You still have two pieces in the ABR system. The post and the wheel. I think the Nashville system is much better engineered and clean. The difference in sound you got is more because that much added mass. Those posts are huge and wont sound like an ABR neither. Very good comparison you did
Lot of people in the comments below typing on hypotheticals lol. If you put skinnier posts on with the same bridge that fit the bigger ones then it will fit more loosely and cause stability issues and I think a little less sustain based off of your clips. I can hear a clear difference on other peoples different videos comparing the actual bridges (Faber vs Gibson vs Tonepros….) but they never talk about the posts but it’s on my to do list for my guitars. I also used a Schaller roller bridge with my Bigsby and I got an unexpected change in tone that I definitely liked but it’s an Epiphone Dot Studio so changing out any factory hardware is an upgrade in tone and sustain for what it’s worth. Even adding the Bigsby improved the tone and sustain. I bet you would notice switching from the Nashville bridge to the Vintage one based on other commenters giving their feedback on other channels. Probably a much more subtle change though with a Gibson but I haven’t tinkered with my bridge yet on my ES-335 Memphis Studio. I was happy with how the Kluson vintage tuners sounded instead of the Grovers it came with. Definitely brighter
Oh yeah? What was the difference? Which part of the difference can be attributed to the slight variation in tuning, and the difference in how hard and how loudly he hit the high E in the 2 tests (which were recorded hours apart)?
I recently made this exact change for my 2021 Les Paul Standard and went with the master Plus kit (conversion post + locking bridge). The results were very noticable to me. The faber kit resulted in a significantly mellower, less immediate attack, overall darker tone, and an increased resonance. While the tonal differences can definitely be compensated by tweaking some EQ settings, the immediacy of the attacks on the notes cannot. Personally, I prefer (or got used to) the original ones, and will probably go for the original post + locking bridge and see if we land on a happy middle ground. Downside currently is I don't have any rubber washers to pull them up. Will see how it goes.
Dude we must be on the same wavelength, I just did this to mine too! Also had the same issue with the hole not deep enough and had to pry it out lol. Waiting for the vintage tuners to arrive and gonna make a vid.
I'm trying to swap mine out mainly for color, and Faber offers a nice aged brass. It's a bit confusing on which set to order for a 2001 LP Standard. I can't believe the posts themselves can make a difference, as I am looking at complete bridge and stop bar tailpiece.
I totally agree at the confusion. Gibson hasn’t made it easy. I think the Faber website has tried its best to clarify, but it can still be a little muddy. All the best.
Unplugged I could definitely tell a difference with the faber - slightly louder but for sure sounded more “full” with slightly less top end. Kinda hard to explain. I however didn’t notice as much of a difference when plugged in and it seemed the faber was almost a bit muffled. I have a Gibson les Paul tribute that is light, slightly thinner body, and has a maple neck and it’s just too bright overall. From what I’ve been reading the faber should help with that.
the original Gibson Nashville posts sound louder, clearer and rung out better. The Faber dulled the resonance, perhaps that is what you were trying to achieve.
Have you installed the Faber? My experience is replacing steel studs with brass tames the highs, and harshness, and adds some lower mids. I have a maple neck LP as well, and it's bright. It had A5 magnet pickups that made it seem more bright. I swapped the magnets to A4. That leveled it out. I loved the overall sustain, tone, and resonance of the guitar. I just wanted to tame the highs a little.
@@Separade Being "German" brass didn't make any improvement, now did it. Think the only good Faber parts are the steel bushing inserts for the tailpiece, all their other stuff is horse hockey.
@@swagedelic I cant even understand a third of your word salad but i reply anyway. Insane that you tried ALL faber Metal Parts and compared them to other brands. Where can i find your comparisons? Its just a fact that vintage bridge posts where made of brass not any kind of pot metal. And im 100% sure if any product is not advertised as something else its always cheap Chinese metal. So of course german bell brass is a positive thing.
@@Separade Are you desperate for attention or just trolling? What part of the English language do you not understand? I wrote, the stud inserts are most likely the only good thing from Faber. Gibson LPs already have brass bridge posts. Now get on with your life.
The Wammy Bar will add tone, I pulled one off an SG and the SG lost some of its Dark Rich Tone. I may put it back on. So be careful not to screw up a Guitar just because everyone says its better, it may not be.
Thanks! I considered that at first, but I wanted to stay with the vintage look. Now I’m actually wondering if the locking bridge would be better for tuning stability with the Bigsby. 🤔
I think too many people make the conversions thinking it will just be better without considering their style of play. For any kind of hard rock or metal the nashville posts resulted in a brighter tone and quicker attack. For warmer, jazzy, clean tones or mellow blues playing then the faber posts adds some warmth, but with it some muddiness.
Last week I put the same inserts in my LP with Bigsby. After 2 days both Inserts broke . I contacted the german Faber distributor and wanted my money back. He said "no". He said I had the wrong bridge on my LP. An ABR-1 instead of a rollerbridge. Never buy Faber-stuff again.
@@NathanSink Yes, they broke. The posts bend back and forth when using the Bigsby. And after a few times they broke. I put the nashville conversion posts back in with the LP came with and everything is okay.
@@musikus7092 yeah, after thinking about it more that was gonna be my guess…at the part where the diameter reduces way down. I guess the strings didn’t have much slip in the saddles & we’re really putting a lateral force on the posts. Well, Faber should definitely have that warning listed somewhere. That’s sucks for you. 😕
@@NathanSink You said it. The diameter is too small and brass is a material that broke very fast. Next I will try a roller bridge. I heard positive things about the Schaller.
Why convert to ABR-1 posts and then use a bridge that doesn't fit those posts? Buy an ABR-1 bridge from faber or gibson or other, that is designed to go on the smaller diameter posts.
I got it figured out in the end, but what had happened is the previous owner had installed an ABR-1 bridge on Nashville posts (& had to drill out the bridge holes to accommodate). There are more details in this video I made (@ about the 1:20 mark): ruclips.net/video/J9jMfR-5zEQ/видео.html
The Schaller Bridge with Roller Saddles is a Better Conversion!! Saddles DON'T PINCH STRINGS LIKE THE TOM DOES!! Also You can Individually Adjust Each Saddle: Height, String Spacing, and Intonation (forward/backward),.... Result: Fuller Sound, Excellent Clarity, and More Sustain!! Some Traditionalists will Say, Hey; that's Modernizing a Vintage Instrument,.... which IS TRUE!! However, Music is After all for the Ears!! And, if an Update Change brings TUNING STABILITY, CLARITY, SUSTAIN, ETC. TO AN INSTRUMENT, IMHO SUCH IS MUCH BETTER THAN MAKING THE "LOOK AND ESTHETICS" VINTAGE AND ORIGINAL; AND CONTINUING TO FIGHT TUNING PROBLEMS, PINCHED STRINGS, BAD SUSTAIN, DULL SOUND, ETC.!!!!
I tried a tone pros roller bridge thinking it would help with tuning with my Bigsby, but the problem ended up being the nut. I switched back to the Faber bridge. Honestly I can’t tell that much difference in tone or sustain between the two. In the end you just have to do whatever works for you. 🙂
@@NathanSink , You're Right Nathan. I did get a Difference with the Schaller though; Schaller Hardware is Top Quality and Better Specifications in Build,.... E.g. Tighter and Truer Fit. And, Yes: Nuts make a Difference as well. Tusq is Far Better than Plastic and even Better than Bone. And, Yes: Each Change makes Only Slight Differences, but Each Slight Positive Change Adds Up!! Re: First and Foremost; The Pickups and Wiring and Proper Pots and Shielding are the MAIN TONE MAKERS, OF COURSE. HOWEVER, WOOD USED FOR THE BODY, NUT, BRIDGE, SADDLES, ANGLE OF STRING TENSION TO THE STOP BAR TAIL PIECE, FRET MATERIAL, ETC.,.... ALL MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN HELPING (OR HURTING) THE OVERALL TONES, CLARITY, AND SUSTAIN!!!! And, You too are Correct: Each Guitarist Must Decide on their Own WHAT CHANGES THEY WILL MAKE OR NOT MAKE TO "THEIR OWN GUITAR"!!!! ❤️👍🙏🎶🎵😎
Most LP tuning stability issues are due to how the nut slots are cut, or loose tuners. I think the fewer pieces, and parts, the better. To each their own. You can't debate preference.
The play of the bridge on the studs doesn't look good at all... I fell not a big difference with the Nashville, maybe a little less sustain. If you want to put an ABR1 on Nashville studs you can make it easy (just have to reduce a bit the studs...), if you want to replicate historic studs the only way is to fill the top with a piece of maple and re-drill it for the standard historic studs
Good points. I did a follow up video: ruclips.net/video/J9jMfR-5zEQ/видео.html What I found out is that I bought the wrong posts from Faber. HOWEVER, the previous owner also enlarged that holes in the ABR bridge to fit those Nashville sized posts. You can see all the details starting at about 1:00 in that linked video, if you’re interested. Obviously it all gets very complicated when you start mixing parts. 😐
The trouble with filling the holes is the finish work. I don't know if anyone sells maple plugs cut across the grain, so you'd need the right sized plug cutter. After all that, it's still a plug, and glue joint. I don't think the Faber is such a bad idea.
...el Faber suena más apretado,los graves y agudos se arriman a los medios,como detrás de una cortina:suena parejo pero sin aire ni color. No tiene vida.
Just dumb. BTW - it was evident that you turned the tone full on (10) with Nashvile, yet down (7) on the Faber during first two examples. The other sounds were indistinct.
@@NathanSink maybe not, it may be owing to video editing, eg. playing one guitar at a time, then editing, eg. forgetting tone/volume adjustments. but the tone/volume knob change can be seen in the video.
Quiet... I can't hear the resonance while playing unplugged... 🤣 Whille gigging @105dB And FWIW, the guitar's resonance is absorbed by it touching your body and holding it in your frethand. If you sit down, playing the guitar in your lap, even more resonance is absorbed. Sausage fingers? Etc. No m8. It didn't sound ANY different (other then the random strumming/picking positions (which changes the attack etc.)). No difference AT ALL. All psychological pseudo-science (you paid for something so it must do SOMETHING)
You still have two pieces in the ABR system. The post and the wheel. I think the Nashville system is much better engineered and clean. The difference in sound you got is more because that much added mass. Those posts are huge and wont sound like an ABR neither.
Very good comparison you did
Goldtop & Bigsby gives me strong Joey Santiago vibes. Nice.
Lot of people in the comments below typing on hypotheticals lol. If you put skinnier posts on with the same bridge that fit the bigger ones then it will fit more loosely and cause stability issues and I think a little less sustain based off of your clips. I can hear a clear difference on other peoples different videos comparing the actual bridges (Faber vs Gibson vs Tonepros….) but they never talk about the posts but it’s on my to do list for my guitars. I also used a Schaller roller bridge with my Bigsby and I got an unexpected change in tone that I definitely liked but it’s an Epiphone Dot Studio so changing out any factory hardware is an upgrade in tone and sustain for what it’s worth. Even adding the Bigsby improved the tone and sustain. I bet you would notice switching from the Nashville bridge to the Vintage one based on other commenters giving their feedback on other channels. Probably a much more subtle change though with a Gibson but I haven’t tinkered with my bridge yet on my ES-335 Memphis Studio. I was happy with how the Kluson vintage tuners sounded instead of the Grovers it came with. Definitely brighter
Wow, I’m surprised at how much difference this made to the acoustic tone!
Oh yeah? What was the difference? Which part of the difference can be attributed to the slight variation in tuning, and the difference in how hard and how loudly he hit the high E in the 2 tests (which were recorded hours apart)?
@@KarlGutowski it clearly sounds more open and balanced with less mid honk. YMMV
I recently made this exact change for my 2021 Les Paul Standard and went with the master Plus kit (conversion post + locking bridge). The results were very noticable to me. The faber kit resulted in a significantly mellower, less immediate attack, overall darker tone, and an increased resonance. While the tonal differences can definitely be compensated by tweaking some EQ settings, the immediacy of the attacks on the notes cannot. Personally, I prefer (or got used to) the original ones, and will probably go for the original post + locking bridge and see if we land on a happy middle ground. Downside currently is I don't have any rubber washers to pull them up. Will see how it goes.
I understand the dilemma for sure! Hope it works out and you settle on something you’re happy with.
@@NathanSink Anyway, awesome video. Thanks for the good work. Liked and subscribed :)
Dude we must be on the same wavelength, I just did this to mine too! Also had the same issue with the hole not deep enough and had to pry it out lol. Waiting for the vintage tuners to arrive and gonna make a vid.
Nice! Hope it works out well. 👍🏻
I'm trying to swap mine out mainly for color, and Faber offers a nice aged brass. It's a bit confusing on which set to order for a 2001 LP Standard. I can't believe the posts themselves can make a difference, as I am looking at complete bridge and stop bar tailpiece.
I totally agree at the confusion. Gibson hasn’t made it easy. I think the Faber website has tried its best to clarify, but it can still be a little muddy. All the best.
Unplugged I could definitely tell a difference with the faber - slightly louder but for sure sounded more “full” with slightly less top end. Kinda hard to explain. I however didn’t notice as much of a difference when plugged in and it seemed the faber was almost a bit muffled. I have a Gibson les Paul tribute that is light, slightly thinner body, and has a maple neck and it’s just too bright overall. From what I’ve been reading the faber should help with that.
Interesting!
the original Gibson Nashville posts sound louder, clearer and rung out better. The Faber dulled the resonance, perhaps that is what you were trying to achieve.
Have you installed the Faber?
My experience is replacing steel studs with brass tames the highs, and harshness, and adds some lower mids. I have a maple neck LP as well, and it's bright. It had A5 magnet pickups that made it seem more bright. I swapped the magnets to A4. That leveled it out. I loved the overall sustain, tone, and resonance of the guitar. I just wanted to tame the highs a little.
Philadelphia Luthier Supply sells the same conversion posts and it's half the cost of Faber.
The Philadelphia one’s aren’t press-in though, correct?
But the Faber ones are Vintage correct German brass and not any kind of cheap metal
@@Separade Being "German" brass didn't make any improvement, now did it. Think the only good Faber parts are the steel bushing inserts for the tailpiece, all their other stuff is horse hockey.
@@swagedelic I cant even understand a third of your word salad but i reply anyway.
Insane that you tried ALL faber Metal Parts and compared them to other brands. Where can i find your comparisons?
Its just a fact that vintage bridge posts where made of brass not any kind of pot metal. And im 100% sure if any product is not advertised as something else its always cheap Chinese metal. So of course german bell brass is a positive thing.
@@Separade Are you desperate for attention or just trolling? What part of the English language do you not understand? I wrote, the stud inserts are most likely the only good thing from Faber. Gibson LPs already have brass bridge posts. Now get on with your life.
The Wammy Bar will add tone, I pulled one off an SG and the SG lost some of its Dark Rich Tone. I may put it back on.
So be careful not to screw up a Guitar just because everyone says its better, it may not be.
Nice video!
Thank you!
You could consider a Faber locking bridge. This will not have any play on the studs.
Thanks! I considered that at first, but I wanted to stay with the vintage look. Now I’m actually wondering if the locking bridge would be better for tuning stability with the Bigsby. 🤔
@@NathanSink If the tuning instabilite is caused by the bridge moving when using the Bigsby, then yes, locking the bridge would help I think.
I think too many people make the conversions thinking it will just be better without considering their style of play. For any kind of hard rock or metal the nashville posts resulted in a brighter tone and quicker attack. For warmer, jazzy, clean tones or mellow blues playing then the faber posts adds some warmth, but with it some muddiness.
Great point!
That is a good point.
One of my guitars is overly bright, and harsh so I'm going to start here.
Thanks 👍🏻 helped me out 👍🏻
Good to hear! Glad to help.
Last week I put the same inserts in my LP with Bigsby.
After 2 days both Inserts broke . I contacted the german Faber distributor and wanted my money back. He said "no".
He said I had the wrong bridge on my LP. An ABR-1 instead of a rollerbridge.
Never buy Faber-stuff again.
The inserts broke?! How? That’s crazy.
@@NathanSink Yes, they broke. The posts bend back and forth when using the Bigsby. And after a few times they broke.
I put the nashville conversion posts back in with the LP came with and everything is okay.
@@musikus7092 yeah, after thinking about it more that was gonna be my guess…at the part where the diameter reduces way down. I guess the strings didn’t have much slip in the saddles & we’re really putting a lateral force on the posts.
Well, Faber should definitely have that warning listed somewhere. That’s sucks for you. 😕
@@NathanSink You said it. The diameter is too small and brass is a material that broke very fast.
Next I will try a roller bridge. I heard positive things about the Schaller.
@@musikus7092 interestingly enough, I made a video about TonePros roller bridge if you’re curious: ruclips.net/video/V90FGfu3_LM/видео.html
I prefer the original tone
Thanks for the feedback. 👍🏻
I agree, the Gibson posts sounds better. Faber is more like snake oil.
The Faber was audibly better in the acoustic setting. And here I thought my Les Paul had suffered enough with everything I’ve done to it…Strap in…
Why convert to ABR-1 posts and then use a bridge that doesn't fit those posts? Buy an ABR-1 bridge from faber or gibson or other, that is designed to go on the smaller diameter posts.
I got it figured out in the end, but what had happened is the previous owner had installed an ABR-1 bridge on Nashville posts (& had to drill out the bridge holes to accommodate). There are more details in this video I made (@ about the 1:20 mark): ruclips.net/video/J9jMfR-5zEQ/видео.html
@@NathanSinkyeah they did , Gibson sells 3 different types of abr1 bridges also
@@joecooper7803 thanks! Didn’t realize that.
@@NathanSink one with a wire the over counter one and the one the custom shop uses has brass saddles the other ones don’t
Faber sounds tighter
Faber solid choice
Did the Faber conversion on a Nashville 2006 Gibson Firebird V. Bridge, tailpiece, inserts, posts the lot. No difference
Dang. I’m beginning to second guess whether it’s worth it. 😬 It would be nice if you could “test drive” this kind of stuff before you buy.
The Schaller Bridge with Roller Saddles is a Better Conversion!! Saddles DON'T PINCH STRINGS LIKE THE TOM DOES!! Also You can Individually Adjust Each Saddle: Height, String Spacing, and Intonation (forward/backward),.... Result: Fuller Sound, Excellent Clarity, and More Sustain!! Some Traditionalists will Say, Hey; that's Modernizing a Vintage Instrument,.... which IS TRUE!! However, Music is After all for the Ears!! And, if an Update Change brings TUNING STABILITY, CLARITY, SUSTAIN, ETC. TO AN INSTRUMENT, IMHO SUCH IS MUCH BETTER THAN MAKING THE "LOOK AND ESTHETICS" VINTAGE AND ORIGINAL; AND CONTINUING TO FIGHT TUNING PROBLEMS, PINCHED STRINGS, BAD SUSTAIN, DULL SOUND, ETC.!!!!
I tried a tone pros roller bridge thinking it would help with tuning with my Bigsby, but the problem ended up being the nut. I switched back to the Faber bridge. Honestly I can’t tell that much difference in tone or sustain between the two. In the end you just have to do whatever works for you. 🙂
@@NathanSink , You're Right Nathan. I did get a Difference with the Schaller though; Schaller Hardware is Top Quality and Better Specifications in Build,.... E.g. Tighter and Truer Fit. And, Yes: Nuts make a Difference as well. Tusq is Far Better than Plastic and even Better than Bone. And, Yes: Each Change makes Only Slight Differences, but Each Slight Positive Change Adds Up!! Re: First and Foremost; The Pickups and Wiring and Proper Pots and Shielding are the MAIN TONE MAKERS, OF COURSE. HOWEVER, WOOD USED FOR THE BODY, NUT, BRIDGE, SADDLES, ANGLE OF STRING TENSION TO THE STOP BAR TAIL PIECE, FRET MATERIAL, ETC.,.... ALL MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN HELPING (OR HURTING) THE OVERALL TONES, CLARITY, AND SUSTAIN!!!! And, You too are Correct: Each Guitarist Must Decide on their Own WHAT CHANGES THEY WILL MAKE OR NOT MAKE TO "THEIR OWN GUITAR"!!!! ❤️👍🙏🎶🎵😎
Most LP tuning stability issues are due to how the nut slots are cut, or loose tuners. I think the fewer pieces, and parts, the better. To each their own. You can't debate preference.
The play of the bridge on the studs doesn't look good at all... I fell not a big difference with the Nashville, maybe a little less sustain.
If you want to put an ABR1 on Nashville studs you can make it easy (just have to reduce a bit the studs...), if you want to replicate historic studs the only way is to fill the top with a piece of maple and re-drill it for the standard historic studs
Good points. I did a follow up video: ruclips.net/video/J9jMfR-5zEQ/видео.html What I found out is that I bought the wrong posts from Faber. HOWEVER, the previous owner also enlarged that holes in the ABR bridge to fit those Nashville sized posts. You can see all the details starting at about 1:00 in that linked video, if you’re interested. Obviously it all gets very complicated when you start mixing parts. 😐
The trouble with filling the holes is the finish work. I don't know if anyone sells maple plugs cut across the grain, so you'd need the right sized plug cutter. After all that, it's still a plug, and glue joint. I don't think the Faber is such a bad idea.
...el Faber suena más apretado,los graves y agudos se arriman a los medios,como detrás de una cortina:suena parejo pero sin aire ni color. No tiene vida.
I had to translate, but I think you said you don't the like the Faber: it has no "life". 🙂
Just dumb.
BTW - it was evident that you turned the tone full on (10) with Nashvile, yet down (7) on the Faber during first two examples.
The other sounds were indistinct.
I swear I didn’t touch the tone controls. Listening back, the Nashville does sound brighter.
@@NathanSink maybe not, it may be owing to video editing, eg. playing one guitar at a time, then editing, eg. forgetting tone/volume adjustments. but the tone/volume knob change can be seen in the video.
no difference, waste of time and money.
Could be: cork-sniffing at its finest!
Don't hear a difference..
Quiet... I can't hear the resonance while playing unplugged... 🤣
Whille gigging @105dB
And FWIW, the guitar's resonance is absorbed by it touching your body and holding it in your frethand.
If you sit down, playing the guitar in your lap, even more resonance is absorbed. Sausage fingers? Etc.
No m8. It didn't sound ANY different (other then the random strumming/picking positions (which changes the attack etc.)). No difference AT ALL.
All psychological pseudo-science (you paid for something so it must do SOMETHING)
Good points. 😉
Sounds like you gained bottom end, but lost top end. This just makes it muddy in my opinion. Waste of time and money.
Well…that’s what experiments are for. 😉
A waist of time and money
@@MitchellPetersoncustomdrone thanks for sharing your opinion.