Before changing out to the Savvy , guitar played like a car with a bent rim , get you where you wanted to go but Now with the “Savvy “ it’s true and righteous ! MCB , appreciate you guys and Uncle Tom too 😎
According to Gibson (coming from another channel who contacted Gibson regarding the tilting bridge thinking it was a defect), the bridges are meant to and designed to tilt slightly.
Thanks for putting this video up man! Answered all my questions I had about my intonation issues on the 2019 SGjr reissue I just picked up. MCB here I come!🤟
I remember reading many years ago, when i was a totally committed Hendrix fReAk, that Jimi used a b string gauge because in the set he thought the G string gauge was too dominate. Part of the little things that matter, plus the reverse headstock helped get his patented sound. Back then, there were not many string companies & light gauges, until Ernie Ball came around. Anyway, thanks for the helpful video, i enjoyed it.
Thank you for watching, I am so humbly pleased that you and others have found this video helpful. I encourage players at any level to feel free about trying various individual string gauges for any given string on any given guitar. Why not optimize the full playability for one’s preference. Pre-ordained “string packs” are certainly convenient, but why should they be so standard for each of us as unique guitarists? They’re a fine starting point, but who says they’re completely right for you? Kudos to Ernie Ball’s recent expansion of a variety of string gauge packs. It’s about time.
I’ve got one of these Savvy bridges on my coffee table right now. It’s going on a 2011 Yellow Jr. Honestly it’s not that bad but I’ll take any improvement. Great playing btw!
Thank you for watching and listening. Good luck with installation of your new MCB on that Jr, I’ll bet you’re gonna hear a lot of improvement in tone, tuning and playability. Graze that twine and make it whine.
@@shawnhelsel923 I haven’t put the Jr down since I installed it! What a piece of technology! Only boo boo I made was ordering the aged( which looks great ) and never thought how it would clash with the shiny posts. Looks a tiny bit weird but my OCD surprisingly isn’t going 5 alarm… yet. But yeah I’m really impressed!
I’m really glad you are as stoked as I have been. Yeah, I can dig the nickel/chrome contrast OCD experience but I try not to let it bother me too much🤣 I love the older look of nickel so even a little bit goes a long way, enjoy that Jr buddy.
@@shawnhelsel923hey thanks for the replies. I’ll probably order the old style posts in a while. I still haven’t put the Jr down yet! I have 7 other LPs from an R9 through Traditionals to STDs to finally a Classic. Haven’t touched them or any of my Fenders since I put that new bridge on!
That's quite the pedal arrangement there, brother. I like that tuner. Can you give me the info on that tuner? Is it a retail item? Thanks for showing off that awesome bridge! Looks like you have it about as dialed in as it gets. Nice job.
Thank you bro, and thanks for watching, check out Shnobeltone online, this guy installs a Polytuner inside of a Dunlop or EB volume pedal. Best of luck, keep pickin’
Hi there! What strings are you using? I am having a sitar/buzz with The Savvy on my Gibson LP Special and I think is the strings double wound at the ball end.
Hi Raf, thanks for watching. I’m just using typical basic Ernie Ball, GHS, D’Addario ,etc .009 through .046 strings. Nothing special. Yes, double-wrapped ends could be troublesome on a wraparound bridge depending. You’ll definitely want to have it locked down via TonePros studs so that the bridge sits flat and isn’t lifting up into sitar-land. I hope you have good luck getting it playing well.
@@shawnhelsel923 thanks Shawn. I am using a Tone Pros locking studs. With the Ernie Ball Slinky the double wound ends come out of the hole and up the bridge. I’m your video I can’t see even a sign of the double wound ends poking out of the hole. I am getting a few different strings to try. Thanks!
Oh Shawn, you are my last hope. I am lost trying to get rid of this sitar noise on my Savvy. It’s very frustrating. It’s like I’m the only one to ever have this problem with the Savvy. I see a gap between the low E and the bridge curved surface behind the crest where the string contacts the bridge. You seem to have that gap as well 7:29 . I can’t comprehend why this is happening.
I don't know why Gibson and any other guitar maker that has this style of bridge just doesn't use Tonepro style studs. They're that much better then the stock sets. Just put a MCB Savvy and Tonepro studs on my 2022 Les Paul Jr. Wouldn't use anything else. Don't know if it's placebo effect or not, but the sustain of this guitar just jumped up a notch.
Thank you for sharing and posting. Your guitar playing is magnificent. Those "complex chords" up on the neck were inspiring. I'd love to learn to play more like that. Do you have any recommendations on a great place to start to learn to play in that style (i.e. keywords for videos on UA-cam?) Looks like it might be rooted out of the cage system? Great stuff! Subscribed and following, Thanks!
Hello Dilligaf, thanks for watching and your nice compliments. You are spot on with relating some of the things I played in this video with the CAGED system. I began playing way up the neck a long time ago before the word CAGED became a thing, so I’ll humbly state that it’s nothing really new, it is merely a way of interpreting familiar first position chords into inversions of the same chords up higher on the neck. But I like that the concept has actually been given a name. I didn’t know what it was when I began, it was just chord inversions for me. Take any chord shape you’re familiar with and use it anywhere on the neck, that’s really all it is. Just use three strings at a time, and perhaps eventually look into playing harmonized scales. The other things I may have been doing involved bending various notes within each chord shape in a somewhat country style. It can be applied to any music, but my influence has been from pedal steel players. Again, no more than three strings at a time. Learn basic chord theory and play melodies within those shapes. Listen to some Allman Brothers and get some parallel fourths happening also. Play with your fingers along with the pick so you can hit multiple strings simultaneously. I hope these ideas might help. Good luck and keep pickin’
@@shawnhelsel923 awesome, thank you for the generous reply. Everything you said made perfect sense to me. Even down to the parallel force which I like It's got that ZZ top vibe. You made it look so easy. I've dabbled with this stuff but it all reminds me of when I learned my first F chord It's a struggle at first but you just got to stay on it. Thank you for the thoughtful reply. It was very inspirational it makes me want to approach the guitar differently.
Yes! Gotta have some ZZ thrown in there as well. It all relates. Billy plays those fourths, and Blackmore owes his career on them. Think about playing harmonized lines and double-stops. Don’t forget Soul Man Steve Cropper 6ths . . . If all else fails, just get a Tele if you don’t already have one and things will fall into place. Keep on pickin’
Question. I bought a new SG Special with two P-90's and it came with the lightning bar wraparound tailpiece. I didn't like it very much so I ordered this Music City Bridge "The Savvy" and it's great. But I just just used the existing Gibson studs so it does have a bit of lean to it. No buzzing or sitar sounds. It actually sounds great. But you used the TonePros locking studs, right? Was that a recommendation from them, or did you just do it yourself?
Hi there Boston, I do recall MCB recommending the TonePro studs when I bought the bridge from them. I didn’t have to install the TP inserts, the original inserts fit with the new studs just fine. They are a definite improvement in locking down the bridge, better tone and sustain, ease of changing strings, etc. Thanks for watching.
@Shawn Helsel yes indeed. I ordered some right after watching your video. MCB actually does say on their site that they're big fans of locking studs with their bridges. Acoustically, the sound has improved noticeably. Side note, my SG has two P-90s, and the string spread over the bridge PU posts isn't perfect. It's not entirely off track, though. The two E's kinda run along the outside of their respective PU posts. The middle four ride over theirs nearly perfect. I've yet to plug it in, but I have a PRS that has the same exact thing going on, and that guitar sounds great. I don't think it's a big deal unless they're all way off. It is odd how sometimes they ride over perfectly like yours, and sometimes they don't. I noticed you have a dog-ear P-90. I have soapbars. Maybe that has something to do with it. Who knows. Great bridge, though! Thanks for the response! Cheers! 🍻
@@shawnhelsel923 When you are fine tuning the bridge with the TP locking posts, do you have to unlock the post to allow for the bridge adjustments? Just trying to wrap my head around it (no pun intended). Looking at this for my SG Special
@@Respecttheriff Hi JayDeeSG, thanks for watching. Yes, to make any intonation or action height adjustments, you definitely have to loosen the top stud bolts and unlock the bridge enough so it can move freely. It doesn’t have to be much, because you still want it in place so your adjustments will be more accurate. Cheers, good luck.
The Studfinder model is designed for original 50s and 60s guitars. These had studs that were mounted offset, hence the ‘Studfinder’ moniker. Understandably more intricate to produce and higher cost. Reissue guitars have studs mounted parallel to the pickup and the Savvy model is designed accordingly as shown in the video. Thanks for watching.
Apologies Andres, but I’m reluctant to provide measurements or dimensions on my specific guitar. I wouldn’t want them to be incorrect or misleading for your particular guitar.
Mark, I really wish I could remember, unfortunately I didn’t save the package. I’ll bet StewMac or TonePros could help with the specifics on that. Thank you again and best of luck with the upgrade.
Before changing out to the Savvy , guitar played like a car with a bent rim , get you where you wanted to go but Now with the “Savvy “ it’s true and righteous ! MCB , appreciate you guys and Uncle Tom too 😎
According to Gibson (coming from another channel who contacted Gibson regarding the tilting bridge thinking it was a defect), the bridges are meant to and designed to tilt slightly.
Thanks for putting this video up man! Answered all my questions I had about my intonation issues on the 2019 SGjr reissue I just picked up. MCB here I come!🤟
Thank you for watching. I’m really glad you found it helpful.
You bought the Savy ?? I have a a SG jr 2019 and was thinking of buying one. How do you like it ?
I remember reading many years ago, when i was a totally committed Hendrix fReAk, that Jimi used a b string gauge because in the set he thought the G string gauge was too dominate. Part of the little things that matter, plus the reverse headstock helped get his patented sound. Back then, there were not many string companies & light gauges, until Ernie Ball came around. Anyway, thanks for the helpful video, i enjoyed it.
Thank you for watching, I am so humbly pleased that you and others have found this video helpful. I encourage players at any level to feel free about trying various individual string gauges for any given string on any given guitar. Why not optimize the full playability for one’s preference. Pre-ordained “string packs” are certainly convenient, but why should they be so standard for each of us as unique guitarists? They’re a fine starting point, but who says they’re completely right for you? Kudos to Ernie Ball’s recent expansion of a variety of string gauge packs. It’s about time.
I’ve got one of these Savvy bridges on my coffee table right now. It’s going on a 2011 Yellow Jr. Honestly it’s not that bad but I’ll take any improvement.
Great playing btw!
Thank you for watching and listening. Good luck with installation of your new MCB on that Jr, I’ll bet you’re gonna hear a lot of improvement in tone, tuning and playability. Graze that twine and make it whine.
@@shawnhelsel923 I haven’t put the Jr down since I installed it! What a piece of technology! Only boo boo I made was ordering the aged( which looks great ) and never thought how it would clash with the shiny posts. Looks a tiny bit weird but my OCD surprisingly isn’t going 5 alarm… yet.
But yeah I’m really impressed!
I’m really glad you are as stoked as I have been. Yeah, I can dig the nickel/chrome contrast OCD experience but I try not to let it bother me too much🤣 I love the older look of nickel so even a little bit goes a long way, enjoy that Jr buddy.
@@shawnhelsel923hey thanks for the replies. I’ll probably order the old style posts in a while. I still haven’t put the Jr down yet! I have 7 other LPs from an R9 through Traditionals to STDs to finally a Classic. Haven’t touched them or any of my Fenders since I put that new bridge on!
Thinking about one of these for my Custom Shop Jr., they are quite expensive but might be worth it. Thanks for the video!
Many thanks Shawn helped me in my search.
Glad it helped Alfred, best of luck.
That's quite the pedal arrangement there, brother. I like that tuner. Can you give me the info on that tuner? Is it a retail item? Thanks for showing off that awesome bridge! Looks like you have it about as dialed in as it gets. Nice job.
Thank you bro, and thanks for watching, check out Shnobeltone online, this guy installs a Polytuner inside of a Dunlop or EB volume pedal. Best of luck, keep pickin’
Good playing my dude, thank you for showing off the Savvy. Gonna be a madman and put a few of these on some Harley Benton LP Jr. types ;)
Thank you Jason, best of luck with the installations.
Hi Shawn Great video and nice playing. Can you please tell me the part number of the stud you used? Thank You.
Hi there! What strings are you using? I am having a sitar/buzz with The Savvy on my Gibson LP Special and I think is the strings double wound at the ball end.
Hi Raf, thanks for watching. I’m just using typical basic Ernie Ball, GHS, D’Addario
,etc .009 through .046 strings. Nothing special. Yes, double-wrapped ends could be troublesome on a wraparound bridge depending. You’ll definitely want to have it locked down via TonePros studs so that the bridge sits flat and isn’t lifting up into sitar-land. I hope you have good luck getting it playing well.
@@shawnhelsel923 thanks Shawn. I am using a Tone Pros locking studs. With the Ernie Ball Slinky the double wound ends come out of the hole and up the bridge. I’m your video I can’t see even a sign of the double wound ends poking out of the hole. I am getting a few different strings to try. Thanks!
Oh Shawn, you are my last hope. I am lost trying to get rid of this sitar noise on my Savvy. It’s very frustrating. It’s like I’m the only one to ever have this problem with the Savvy. I see a gap between the low E and the bridge curved surface behind the crest where the string contacts the bridge. You seem to have that gap as well 7:29 . I can’t comprehend why this is happening.
I don't know why Gibson and any other guitar maker that has this style of bridge just doesn't use Tonepro style studs. They're that much better then the stock sets. Just put a MCB Savvy and Tonepro studs on my 2022 Les Paul Jr. Wouldn't use anything else. Don't know if it's placebo effect or not, but the sustain of this guitar just jumped up a notch.
Thank you for sharing and posting. Your guitar playing is magnificent. Those "complex chords" up on the neck were inspiring. I'd love to learn to play more like that. Do you have any recommendations on a great place to start to learn to play in that style (i.e. keywords for videos on UA-cam?) Looks like it might be rooted out of the cage system? Great stuff! Subscribed and following, Thanks!
Hello Dilligaf, thanks for watching and your nice compliments. You are spot on with relating some of the things I played in this video with the CAGED system. I began playing way up the neck a long time ago before the word CAGED became a thing, so I’ll humbly state that it’s nothing really new, it is merely a way of interpreting familiar first position chords into inversions of the same chords up higher on the neck. But I like that the concept has actually been given a name. I didn’t know what it was when I began, it was just chord inversions for me. Take any chord shape you’re familiar with and use it anywhere on the neck, that’s really all it is. Just use three strings at a time, and perhaps eventually look into playing harmonized scales. The other things I may have been doing involved bending various notes within each chord shape in a somewhat country style. It can be applied to any music, but my influence has been from pedal steel players. Again, no more than three strings at a time. Learn basic chord theory and play melodies within those shapes. Listen to some Allman Brothers and get some parallel fourths happening also. Play with your fingers along with the pick so you can hit multiple strings simultaneously. I hope these ideas might help. Good luck and keep pickin’
@@shawnhelsel923 awesome, thank you for the generous reply. Everything you said made perfect sense to me. Even down to the parallel force which I like It's got that ZZ top vibe. You made it look so easy. I've dabbled with this stuff but it all reminds me of when I learned my first F chord It's a struggle at first but you just got to stay on it. Thank you for the thoughtful reply. It was very inspirational it makes me want to approach the guitar differently.
Yes! Gotta have some ZZ thrown in there as well. It all relates. Billy plays those fourths, and Blackmore owes his career on them. Think about playing harmonized lines and double-stops. Don’t forget Soul Man Steve Cropper 6ths . . . If all else fails, just get a Tele if you don’t already have one and things will fall into place. Keep on pickin’
Please read description fo actual bridge model names, which I somehow completely forgot to mention.
Question. I bought a new SG Special with two P-90's and it came with the lightning bar wraparound tailpiece. I didn't like it very much so I ordered this Music City Bridge "The Savvy" and it's great. But I just just used the existing Gibson studs so it does have a bit of lean to it. No buzzing or sitar sounds. It actually sounds great. But you used the TonePros locking studs, right? Was that a recommendation from them, or did you just do it yourself?
Hi there Boston, I do recall MCB recommending the TonePro studs when I bought the bridge from them. I didn’t have to install the TP inserts, the original inserts fit with the new studs just fine. They are a definite improvement in locking down the bridge, better tone and sustain, ease of changing strings, etc. Thanks for watching.
@Shawn Helsel yes indeed. I ordered some right after watching your video. MCB actually does say on their site that they're big fans of locking studs with their bridges. Acoustically, the sound has improved noticeably. Side note, my SG has two P-90s, and the string spread over the bridge PU posts isn't perfect. It's not entirely off track, though. The two E's kinda run along the outside of their respective PU posts. The middle four ride over theirs nearly perfect. I've yet to plug it in, but I have a PRS that has the same exact thing going on, and that guitar sounds great. I don't think it's a big deal unless they're all way off. It is odd how sometimes they ride over perfectly like yours, and sometimes they don't. I noticed you have a dog-ear P-90. I have soapbars. Maybe that has something to do with it. Who knows. Great bridge, though! Thanks for the response! Cheers! 🍻
I wouldn’t let minor string spacing vs pickup poles bother me too much if the guitar plays and sounds good. Best of luck with it all brother!
@@shawnhelsel923 When you are fine tuning the bridge with the TP locking posts, do you have to unlock the post to allow for the bridge adjustments? Just trying to wrap my head around it (no pun intended). Looking at this for my SG Special
@@Respecttheriff Hi JayDeeSG, thanks for watching. Yes, to make any intonation or action height adjustments, you definitely have to loosen the top stud bolts and unlock the bridge enough so it can move freely. It doesn’t have to be much, because you still want it in place so your adjustments will be more accurate. Cheers, good luck.
Badass player
Kind thanks!
Tom used Studfinder model, more expensive. What's the diff?
The Studfinder model is designed for original 50s and 60s guitars. These had studs that were mounted offset, hence the ‘Studfinder’ moniker. Understandably more intricate to produce and higher cost. Reissue guitars have studs mounted parallel to the pickup and the Savvy model is designed accordingly as shown in the video. Thanks for watching.
is your reissue a 2020 model? thx for your video!!! I have a 2018
I believe it is either a 2020 or 2021. Thanks for watching.
What's the bridge pot space in mm?
Apologies Andres, but I’m reluctant to provide measurements or dimensions on my specific guitar. I wouldn’t want them to be incorrect or misleading for your particular guitar.
Did you just reuse the existing inserts on your 2018 model? Looks like you did, just want to be sure
Yes, I did not have to replace the inserts. The TonePros locking studs fit just fine. Thanks for the comment and watching.
Which model did you use? SM1’s?
Mark, I really wish I could remember, unfortunately I didn’t save the package. I’ll bet StewMac or TonePros could help with the specifics on that. Thank you again and best of luck with the upgrade.
@@Smitty76I used SSN-1
How much was that bridge?
Greetings, I bought the bridge directly from MCB when they had just produced them, it would be best to contact them on current price.
As of 8/5/23, it's $99.00.