ABR-1 vs. Nashville Bridge

[DirtySteve]

Just curious. I'm not asking what the differences are, I know what the differences are. I'm asking which style YOU prefer (if you have a preference) and especially would like to know why you prefer one over the other?

 

[K9Merc]

I honestly don’t know which I prefer. I do know that I prefer the custom shop gibsons guitars that come with the ABR-1 over the production gibsons that come with a Nashville. Is it the bridge that makes it sound or feel different? I have no idea. I don’t know how you could even compare the to because you would have to modify the guitar for each bridge to work. I know they make adapters for them but the mounting makes a difference. Inquiring minds want to know. Great question!

 

[DirtySteve]

I honestly don’t know which I prefer. I do know that I prefer the custom shop gibsons guitars that come with the ABR-1 over the production gibsons that come with a Nashville. Is it the bridge that makes it sound or feel different? I have no idea. I don’t know how you could even compare the to because you would have to modify the guitar for each bridge to work. I know they make adapters for them but the mounting makes a difference. Inquiring minds want to know. Great question!

I wasn't even considering wood mounted older ABR-1s as I've never had that type. I have a 2020 Standard and a 2019 Traditional and they both come with ABR-1 with metal inserts. They are interchangeable with a Nashville style bridge, you just have to change the posts as well.

 

[K9Merc]

I wasn't even considering wood mounted older ABR-1s as I've never had that type. I have a 2020 Standard and a 2019 Traditional and they both come with ABR-1 with metal inserts. They are interchangeable with a Nashville style bridge, you just have to change the posts as well.

Well you got me curious so I started digging. It appears that the ABR-1 is smaller in size and rarely comes into contact with strings when the tail piece is decked. However with the Nashville bridge some complain about how you sometimes cannot deck the tail piece or you have to top wrap so the strings don’t contact the bridge before the saddles. And of course the mounting hardware.

 

[V-man]

My most resonant guitars without question are the 1975 Flying Vs. The common denominators are large surface area, “SG-thin” body and ABRs.

Is that related to body geometry, age, hardware, other or a combination? I can’t say. But one universal pro to the ABR is you can slide the bridge out with thumbwheels in position as opposed to the standard (non-locking) Nashville where that is less likely to behave.

I would give the nod to the Nashville for robustness vs bridge collapse, but that’s a load of shit, IME seeing how a my “bought 25+ years later” LP came with a collapsed MIG quality Nashville, just as the 25+ years later Flying V ABRs did.

My favorite spec has ABRs, so I prefer them by virtue of preferring my spec.

 

[Matthews Guitars]

I prefer the TonePros version of the Nashville bridge. For me that's the TOM, perfected.

 

[Joesatch]

nashville gives you more adjustability and there is something to be said of more mass equals better tone. i prefer the look of the abr

 

[V-man]

nashville gives you more adjustability and there is something to be said of more mass equals better tone. i prefer the look of the abr

Dubious claim regarding mass in the hardware.

The original ABRs were some pot metal zinc-nickel-whatever alloy and somewhere in the 70s, everything from featherweight aluminum to heavy brass (and larger “harmonica-style” bridges) were used with no conclusive results that one was better, much less showing this gave you more “X” while that gave you more “Y”.

In fact, brass and aluminum both seem to have fallen by the wayside by the 1990s and the pot metal bridges today are more or less a lazy, somewhat inaccurate approximation of the original ABR type materials.

 

[Joesatch]

Dubious claim regarding mass in the hardware.

The original ABRs were some pot metal zinc-nickel-whatever alloy and somewhere in the 70s, everything from featherweight aluminum to heavy brass (and larger “harmonica-style” bridges) were used with no conclusive results that one was better, much less showing this gave you more “X” while that gave you more “Y”.

In fact, brass and aluminum both seem to have fallen by the wayside by the 1990s and the pot metal bridges today are more or less a lazy, somewhat inaccurate approximation of the original ABR type materials.

i never made that claim. the claim does exist not by me though. every guitar is different. an aluminum bridge can have better sustain than a massive solid steel bridge on the right guitar.

 

[joe_cpwe]

I like mine like this

 

[DirtySteve]

I was mainly curious if anyone thought the tone was affected by which type is used. I don't believe it's all in my head, I've gone back and forth between ABR-1 and Nashville on both by Standard and now my Traditional. In both cases the Nashville seems to take away some brightness that I get with the ABR-1 and seems to thicken the tone a little over all. It's not a lot, not as subtle as say removing a pickup cover, but nothing big enough to say it's a drastic change.

I play with a lot of palm muting. I seem to prefer the Nashville for tone, ABR-1 for feel.

As for the extra bulk of the Nashville, I like to deck the stopbar and it makes no difference to me if the strings touch the back of the bridge or not, I don't believe it matters.

 

[RCM 800]

My two favorite les pauls have ABR1's. Couldnt say if it was because of the bridges. Im not about to put a Nashville in one as an experiment lol. I think weight and possibly neck tenon have more of an effect than the bridge honestly.

 

[DirtySteve]

My two favorite les pauls have ABR1's. Couldnt say if it was because of the bridges. Im not about to put a Nashville in one as an experiment lol. I think weight and possibly neck tenon have more of an effect than the bridge honestly.

I experiment with everything. I wouldn't have swapped them if they weren't interchangeable. It's as easy as loosening the strings, swap the bridge, retune, and a simple adjustment to set the height.

 

[kungpow!]

Abr1 cuz its vintage

Why does the Nashville even exist?

 

[V-man]

I experiment with everything. I wouldn't have swapped them if they weren't interchangeable. It's as easy as loosening the strings, swap the bridge, retune, and a simple adjustment to set the height.

Yes and no.

Yes, in terms of relative interchangeability between a Nashville TOM sitting on Nashville bushings and an ABR 1 sitting on Nashville bushings, (perhaps vice-versa for both mounted on ABR posts).

No, in terms of the mounting (ABR sitting on thumbwheels on posts screwed directly into wood vs Nashville sitting on “bridge posts/bushings” screwed into metal studs that are tapped into the body).



The unscientific argument (along with specific tonewoods, bridge material and mass properties) is that the ABR sits on the posts (via thumbwheels) that are screwed directly into the body for more resonance, enhanced girth and all that other shit people argue about, whereas the vibration from the strings on a TOM must pass through the bridge, to the bushings, to the studs, to the body for less resonance, more dampening, premature ejaculation, etc.

In other words, those who delve into the 3% and make the other arguments have no less reason to fold this one into the equation as well. My own experience is anecdotal support in favor of ABRs with more than enough variables to call that inconclusive regardless.

BUT… ABR vs TOM is NOT a mere discussion of which direction the screws face and larger material bridge vs slimmer. It is ALSO an argument about *how* the two are mounted (and whether one offers any sort of advantage over the other).

 

[Kuga]

Just it's my opinion. I don't like Nashville and ABR bridges because string spacing it's wrong made. At least on my '12 standard (Nashville), '16 Explorer (Nashville), and on a '12 Classic (ABR) the string spacing was bad to my needs. No equal distance between strings. I replaced bridge on all my Gibson's.

 

[DirtySteve]

Just it's my opinion. I don't like Nashville and ABR bridges because string spacing it's wrong made. At least on my '12 standard (Nashville), '16 Explorer (Nashville), and on a '12 Classic (ABR) the string spacing was bad to my needs. No equal distance between strings. I replaced bridge on all my Gibson's.

What did you replace them with?

 

[Kuga]

What did you replace them with?

T3BP – TonePros Sound Labs International

tonepros.com

TonePros T3BP-N Tune-o-matic BridgeZoll

Puente para guitarra Puente Zoll Tune-o-Matic estilo Nashville, Puente Zoll para modelos USA con tornillos pequeños de 4 mm, Repuesto para el puente ABR-1, 10,4 mm de espaciado entre cuerdas, Distancia entre tornillos exteriores 74 mm, Color...

www.thomann.de

 

[DirtySteve]

T3BP – TonePros Sound Labs International

tonepros.com

TonePros T3BP-N Tune-o-matic BridgeZoll

Puente para guitarra Puente Zoll Tune-o-Matic estilo Nashville, Puente Zoll para modelos USA con tornillos pequeños de 4 mm, Repuesto para el puente ABR-1, 10,4 mm de espaciado entre cuerdas, Distancia entre tornillos exteriores 74 mm, Color...

www.thomann.de

Thanks!

 

[DirtySteve]

Just it's my opinion. I don't like Nashville and ABR bridges because string spacing it's wrong made. At least on my '12 standard (Nashville), '16 Explorer (Nashville), and on a '12 Classic (ABR) the string spacing was bad to my needs. No equal distance between strings. I replaced bridge on all my Gibson's.

I can't help but think these must have been unnotched saddles and someone notched them wrong. I've never had an issue with string spacing, but all my bridges are pre-notched.