upgradable bridge options?

Mikee3man

This is my first post on this forum, and im hoping to maybe get some advice about how to upgrade my bridge on my guitar and what will be compatible.

I have an Aria pro 2 fullerton - apparantly from 1985 which I have been slowly working on and upgrading (paint, pickups and scratch plate etc) . I am looking to replace the bridge so that I can make more use of the tremolo arm as it goes out of tune quite quickly when i use it. The guitar has its original bridge installed and the previous owner had installed jackson tuning pegs.
Here are the questions i have.

1) What is my best bet to go for in terms of a bridge with a tremolo arm. (will a strat bridge system fit this guitar?)
2) Are the jackson tuning pegs a good choice ?
3) Any information about these guitars from this time? its serial number is 5014072

I appreciate any feedback, thanks!!!! ? ? ?

Mike

Psean

Hi Mike

Maybe post some pics of the guitar and the bridge. That will help.

Cheers

Chocklit_Thunda

Most of the time tuning problems occur from a sloppy nut... Even those cheap Jin-Ho tuners hold tune well enough, it's usually the nut that's the problem.

If you want to change the trem, you'll need to measure the unit in terms of mounting holes and stuff because - if I'm not mistaken - Aria's will have a different spacing to MIM and MIA fender parts.

My suggestions would be to upgrade the nut (and by upgrade I mean just get one that's cut properly... even plastic will do if you don't want to splurge) and a simple upgrade trem. Maybe a wilkinson or fender bridge. My 2c.

@Psean the guitar is a strat copy

Psean

Chocklit_Thunda wrote: Most of the time tuning problems occur from a sloppy nut... Even those cheap Jin-Ho tuners hold tune well enough, it's usually the nut that's the problem.

My suggestions would be to upgrade the nut (and by upgrade I mean just get one that's cut properly...

Wot he said...

@Psean the guitar is a strat copy

Ah, right. Ta

Chabenda

Mike, If you're DIYer, you can also think about making a nut from brass. A wall plug pin is a great source. A bit of graphite powder or pencil 'lead' in the nut grooves will also help lubricate the strings. You'll hear the creaking sounds made by the strings hanging up - find the source of the noise.

AlanRatcliffe

Chocklit_Thunda wrote: Most of the time tuning problems occur from a sloppy nut...

+1. Although a badly setup or damaged bridge can cause issues. Especially if it's a vintage-style "synchronised" trem - folk sometimes try set them up as floating bridges, which they are not designed for, and things like grooves in the saddles can cause the strings to bind during trem usage.

If you upgrade the nut, ideally have it cut by a pro - nut cutting is a bit of an art. Then you might as well install a self lubricating nut like unbleached bone or Graph Tech Tusq or Tusq XL as it's a critical point and the cost of the nut doesn't make a big difference.

Chabenda wrote: Mike, If you're DIYer, you can also think about making a nut from brass.

IME, brass nuts are more likely to cause tuning problems than solve them.

A bit of graphite powder or pencil 'lead' in the nut grooves will also help lubricate the strings.

+1.
Also, instead of replacing the bridge, a set of good saddles can make quite a difference.

chris77

Pics please! ?

I have one as well, but mine is a mid 90's model. (I have removed the original scratchplate and pups however and am now at a loss as to what to replace them with :-[. I've tried quite a few combos and looks but nothing has really "clicked" yet) Really well made guitar though (made in the US for whatever that's worth to you) with a lovely neck and nicely grained ash body. Your original tuners would have been a set of 14:1 ratio Gotohs which on mine work smoothly and accurately enough, so I'm not sure if the Jackson's were an upgrade or just a swop for the sake of change.
I never use a tremolo arm and prefer my bridges either blocked or pulled tight so I'm afraid I can't comment on how well or not it works, but like the other guys said - it is most probably rather a nut issue than a bridge issue. I will however tonight measure the post spacings and compare them with the measurements of my Fender Strat's to see if it will be a straight swop or not.

Mikee3man

This is the closest pic i have of the bridge

I hope this uploading thing works.
Thanks for all your replies! ?

chris77

Eish, sorry man. Mine looks a bit different to yours and has a two-point knife-edge trem instead of the screw-type yours has. I reckon the best way to tell which bridges will fit your body would be to measure your bridge and google the specs for possible replacements. Good Luck!

AlanRatcliffe

OK - that is a vintage-style "synchronized trem". Mid 80's Aria guitars were pretty good quality, so you can probably upgrade the cast saddles to proper pressed steel and get away with it. That's more of a tonal upgrade than a operational one - the existing saddles don't look badly grooved or anything. You'll just need to know the string spacing to find the correct width of the saddles.

Still, tuning issues are most likely to be the nut or setup. Unless you're trying to do whammy bar antics on it - which it wasn't designed to do (as Hendrix said: "only cowboys stay in tune"). Check Fender.com's own guide on setting up a Strat and run through it.

That's not to say you can't still upgrade the whole bridge if you want (Guys like Bill Callaham are arguably making better versions than Fender ever have), but that'll still be more a tonal upgrade than anything else. In that case you might well find that the holes don't line up (the whole Imperial vs. Metric thing), but it's a pretty standard job to fill holes and drill new ones when replacing a trem.

Mikee3man

Awesome!, ill go ahead and get a new nut, possibly those self lubricating ones you spoke about. does anyone know of someone in the durban area that can cut the nut for me?
thanks again for all the help