I've seen roller saddles availlable for e.g. Les Paul guitars, and was just wondering what the point to them was. I can understand the need for roller saddles on a strat with a trem that's in use, but I don't get how the roller mechanism would improve tuning stability on a guitar without a tremolo system fitted. Seems to me they wouldn't improve stability when bending notes, since the directional force would be upwards, not horizontal, so the effect of roller saddles vs. standard ones would be minimal. Or does the minimal really matter here? Maybe someone who has tried roller saddles on a non-trem guitar could comment?
Not really thinking of buying any, just curious about the physics behind it.
I haven't used them but thought about it as well. If you install a Bigsby you keep the tunomatic bridge and replace just the stop bar, correct? If you did this, a roller saddle makes good sense to me. What do you think?
"Work hard, rock hard, eat hard, sleep hard,
grow big, wear glasses if you need 'em."
-- The Webb Wilder Credo --
Sounds right to me, and havin roller saddles then would make sense. But on a guitar without any kind of trem, I don't see it making much difference. I suppose it could stop the string from binding at the bridge when you're tuning or restringing, but I've only really heard of/experienced such string binding to happen at the nut on an electric guitar. I don't see it doing much to improve tuning stability for someone who string-bends a lot, unless a trem has been added.
Nope, don't see much sense in it unless I was installing a Bigsby. I plan to stick to my traditional saddles myself.
"Work hard, rock hard, eat hard, sleep hard,
grow big, wear glasses if you need 'em."
-- The Webb Wilder Credo --
even with a Bigsby, some guitars don't really benefit from roller saddles. in these cases, instead of the strings sliding over the saddles, the whole bridge rocks back and forth during trem action -- esp true for hollows with ToM on a floating base, as well as the original ToM with the "skinny" threaded posts.
-=tension & release=-
Maybe someone who has tried roller saddles on a non-trem guitar could comment?
Not really thinking of buying any, just curious about the physics behind it.
They sell those roller bridges for basses, too; obviously no trem bar on those. I don't see the point, but I've been told the bridges increase sustain (doesn't seem physically possible to me), that they decrease sustain, that they add tone, that they suck tone, and that they reduce string breakage. The last has not been a problem for me; if a bridge saddle is consistently breaking strings, there's something wrong with the saddle. I've also been told that the rollers roll ( :lol: ) every time you change strings and need to be adjusted each time to keep the string spacing consistent; I've read that some people end up using super glue to keep the rollers in place! Sort of defeats the purpose.
For the Gibson LP with Bigby, they say "the Schaller roller bridge helps the strings go back to the original tuning after using the Bigsby vibrato." So, that seems to sum it up - no advantage unless you have a guitar with a trem. And as gnease pointed out, maybe not even then.
