Installing a TonePros Bridge & Tailpiece

Installing a TonePros System II Bridge & Tailpiece on a Yamaha Weddington Custom

As much as I like my red Yamaha Weddington Custom, I was having a problem with the bridge—it was warped, bowed down as if in an inverted radius of the fretboard with the individual saddles raised up to compensate.  How it came to be this way, I don’t know, but it was difficult to properly setup the guitar with the bridge in this condition. 

  The problem:  A severely warped bridge.  It was warped down, inverting the radius of the fretboard.  The individual saddles were raised up in order to compensate.  Too bad, really, the bridge was a well-made piece of kit (probably higher quality than the TonePros).  The other Weddington that I had didn’t have this problem.   The solution:  A new locking bridge and tailpiece from TonePros.  I found this one on eBay for $50, less than half of what a new one costs.  I didn’t spring for a new one because I wasn’t sure it would fit and I wasn’t about to do major modifications to the guitar.   Taking the old hardware off was as easy as unstringing the guitar.  The bridge and tailpiece just dropped right off.  The studs unscrewed easily, but I didn’t take the threaded inserts out as that was unnecessary.   The new TonePros studs threaded into the Yamaha inserts without problem.  Nice.   The only things left to do were drop the TonePros bridge and tailpiece in place, and tighten the locking screw up with the included allen wrench.  (You can see where the locking screws are threaded in near the studs on the bridge and tailpiece.)  Once everything was in place, I re-strung the guitar and set the intonation.

Not bad for $50 and a half-hour’s work.  Now the Weddington is much easier to setup and plays better.  I don’t know that I hear a big difference in how it sounds, but the setup is a big improvement.

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