The poor old guitar bridge, so unappreciated, yet one of the most important tonal elements that make up any guitar.
It’s amazing how many guitarists don’t even think about upgrading their bridges to a higher-quality version. It is easily one of the cheapest and easiest ways to get a radical improvement in tone, and playability, as well as providing more accurate intonation and tuning stability.
Sounds like a no-brainer to me, but what are the best electric guitar bridge options for different types of guitars and at different price points, let’s find out.
Best Bridge for Fender Stratocaster
Wilkinson by Gotoh VS100
Looking for the ultimate in Fender Stratocaster replacement bridges? Then the Wilkinson by Gotoh VS100 is tough to beat. It’s expensive, but as with most things in life, you get what you pay for.
This is Gotoh’s no-expense-spared version of the Wilkinson VS100/50 design. It is constructed around a steel block and has all of the bells and whistles you'd expect from a premium bridge.
Best Budget Fender Stratocaster Bridge (also great for Squier Stratocasters and Strat-type guitars)
Guyker BS113 Single Shaking Vibrato Bridge System
Need something a little more affordable than the Wilkinson… well a lot more affordable to be honest. Then you can’t go wrong with the Guyker BS113 Single Shaking Vibrato Bridge System. Its high-quality yet lightweight build and creative design ensures improved playability and a better tone from your instrument. While the density of the block reinforces the treble frequencies which are often lost in lower cost bridges.
Or if you want to add a little color to your life, go for the Guyker GG1004 GUYKER Tremolo Bridge Vintage Bent Steel Saddles. Another very affordable Stratocaster bridge with a quality construction and ease of use. It is available in the standard choice of color options, chrome, gold, black, etc. but also comes in a funky Rainbow color, which is a great way of making a statement with your instrument.
Best Vintage Jaguar or Jazzmaster Bridge (but will also work on modern offset guitars with bridge issues)
Mastery Offset Bridge
Are you having problems with the bridge on your vintage Fender Jazzmaster, Jaguar, Mustang, or other offset guitar? If so, get yourself a Mastery Offset Bridge, the most trusted offset bridge around, as used by offset heroes such as Thurston Moore, Nels Cline, Elvis Costello, and Troy Van Leeuwen.
The luthier-designed bridge eliminates the buzzing associated with ‘standard’ saddles, and most importantly, your strings will stay in their grooves regardless of how hard you play.
They are constructed from solid brass with proprietary, self-lubricating hard chrome plating making them rugged and dependable.
Best Les Paul Bridge (but also great for SGs, Explorers, 335s, etc.)
Hipshot 6 String Tone-A-Matic Guitar Bridge
The standard bridge on most Gibson guitars is excellent, but it can be beaten both in terms of tone and adjustability (ensuring perfect intonation). And at the top of the list of contenders, you will find the Hipshot 6 String Tone-A-Matic Guitar Bridge.
Specially designed as the perfect retrofit for both Gibson Nashville and Epiphone guitars, this bridge has it all. Its aluminum construction ensures the best in sustain and tone, while the unique design of the saddles eliminates saddle rattle and allows faithful tone transfer to the bridge.
As for adjustability, you can move it forward and backward on the posts for precise settings and then lock it in place. Plus, the 0.5-inch of intonation range allows precise adjustments regardless of the size of strings you use.
Best One-Piece Bridge for Gibson Les Paul Junior or Special
Music City Bridge ‘Stud Finder’ Compound Wraparound Tailpiece
Back in the early days of the Gibson Les Paul, as a cost-cutting measure on student models like the Junior, the company included a one-piece bridge/tailpiece which was in fact just a tailpiece that you wrapped the strings around to get them to the correct height. Not much of an issue when you were playing cowboy chords, but as soon as you got up the neck, the intonation was usually way out, and due to the bridge design, there was no way of adjusting it.
This has been an issue for many decades until Music City Bridge released the ‘Stud Finder’ whose innovative compensated design greatly improves the intonation across the whole neck straight out of the box. This highly recommended replacement Les Paul Junior bridge that will make your guitar sound better than ever!
Best Budget Les Paul Bridge for Gibsons and Epiphones
Guyker BM015 Tune-O-Matic Roller Saddle Guitar Bridge
Being on a tighter budget doesn’t mean that you have to miss out on either quality or features. Take the excellent Guyker BM015 Tune-O-Matic Roller Saddle Guitar Bridge as an example. This very affordable replacement Les Paul bridge is made from high-quality materials and the innovative design uses roller saddles to reduce the friction on your strings, therefore they will break less often.
So many options…
There are no end of bridge options available so whatever your guitar, there is the perfect upgrade on the market. Therefore, I’ll end with some unusual electric guitar bridge options in a short and sweet format…
Best Telecaster Bridge - 12-string - Guyker 12 String TL Modern Type Guitar Bridge Chrome
Best 7-string Guitar Bridge - Guyker hips 6/7 String Guitar Fixed Bridge – Metal Hardtail Bridge
Best Roller-bridge for a Mosrite Guitar - Guyker hips 6/7 String Guitar Fixed Bridge – Metal Hardtail Bridge
Best Bridge for Telecasters with a Bigsby - Guyker Vintage Style Tremolo Guitar Bridge With Brass Saddles
Best Rickenbacker Replacement Bridge - Ricken-backer Style Guitar Bridge Cover And Base Plate RK100
Wrapping it Up!
So, there you go, a wide choice of the best bridges for electric guitarsguitar currently on the market.
Some of you may be a little concerned about changing your bridge yourself. But, if you stick with the same style of bridge that you currently have and make sure that the size of the replacement and the positioning of the mounting holes is exactly the same, then changing an electric guitar bridge should be fairly simple for most guitarists.
However, if you do have any concerns, check out How to Change the Bridge on Your Electric Guitar for lots of great advice and tips on getting the job done properly.
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