Roller bridges

[riverrick]

Does any one have any experience with roller bridges. They seem like a really good bridge. But I don't see many used on guitars today. Why is that??? Any input would be cool.

[duhvoodooman***]

I've had them on two guitars, one with a Bigsby vibrato and one with a fixed tailpiece. I think the main advantage is with a vibrato tailpiece, since it reduces friction at the contact points of the strings & saddles, helping to maintain tuning stability and reducing string breakage there. But if you do a lot of manual string bending, I would expect the same advantages.

If you're thinking of adding one to a guitar, be aware that some roller bridges have fixed saddle placement, so intonation adjustment isn't possible.

[riverrick]

Thanks for the info Voodooman.

[tjcurtin1]

I put one on my Wildkat with a bigsby, and the change made a big difference in tuning stability. The one I got (on ebay) looks like a Wilkinson, with adjustable saddles, and is well-made and hefty, though it is not marked Wilkinson anywhere. I read one person's opinion when researching that they 'suck tone', but I certainly did not notice that. It was pretty easy to install - I think that I had to do a tiny bit of filing to get it to fit in place in one place where it was tight.