Faber® guitar parts are truly "State of the pArt!" They were designed to meet the demands of guitarists who want to get the most out of their guitars, in both convenience and, more importantly, in tone. In addition, Faber® guitar parts address the shortcomings of existing products on the market. For example, the leading tailpiece locking studs do little more than just lock the tailpiece to original style studs. They claim more sustain, but look at the design and think about it. Is that system doing any more than what the strings do naturally under tension? Not at all! On the other hand, look at the Faber® Tone-Lock™. Examine the exclusive and innovative "No Gap" technology and you will realize that this system not only locks the tailpiece, but also provides complete and solid contact from the top of the tailpiece stud all the way to the body. The result is an actual, noticeable, real increase in sustain. The effect is virtually the same as having the tailpiece all the way down on the body, which is impossible on most guitars without "top wrapping," because of the steep angle and the problem of the strings touching the back of the bridge. With Tone-Lock™ you get the best of both worlds! This same kind of innovation and thinking can be found in all Faber products.

Because we make parts in both Imperial (designated as "INCH" in our descriptions) and Metric sizes, parts selection can cause some confusion. In general, ALL Gibson® guitars made in the USA use INCH tailpiece studs, which means any Gibson® guitar with "Gibson" on the headstock. "Orville by Gibson," on the other hand, are imported and use METRIC tailpiece studs. Epiphone, another Gibson® "import" also uses METRIC tailpiece studs. Other guitars made in the USA which use a standard style "Stop" tailpiece need to be examined further, as the builder may use either INCH or METRIC stud inserts. Consult with the guitar maker for information on your guitar's hardware. There are some other exceptions, or "anomalies," so please look further into the FAQ for information on specific Faber® parts.

If your guitar is a USA made Gibson®, you definitely need the INCH Tone-Lock™. If your guitar is made anywhere other than the USA, you need METRIC Tone-Lock™. For other guitars made in USA, there is always the possibility that the builder used METRIC studs/inserts on the guitar, as both INCH and METRIC studs and inserts are readily available in the U.S. For any guitar other than a USA made Gibson®, or an imported guitar, please consult the builder about the thread size of the tailpiece inserts. Faber® Tone-Lock™ studs sizes are: for Gibson® guitars, 5/16-24; for imported guitars, 8Mx1.25. If you are interested in a Tone-Lock™ KIT (includes a Faber® TP-59 tailpiece), the same information applies, as the tailpiece is the same for INCH or METRIC Tone-Lock™. Please see below for information on selecting Tone-Lock™ bridges and the Tone-Lock™ MASTER KIT.

Tone-Lock™ is a simple "drop in" replacement for your guitar. Simply remove all the strings, remove the old tailpiece and studs, place the included spacers over the tailpiece inserts, screw in each Tone-Lock™ stud approximately until the threads are no longer visible above the spacers, place your tailpiece between the top of the spacer and the bottom of the stud head, and tighten. That's it! Be careful when tightening the studs, particularly if you are not using a very large screwdriver, as it is possible to damage the tops of the studs and cause some of the plating to flake off, if you get too aggressive when tightening. If you don't have a large screwdriver, a U.S. quarter dollar coin actually makes for a better installation tool. Overtightening is not necessary!

You are not limited to using just one spacer for each tailpiece stud. Spacer selection is determined by two factors: personal preference and string angle. With the former, as long as the angle doesn't cause the strings to contact the back of your bridge, choose the height you like best. With the latter, you should choose your spacers which will place the tailpiece high enough that the strings do not contact the back of the tailpiece. One consideration is the use of two spacers on each stud. Personally, I always use two: the medium size, which I install, flange side down, on the insert, and the small size, which i stack on top of the medium spacer, with the flange side contacting the bottom of the tailpiece. This combination produces a good tailpiece height AND gives better contact at both contact points - the body inserts and the tailpiece. Experiment and choose the best combination for your needs!

The Tone-Lock™ Bridge is "universal," because we provide a pair of the two most common sizes of locking collars with each bridge. As long as your guitar has either ABR-1 bridge posts (6-32 thread, as used on Gibson® Historics, early Classics, and most Gibson® guitars before the introduction of the Nashville bridge system) or 4mm bridge posts (many imports, and the Faber® BSWKIT/NSWKIT), the Tone-Lock™ Bridge will work for you.

Under the product listing for Tone-Lock™ Bridge, you will find a YouTube Video showing the installation procedure. It is a simple and straightforward procedure for guitars which are already equipped with ABR-1 or 4mm studs. The exception is Nashville equipped guitars, which can not use the Tone-Lock™ Bridge without additional parts. If you have a guitar with the Nashville bridge system and you want to convert to a Faber® Tone-Lock™ Bridge, see the next question about your options.

Yes, you can, but you will need additional parts. Nashville bridge systems use a combination post and thumbwheel to adjust the bridge height. The post/thumbwheel combo is one piece and threaded below the thumbwheel only. The threaded portion on the bottom screws into an insert on the body, and by turning the thumbwheel, the bridge is raised or lowered by how much thread is screwed into the body insert. The post above the thumbwheel has no threads. This differs from ABR-1 and 4mm studs, which use a separate thumbwheel riding up and down the bridge post's threads (threaded along it's entire lenght), to adjust the bridge height. With the Nashville system lacking threads above the thumbwheel, there is nothing for the Tone-Lock™ Bridge's locking collars to screw onto. Fortunately, Faber® has two solutions to deal with this: one is simple (NSWKIT), the other a more difficult installation (BSWKIT). With either of these additional parts, you will be able to convert your Nashville to a Faber® Tone-Lock™ Bridge.

The Tone-Lock™ MASTER KIT includes Tone-Lock™ studs/spacers, a TP-59 tailpiece, and a Tone-Lock™ Bridge. Basically, you choose between the INCH and METRIC KITS, depending upon the criteria listed under Q&A 3, above, "Which Tone-Lock™ (tailpiece, studs and spacers) is right for my guitar?" The only other consideration is whether your guitar has a Nashville bridge system. If you have a Nashville bridge system on your Gibson® guitar, you will need an INCH version Tone-Lock&trade MASTER KIT, but, as explained in Q&A 7, above, "Can I replace my Nashville bridge with a Tone-Lock Bridge," you will also need either the Faber® BSWKIT or NSWKIT.

We have three different models of ABR-1 style bridges, to suit almost every need, as follows:

ABRH: The ABRH bridge is designed as a "drop on" replacement for ABR-1 sized bridge posts. The Gibson® Historic series, early Les Paul Classics, and virtually all Gibson® guitars with a separate bridge prior to the introduction of the Nashville bridge, have ABR-1 (6-32) bridge posts. The diameter of the ABRH post holes is 3.68mm. Saddles radius is 12".

ABRM: The ABRM bridge is a drop on replacement for many imported guitars using 4mm bridge posts with standard spacing of 2-29/32" (73.82mm). It is also the correct bridge for use with the Faber® BSWKIT or NSWKIT. The diameter of the ABRM post holes is 4.3mm. Saddle radius is 12".

ABRN: The ABRN bridge is a drop on replacement for original Nashville bridge posts/thumbwheels. If your guitar has the original Nashville inserts and posts, this is the bridge you need. However, if you are also upgrading to a Faber® BSWKIT or NSWKIT, you should order the ABRM model bridge, as the post holes of the ABRN are slightly larger (4.5mm) to accommodate the larger post size of the Nashville. Saddle radius is 12".

Basically, without first discussing the bridge itself, the first clue is the type of height adjustment hardware you have. ABR-1 systems have threads along the entire length of the bridge post, with a separate thumbwheel which rides up and down the threads to adjust the bridge height. The bridge stud is mounted directly into the wood. Nashville systems have a combination one piece post and thumbwheel which screws into a threaded metal insert in the body. The combo bridge post/thumbwheel is threaded on the bottom only, and the bridge height adjustment is determined by how far the post/thumbwheel is screwed into the insert. There are no threads above the thumbwheel. Here is a photo of Nashville inserts/posts/thumbwheels: Nashville Inserts

For someone familiar with both ABR-1 and Nashville bridges, just seeing the bridge is all that is necessary. For those not familiar with both bridges, here is a photo of a Nashville bridge; and, an ABR-1 bridge.

The net weights of Faber® guitar parts are as follows:

Tone-Lock (studs and 6 spacers): 1.3 ounces (37 grams)

TP-59 Aluminum Tailpiece: 1.1 ounce (31 grams)

ABR-1 Style Bridge: 1.8 ounces (51 grams)

ABRL Locking Bridge (w/ 2 locking collars): 1.8 ounces (51 grams)

BSWKIT: .5 ounces (14 grams)

NSWKIT: .5 ounces (14 grams)

TPW Aluminum Tailpiece: 1.2 ounces (34 grams)

TPWC Aluminum Tailpiece: 1.2 ounces (34 grams)

I guarantee that anything ever purchased from me that doesn't live up to your expectations can be returned for a full refund, for any reason. Further, if anything arrives with a manufacturer's defect, I will even refund the original shipping charge and reimburse you for the return shipping. Otherwise, shipping charges are your responsibility. I am confident that our products will meet or exceed expectations in the vast majority of cases. If not, you are not stuck with anything you buy from CV Guitars - plain and simple!