michael2003x Posted July 22 Share Posted July 22 Where to start ? 1. It didn't fit, the mounting holes are 1-2mm too narrow and have to be filed to get it installed. Not good for a £100+ bridge that's touted as a "drop in" 2.They have recessed the mounting holes in the bottom of the bridge which means the studs get pulled up if you tighten too much.....or even little. 3. Because the mounting holes are way forward of the ball ends, the whole back of the bridge lifts under string tension.....and pulls up the studs. In desperation, I bought an extremely expensive Hipshot Stop bar from a d-style bridge and intended to use that to cover all of the mounting issues. When I mocked it up, I realised that the whole thing was just too butt ugly and not worth the bother. I have reverted back to the original VP TOM bridge. I contacted Hipshot on several occasions and got no reply. If anyone wants this POS and the stop bar, please get in touch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neepheid Posted July 23 Share Posted July 23 (edited) It's not meant to be a drop in replacement for an Epi anything - it's a direct replacement for the Gibson 2 point bridge thus: I have seen it used on Epiphones, but it takes work to make it work properly. The holes in the base of the bridge are recessed because on some models, the threaded inserts sit proud of the surface of the bass. When fitted correctly, the bridge should be sitting flush on the deck, so tail lift shouldn't be possible. Edited July 23 by neepheid Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neepheid Posted July 23 Share Posted July 23 Here's a picture of one on an Epiphone Embassy, which uses the same bridge as a T-bird Vintage Pro... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lemmywinks Posted July 23 Share Posted July 23 (edited) EDIT just seen it's for the VIntage Pro, disregard! Edited July 23 by lemmywinks 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neepheid Posted July 23 Share Posted July 23 1 minute ago, lemmywinks said: Hipshot Supertone 3 point and Babicz FCH-3 are the drop in 3 point replacements. I think the Hipshot comes with screws for Epi and Gibson threads. The original 3 point bridges aint great, never been "spaff £150+ to upgrade them" bad for me though. Definitely a market there for some AliExpress £60 clones. Appreciated (and I'm with you on the 3 point bridge not bothersome enough to spend that kind of money on a replacement), but this is not about the 3 point bridge though. This is about repurposing a Hipshot 2 point replacement as a replacement for the two part bridge on an Epiphone VP T-bird. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lemmywinks Posted July 23 Share Posted July 23 6 minutes ago, neepheid said: Appreciated (and I'm with you on the 3 point bridge not bothersome enough to spend that kind of money on a replacement), but this is not about the 3 point bridge though. This is about repurposing a Hipshot 2 point replacement as a replacement for the two part bridge on an Epiphone VP T-bird. Yeah just noticed the VP bit in the title after I'd posted. I hate bridge/tailpiece arrangements for bass (except the Warwick ones which work properly) even more than the 3 point, there's just no need for 'em! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael2003x Posted July 29 Author Share Posted July 29 A bit confused by Neephieds reply TBH, says it's not meant to fit any Epiphone and then posts a picture of an Epi Embassy with the 2 point bridge ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neepheid Posted July 29 Share Posted July 29 3 minutes ago, michael2003x said: A bit confused by Neephieds reply TBH, says it's not meant to fit any Epiphone and then posts a picture of an Epi Embassy with the 2 point bridge ? I didn't say it couldn't be done, what I'm saying is it's not meant for that. It was not designed for that. It was designed to be a drop in replacement for the Gibson 2 point bridge, which no Epiphone has ever used. I also said "I have seen it used on Epiphones, but it takes work to make it work properly." The three point replacement, on the other hand IS designed to replace said bridge on both Gibson AND Epiphone basses and is supplied with both imperial and metric bolts. I don't know if the two point replacement comes with both types of bolt or not, because, again, it is designed to replace the Gibson 2 point bridge - an imperial only bridge which Gibson stopped using in 1973. Is that clearer? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael2003x Posted August 16 Author Share Posted August 16 Hers a picture from the Hipshot website.......is that clear ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael2003x Posted August 16 Author Share Posted August 16 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neepheid Posted August 17 Share Posted August 17 (edited) ... Edited August 17 by neepheid Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcnach Posted August 18 Share Posted August 18 gotta be aliens... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean-Luc Pickguard Posted August 19 Share Posted August 19 I have three vintage pro thunderbirds, and the stock bridge & tailpiece work perfectly for me without any issues on all of them — eg: no intonation problems or unwanted lateral string movement, and I like the styling. What issue were you addressing by swapping out the bridge? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael2003x Posted August 28 Author Share Posted August 28 Hello, I have a VP Thunderbird in tobacco burst which I got off a member on here and it's excellent, and I agree, the TOM bridge and stop bar is great and looks good, no problem with that at all, it sounds great even un-plugged. I also have a completely stripped white VP that I bought from a friend about 2 years ago that had it lying around his workshop. This was literally the body/neck, no wiring, pick-ups, bridge, machines etc. My intention was to re-build it and I thought I may as well try something different especially as the original bridges are quite hard to come by. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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