the old style barrel vintage saddles, so Bonus! Haha
Thanks for the info. I was hoping to find a video like this before I pulled the trigger on a Gotoh. My only "wondering" is if it will fit a MIM "Player" model. But the pretty actuate compensation was what I was really wondering about.
@@j-man9457 Ha! Not that lucky. I have a "MIM Players Tele" so it's time for me to figure out what Gotoh will work for that model. They sell a "Vintage" that pops right in, but my "Player" is not vintage.
@@cowboy7x ahhh I see. Well if your currrent Bridge is a straight 4 hole mount, the 4 hole ashtray bridges will line up to those no problems. I've changes may teles from 6 saddle modern bridges to ashtray style vintage bridge witj no issues.... but it depends what you have on there stock for sure.
@@j-man9457 Yes, it's a 4 hole with a flat back plate (except for the very back). Good to know as that's what I was hoping for. So a Gotoh "ash tray" style, (with the sides cut lower) will probably work? I wanting to go with the typical vintage barrel sound and can't stand the looks of the newer bridges. And while you'd think that intonation would be easier with the newer (6) version, I had to totally take off the low "E" bridge spring to get it to go back far enough to NOT be too sharp at the 12th. I've never run into something like that.
@@cowboy7x hmmm yeah that is weird. Maybe the saddle body on the Mexicans are extra long hence the lack of room with the spring in...?🤔 unless the Mexicans are totally different, the 4 hole ashtray bridge mounting holes will line up, as will the string through body holes. The only difference is the surface of the ashtray bridge that sits on the body is shorter on the back side... the front of the ashtray should be right where your current bridge sits now.😀
Man I got the bridge and Love it!!!!!!!!!!!! Get the whole bridge!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! you wont regret it!!!!!!! Love the Video!!!!!!!! Full watch!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I want to retrofit an “ashtray” vintage bridge assembly on my Fender Player tele but..... the new style flat bridgeplate is way longer than a trad one and the holes don’t line up.....
Yeah that are... However the pickup rout and string through body holes should be in the same place. So if the ashtray bridge hides you original bridge mounting holes, simply insert small dowels or drill bits in the string through body holes of the ashtray bridge to line it up and drill new mounting holes... 😀
Just ordered these. How do you line up the notches? Zero manual explanation. How do you place the 3 barrels for a right hand setup? Which side up? I cant see your setup. To blurry video when you zoom in. 😅 I ordered one for the short ash tray sides. My og Tele bridge is spot on perfect today allready. Even better than my Teles with modern bridges! 😮
Unless you ordered something different, they come packaged for a right handed application. Just orient the package with the saddles positioned like they would be in your bridge and take them out one at a time starting with the E/B and swap them out on order. You don't have to line up the notches. They are where they need to be. Just lay the string in the notch as you tighten your strings... Once all 3 are installed, dial in your intonation and enjoy!
@@j-man9457I mean, the left and right notch are ofcourse different. So which side goes where? Which notches goes towards my face and which goes downwards? If I flip those things/drop them around its reversed right. Theres no rule that the factory placed them in correct order/side up in the package. 😅 Even the product picture have them mixed up.
@@drifter7508 pretty sure it doesn’t matter... The only way you can transform these saddles from right to left is to pull out the intonation screw and install in from the other side of the saddle. Plus you can't flip the saddle upside down because the action adjustment screws would be upside down. If you look closely at the saddles where the notches are, in the notch there is a raised ridge where the string rests. That ridge is the compensation you need for correct intonation. So when you line up your 3 saddles side to side, you can see the ridges are not in the same spots on the saddles within the notch. So starting from the small E, the ridges in the notches to go like this: Forward-Back / Back-Forward / Forward-Back Make sense?
@@drifter7508 because you have 2 strings on each saddle and it's the nature of intonation for a 3 saddle tele. The E is further forward than the B, and the A is further forward than the Low E, but for the G and D strings, the G will be further back than the D which is why the middle saddle stagger is opposite the other 2. If not you will never get the D and G to intonate correctly. Good luck,🤘
Hmmm no I haven't. Didn't know they existed... never seen them and they never came up in my searches. But I'll specifically look for them now😀 Sounds interesting... thanks Larry!
Use pliers and slightly bend the bolt. May not work here as the saddles are already touching. Anyway, that’s the way Joe Glazer intonates vintage teles.
@@bwhit716Everybody is different, but IMO, these Gotoh saddles are better in every way to the Wilkinson. They intonate better, they resonate better, they are grooved so the string stays put etc... I love em! I installed them on all of my 3 saddle teles!😎🤟 Apparently you can get these on Aliexpress for a fraction of the price and the only difference is they do not come in the gotoh packaging...
@@larryn2682 not sure man... My buddy 2bikemike on youtube got some from there and he said they were great. The only diff is they don't come in the gotoh packaging....
thank you for this video! Helped me install my new saddles and get over my fear of intonating my guitar :)
@@matt_george_music ahhh right on man! Easy mod to do and these saddles are a breeze to intonate!
Thanks for the comment, and enjoy!
Intonation is a finicky think, close enough is usually good enough. 👍 Experimentation like this is always a good thing. I am thinking about doing the same. Appreciate the video!
Yeah I hear ya. These saddles are the best I've come across so far. You set 1 string and the other is dialed in automatically as well.. No need to split the difference like with typical saddles...
I used to use a boss TU-1 to intonate. Finally after 40 years I got a Peterson Strobe tuner. Utterly amazing. I would like to point out that you can file your saddles. Especially, if you own a set of diamond nut slotting files. Just file away until you are happy. A lot of high end bridges come with un-slotted saddles and you have no choice but to set your string spacing, radius, and slots
Any quality set of small files will work. The triangle file works well too.
Ordered a set today to replace another Gotoh saddles that I have. These seem to be a far better solution than anything I've seen out there. Of course not counting the modern telecaster saddles with individual screw for every string, but those change the sound and I adore the sound of my vintage vibe tele
Cool man! Yeah I know exactly what you mean. I was very surprised at how precise these are. Let me know if you like them once you get them on.😀
J
@@j-man9457 unfortunately that won't be fast, delivery to Ukraine takes about a month or so, but I hope it's worth it
@@dmytrogarastovych7684 oh wow! That's a long wait! Yeah I hope they work out great on your guitar. I ordered 3 more sets to put on my other 3 saddle teles 😃!
@@godzoo18 I didn't feel the difference in sound as my saddles were from same material and approximately same weight. If tele with modern saddles sounds good I would definitely not replace for the vintage ones. I only change what doesn't work for me
Fitted to my 2019 MIM Player Telecaster. Same thing once you set up it stays in tune.😊. I wanted more tradition Tele sound is the only reason I changed from the block saddles and bridge plate.🎉
@@dennisgearside9887 right on man! Yeah great saddles!
I bought these Gotoh In Tune brass saddles for my Harley Benton Telecaster style guitar because I'm interested in how they affect the tone, but the intesting thing is the saddles that came with the guitar had almost perfect intonation when the guitar was delivered, and with just some minor adjustments the intonation is perfect. Not bad for of a $138.00 guitar.
@@Shadowman-1960 yup not bad at all! 👍
Gotoh parts tend to be VERY high quality, and nearly always expensive. I’d say it’s worth it in this particular case though, as these saddles are CLEARLY a much better design than the Wilkinson ones. A couple of tips here:
1) I always like to start by turning the screw in reverse until I feel the initial thread fall into the right place and then start going forward. This can help lessen the chances of cross-threading at the outset.
2) It’s a good idea NOT to tighten the screws against the tension of the strings when adjusting the intonation. If need be, I’d rather start with the saddles slightly too far back, and then loosening the screw to move them forward so that the aren’t having to work against the string tension and putting all that extra wear on the screw threads.
4) Same thing applies when it comes to adjusting the height of the saddles.
5) If you want more precise intonation, a strobe tuner may be a good idea for this. They are expensive though!
Yup I agree with every thing you said. However at #2 you have to be careful when shortening the string that the saddle is actually moving forward. Most action adjusrment screws are are sharp at the bottom and bite somewhat in the bridge plate. Sometimes you'll make an adjustment to move the saddle forward and you feel the screw turn, but what's happening is the screw moves backs off away from the bridge plate and the saddle stays put hahaha. Usually I always make the adjustment to lenghten the string and typically I just loosen the string at the tumer 1 full turn before making the adjustment at the saddle, however in this case I didn't have to do that as I knew the positioning from the start was going to be pretty accurate😀
And #1 the counter clockwise tio is a good trick to use👍but on these saddles, the adjustment screw hole is actually tapered, so once you get the screw end pressed into the tapered opening, you're lined up and good to go. I had no issues at all. Yeah like you said, these are definitely good quality! I ordered 2 other sets😀
@@j-man9457 That a good point about the action adjustment. I’ve never seen this problem with screws biting into the bridge plate that way before. Maybe it’s because my Telecasters have always been poor quality, or because I’ve never had one with a true 3 saddle design before-for example, I had a 90’s Mexican-made Squier Telecaster once with a top loading 6 barrel-type design where the action adjustment screws (especially on the low E) would often work their own way loose over time and start rattling, and the saddle would gradually collapse. Something tells me you’ll NEVER have that problem with these saddles though!
Wow J, You’ve gone Full Tech on us 😱😬 great video! Simple to understand, and really informative!! Keep ‘ ‘em coming!!
Nice,I am going to put those on my Harley Benton TE52...I got it to intonate really well with the stock straight saddles,so these should be even better.+I really like the sound of the brass on a telecaster.the tone balances well with the insrument.😊
Yeah man, I Agree. These saddles are awesome!
I bought these from NextGen for $29.00 + $9 shipping CAD when I put in the new knobs for my Jazzmaster type. I installed them, but my neck needs work first before getting them set. Cool video, J!
Yes I remember you mentioning you had some of these. Once you get everything set, let me know how you find them!😀
Nice find, these actually look more like vintage barrel saddles, but have that compensation that the wilkinson offer, cool stuff J man,thanks.
Yeah 2daze! I was skeptical at first but I'm super impressed with how precise these are, and yes they look ile the old style barrel vintage saddles, so Bonus! Haha
Nice find. May need to check them out for my thinline tele.
Cool Mark! Yup unless I just got lucky with this set, these seem to be bang on as far as Intonation goes. Very impressed so far😀
Thanks for the info. I was hoping to find a video like this before I pulled the trigger on a Gotoh. My only "wondering" is if it will fit a MIM "Player" model. But the pretty actuate compensation was what I was really wondering about.
Hey glad to help. If you have a 3 saddle bridge on your guitar, you shouldn't have any issues installing these at all😀
@@j-man9457 Ha! Not that lucky. I have a "MIM Players Tele" so it's time for me to figure out what Gotoh will work for that model. They sell a "Vintage" that pops right in, but my "Player" is not vintage.
@@cowboy7x ahhh I see. Well if your currrent Bridge is a straight 4 hole mount, the 4 hole ashtray bridges will line up to those no problems. I've changes may teles from 6 saddle modern bridges to ashtray style vintage bridge witj no issues.... but it depends what you have on there stock for sure.
@@j-man9457 Yes, it's a 4 hole with a flat back plate (except for the very back). Good to know as that's what I was hoping for.
So a Gotoh "ash tray" style, (with the sides cut lower) will probably work? I wanting to go with the typical vintage barrel sound and can't stand the looks of the newer bridges.
And while you'd think that intonation would be easier with the newer (6) version, I had to totally take off the low "E" bridge spring to get it to go back far enough to NOT be too sharp at the 12th. I've never run into something like that.
@@cowboy7x hmmm yeah that is weird. Maybe the saddle body on the Mexicans are extra long hence the lack of room with the spring in...?🤔 unless the Mexicans are totally different, the 4 hole ashtray bridge mounting holes will line up, as will the string through body holes. The only difference is the surface of the ashtray bridge that sits on the body is shorter on the back side... the front of the ashtray should be right where your current bridge sits now.😀
Great video... thanks ...btw what model is your tele? .. bird's eye?
This Tele is the M-Musi Virgo Classic available on Amazon. Amazing guitars. Not bird's eye but it does have a roasted maple neck and fretboard😀
Man I got the bridge and Love it!!!!!!!!!!!! Get the whole bridge!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! you wont regret it!!!!!!! Love the Video!!!!!!!! Full watch!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Cool man! Thanks!
Really Great Job Man.❤
@@jaguarsunburst1570 thanks. Great saddles! Haha
I want to retrofit an “ashtray” vintage bridge assembly on my Fender Player tele but..... the new style flat bridgeplate is way longer than a trad one and the holes don’t line up.....
Yeah that are... However the pickup rout and string through body holes should be in the same place. So if the ashtray bridge hides you original bridge mounting holes, simply insert small dowels or drill bits in the string through body holes of the ashtray bridge to line it up and drill new mounting holes... 😀
Just ordered these. How do you line up the notches? Zero manual explanation. How do you place the 3 barrels for a right hand setup? Which side up? I cant see your setup. To blurry video when you zoom in. 😅 I ordered one for the short ash tray sides. My og Tele bridge is spot on perfect today allready. Even better than my Teles with modern bridges! 😮
Unless you ordered something different, they come packaged for a right handed application. Just orient the package with the saddles positioned like they would be in your bridge and take them out one at a time starting with the E/B and swap them out on order. You don't have to line up the notches. They are where they need to be. Just lay the string in the notch as you tighten your strings... Once all 3 are installed, dial in your intonation and enjoy!
@@j-man9457I mean, the left and right notch are ofcourse different. So which side goes where? Which notches goes towards my face and which goes downwards? If I flip those things/drop them around its reversed right. Theres no rule that the factory placed them in correct order/side up in the package. 😅 Even the product picture have them mixed up.
@@drifter7508 pretty sure it doesn’t matter... The only way you can transform these saddles from right to left is to pull out the intonation screw and install in from the other side of the saddle. Plus you can't flip the saddle upside down because the action adjustment screws would be upside down. If you look closely at the saddles where the notches are, in the notch there is a raised ridge where the string rests. That ridge is the compensation you need for correct intonation. So when you line up your 3 saddles side to side, you can see the ridges are not in the same spots on the saddles within the notch. So starting from the small E, the ridges in the notches to go like this: Forward-Back / Back-Forward / Forward-Back
Make sense?
@@j-man9457Yes, but why is the middle one not set like the other 2 then? =)
@@drifter7508 because you have 2 strings on each saddle and it's the nature of intonation for a 3 saddle tele.
The E is further forward than the B, and the A is further forward than the Low E, but for the G and D strings, the G will be further back than the D which is why the middle saddle stagger is opposite the other 2. If not you will never get the D and G to intonate correctly.
Good luck,🤘
Have you tried the titanium Gotoh saddles of this same type? They cost a little more than the brass, but the tone would be different.
Hmmm no I haven't. Didn't know they existed... never seen them and they never came up in my searches. But I'll specifically look for them now😀
Sounds interesting... thanks Larry!
η πρωτη κιθαρα που την ακουω να ειναι σωστα κουρδισμενη
What brand of guitar is that ?
M-Musi Virgo Classic. They are awesome!
Use pliers and slightly bend the bolt. May not work here as the saddles are already touching. Anyway, that’s the way Joe Glazer intonates vintage teles.
These gotoh saddles are dead on. No need for bending bolts with these! Very impressed!
@@j-man9457 How did they compare tonally…girth, brightness etc. to Wilkinson.
@@bwhit716Everybody is different, but IMO, these Gotoh saddles are better in every way to the Wilkinson. They intonate better, they resonate better, they are grooved so the string stays put etc... I love em! I installed them on all of my 3 saddle teles!😎🤟
Apparently you can get these on Aliexpress for a fraction of the price and the only difference is they do not come in the gotoh packaging...
@j-man9457 I'm suspicious the ones on Ali Express are counterfeit.
@@larryn2682 not sure man...
My buddy 2bikemike on youtube got some from there and he said they were great. The only diff is they don't come in the gotoh packaging....