OpenTube

TonePros Roller Bridge: The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly

Nathan Sink

44,146 views

I recently got a TonePros Roller Bridge because of tuning issues I was having with the Bigsby B7 on my Gibson Les Paul Traditional Goldtop. The model is TP6R-N. I ran into some problems, as you'll see, but overall I really like it!

UPDATE: For the time being, I've kept the Faber posts, but I HAVE utilized the set screw on the TonePros to help keep it in place and let the rollers do the work. Seems to be working ok. Hopefully I don't damage the threads on the Faber posts.

**I apologize for the microphone issues in the video**. 😬

0:00 Intro
1:47 Tonepros Roller Bridge specs & details
3:37 Installation & comparison to Faber & ABR-1 bridges
10:43 Buzzing & rattling issue!
13:34 Fixing the dilemma
22:18 More on tuning stability and my opinion

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#tonepros #roller #bridge

20 Comments

@NathanSink Creator 2 years ago Pinned

UPDATE: TonePros did eventually reach out to me & seemed to want to genuinely help. They said they checked & didn’t have a record of my email…although I’m confident I sent it. But I guess there was a mix up somewhere along the way. Other than the hiccup with the loose roller, the bridge seems to be solid. But in the end, do what’s best for you. 👍🏻

@ant2011 2 years ago

That sharpee trick is money!

@davemcafeeguitar 2 years ago

Great insight and video! Thanks for posting

@GuitarQuackery 1 year ago

I really enjoyed this video. I've never come across a roller bridge I was really happy with.

@normandjones6916 1 year ago

great information

@peterpanpixyland 5 months ago

Thanks for this review. Years ago i switched to graphtech saddles, because most string breakage happened right at the bridge. The graphtech solved this problem 100%, at the expense of a small amount of sustain. I'm considering the roller bridge as a possible best of both worlds.

@darthmeek 1 year ago (edited)

I’ve bought three of them on the eBay from different suppliers and each one worked wonderfully for me everyone under $20

@Ian_sheridanuk 1 year ago

Just to say I got the musiclily abr roller bridge, it was 1/3 the cost of the tone pros and the quality is fantastic.

@randallclemons8638 1 year ago (edited)

Thicker gives you more range for intonation, good people who have that issue. Not implying anything bad. Great video.

@bdogjr7779 4 years ago

Awesome《☆》Definitely better than it was. Nice Gold Top👍🤓🏈

@sconni666 2 years ago

I’m the guy that just bothered you about the Mastery, so I subbed to make up for it. I was looking at these as I have a shitty sideways vibrola on my SG. I was looking at these to solve the problem and not have to lock the goddamned thing down. Think I have to lock the goddamed thing down. Thanks.

@josuesorto3453 4 years ago

I had an Epiphone Custom with a Vibramate and Bigsby on it and got that exact roller bridge. The roller on the A string wasn’t fully in and I had to bang it lightly and it fixed. Those bridges are seriously hit or miss.

@dugout888 4 years ago

I ended up getting everything set perfectly for me, then I immobilized with JB weld except for the rollers themselves. No problems now haha

@dougb5028 2 years ago

same experience with tone pros when I asked about a bridge I have - no response

@mlasch1478 4 years ago

I feel ya, I rolled my ankle falling off the last step of our daughter's basement. Dec 23, 2021 It still hurts sometimes now even on February 13, 2022.

@mortb6584 4 years ago (edited)

Helpful video, and your intro is hilarious!
Sorry if I missed something (watching this at work), but usually aftermarket bridges only come with 'pre-notched' saddles AFAIK. Typically you will want to file proper string slots so the strings don't slip with big bends. So that might be why the slots on the Faber bridge are so much shallower.

@Gtownblues555 4 years ago

Try a Schaller roller bridge like Heritage used on my ’03 H-150. They used threaded rods so you could set the intonation and the string alignment. I think all roller bridges are going to be wider to accommodate the roller mechanism.

@genebrenner855 4 years ago

I thought the idea of putting on a roller bridge with a Bigsby is to get a smoother warble and a more stable tuning. You didn't address those concerns concerns unless I missed it.

@EdVanMeyer 2 years ago

I used Vanson ones also good.

@ArvoAnimi 1 year ago

Dude, put graphite everywhere... on the rolling mechanism, the pins, inside the rolling piece where the pin goes, the cradle the pins go into, changing those pins was the perfect opportunity to do that. it would decrease even more the friction.