WTB Headless guitar Bridge/Tuner, headpiece parts

osborne900 · January 2021

As per the title, after probably either ABM or Hipshot stuff. Anyone got some sitting in a drawer for that project that didn't get off the ground? Sell them to me so they can have a change of drawer for a couple of years!

axisus · January 2021

It's very hard getting headless parts unless you are prepared to shell out megabucks. I looked into it a lot some years ago and it was all just too much to warrant buying. I did a search here and found someone who had bought some secondhand ABM parts a year or so earlier. On the off chance I messaged him and said have you used them? care to sell if not, and I was lucky! Best of luck finding some parts.

I've actually got the remains of a headless guitar somewhere in my loft. I originally bought one to convert, but then I decided to build from scratch. I probably wouldn't sell just the hardware though.

Roland · January 2021

Good luck finding tuners in someone’s parts drawer.

If you have to buy new then you can get ABM individual tuners through Thomann, but the ABM bridge set wasn’t being made last time I looked. Hipshot is available from the US, but expensive, particularly with import duty. @Andyjr1515 has sourced the Nova Guitar Parts headless bridge system from Brazil which have a better spec than either ABM or Hipshot because they use miniature ball races. If you decide to go the Brazil route then I’d be interested in buying a set, and sharing postage.

Andyjr1515 · January 2021

I'm very pleased with the Nova Guitar Parts system. Extremely easy to fit and use, supersmooth tuning, nice looking and,compared with many, not expensive. I can change a set of bass strings in under 2 minutes. Really.

They have a website but the online shop isn't working yet, but they have a page on Facebook and are very quick to respond and ship.

There are some pics here - I'm using them in my latest build. Thread here:

https://thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/196265/through-neck-headless

The designer and owner of Nova Guitar Parts, Andre Passini, is a member of this forum - @Passini ;

prowla · January 2021

Whatever you do, don't go for the cheaper "Overlord" Chines ones - they are soft metal and won't last 5 minutes.

The problem is, though, the good ones are really expensive.

guitarmangler · January 2021

I’ve already sold both of my headless bits to two people on this thread!

Check out headless research on eBay (based in Korea ) https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/JCUSTOM-FX-BRIDGE-/153518701323?_trksid=p2349624.m46890.l49292 they do a fixed bridge and r trem and S trem bridges.
There was someone who was making a brass copy of the Strandberg bridge in Italy , but I forget the name. Will try and google it. Edit, here it is
http://www.technologyformusicians.com/guitarhbridges.php?lingua=2
On the pricer side,tho I don’t know how much, Klein guitars have announced on their Facebook page that they’re now making a copy of the transtrem

axisus · January 2021

Andyjr1515 said:

I'm very pleased with the Nova Guitar Parts system. Extremely easy to fit and use, supersmooth tuning, nice looking and,compared with many, not expensive. I can change a set of bass strings in under 2 minutes. Really.

They have a website but the online shop isn't working yet, but they have a page on Facebook and are very quick to respond and ship.

There are some pics here - I'm using them in my latest build. Thread here:

https://thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/196265/through-neck-headless

The designer and owner of Nova Guitar Parts, Andre Passini, is a member of this forum - @Passini ;

Great build thread there! The Nova parts look very good but I am guessing they are expensive.

osborne900 · January 2021

Thanks for all your input fretboarders. Some really useful information here. The back ground here is I've developed what I think is RSI in my left wrist which is a pain in the, well, wrist.

To try to ease it I thought I'd knock up an ergo type guitar along the lines of a Klein which I did using an existing neck with the head lopped off, a piece of poplar I had lurking and some of the cheap chinese strindberg knock off bridge/tuner units from eBay. It seems to work really well so going to do a scratch build with a through neck and some better hardware looks like a good idea. Oh, it's also light which is an added bonus. The bridge/tuner unit are okay with a decent range of adjustment and they hold tune well enough but they feel a bit cheap and not very precisely made. Across the six units there is about 1.2mm of height variance at the saddle.

This is the bridge unit I used:-

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Electric-Guitar-individual-bridge-headless/133619801265 ;

There seem to be several company's making ostensibly good hardware at around the £200 mark for a six string including ABM, Hipshot, Tan, Mera, Nova and J custom. I'm sure there are others I haven't found yet. The big win with ABM and Hipshot is they are generally known to be good and easy enough to source in the UK and easy to return if need be. The others are unseen and a pain to return if they don't live up to the promises etc.

I think I must have seen the thread when @axisus lucked out with the ABM hardware hence the original ask. Plus I'm always looking to save a few quid. I wasn't aware that the J Custom was available one eBay so thanks @guitarmangler for that.

If you add the cost of a decent bridge to the cost of a decent set of tuners you can easily get up to the £200 mark so I might be being a stingy old git as well.

Thanks again all.

Gizmo · January 2021

We have a thread going on about various Headless hardware options in some chinese units over @ SS.org

Some highlights from it though that might interest you.

there's a guy in IE who builds replica Fixed Bridge Steinberger unit for 180 euro's

LINK

I myself have just gotten a headless trem Unit from Koloss in china which was just £78 delivered!

Ive seen some of these guitars get a roasting on YT but Ive test strung this unit just across a blank slab and had no of the issues highlighted in those vids (Tuning drift/return to pitch issues ect ect) more pics of it in the SS.org thread.

Image: https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50706457838_b31d36179c_h.jpg

Here it is next to the hipshot im currently using in a Vader style build im working on

There fixed bedige units are just $60 for a set of 6 inc shipping

https://www.kolossofficial.com/product/6/

Stay well away from the Alnicov units that are all over ebay/ali they are totally dog shit/monkey metal, you can flake the finish off them with your finger nails.

GL

axisus · January 2021

@Gizmo Interesting ...

osborne900 · January 2021

@Gizmo Interesting indeed!

Gizmo · January 2021

Glad to have piqued your interest, i have used the TFM,HipShot & a few of the other types of S-trem solid trem unit types from china on a few different headless builds now so if you need any info on them gives a shout.

The Hipshot is the highest quality unit i have ever purchased,but @ £250 landed for just the bridge is well should be, here it is in my current Vader/skywalker build

Image: https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50665233783_4192e8d73a_b_d.jpg

If you've seen the pics i posted in the SS.org thread of the koloss trem you can see it is a very well machined unit way above any of the other chinese/far easten units if id have paid x2 the £78 for it i did id still have been very happy,

The one other super cool little part/tweak it comes with is a claw mount block that allows you to mount directly down into the trem cavitiy for the spring claw (the block in the center of this pic)

Image: https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50707276632_6dd30bef91_c_d.jpg

Also if you facebook or mail them they will make up a custom finish combo for you so you can mix black/gold/silver/chrome barrles/knobs ectect

btw Sorry if i derailed your thread somewhat

Laters

Gizmo

osborne900 · January 2021

Nice bit of black limba @Gizmo. ;

No worries re derailing the thread. I wonder if there would be interest in a thread in the making and modding section about headless hardware? (If there isn’t one already).

Howdy, Stranger!

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WTB Headless guitar Bridge/Tuner, headpiece parts

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