Which Way Should It Face? The Historically Correct Direction of the Nashville and ABR-1 Style Bridge

There technically isn't a 'wrong' way to put your bridge on - as long as your guitar intonates properly you're good. However, there are a lot of 'purists' out there that insist there is only one way an ABR-1 and Nashville styled Gibson bridge should face. This video will cover that. Which ever way you place your bridge, the strings should not touch the back side of your bridge or else it will bend over time

Don't have time to watch a 3 minute video? The Screws on an ABR-1 should point to the bridge (adjustment heads are closer to the neck. The Nashville styled bridge historically goes the OPPOSITE direction with the screws pointing towards the neck and the adjustment heads being closer to the bridge. These are the historically accepted directions. Again, as long as your guitar intonates properly, it really doesn't matter.

However, if you're buying a used guitar, it MIGHT matter which way you put it on. Take a look at your saddles and their slots. The EAD strings will have larger notches so you will want to align the bridge's direction to accommodate those. Sometimes this may end up making you put your bridge on 'backwards', but you'll have to live with it unless you want to adjust the intonation with the bridge facing that way or by replacing its saddles.

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[johnbrodsky]

Regardless of which of these bridges I’m using, and I prefer the Nashville bridge, I’ve always removed the saddles and re-installed them with the saddle screw heads facing the tailpiece. I’ve always installed the bridge this way because it makes setting the intonation much easier (with the screw heads facing the tailpiece). I also choose to use the Nashville bridge over the ABR due to the extended saddle travel... which allows more accurate setting of the intonation.

[pjstamm]

This video is invaluable to me today in 2023, four years after you uploaded it. Thanks!!

[wowdogeful]

I always put the Nashville style bridges on backwards since it's easier to adjust the intonation that way.

[marcellinden]

Nice explanation on the differences between a ABR-1 and a Nashville... and how they 'traditionally' should sit...

[sneifert]

You could reverse the saddles to allow the opposite direction of the screws. I’ve actually had to physically turn saddles around for a slightly longer string length for intonation purposes. Particularly with the low e and g strings.This is with non- Gibson stop tail bridges, so keep that in mind.

[bobbybowers]

The ABR-1 bridge should be installed with the screw heads facing the pickups. If reversed, the strings can touch the screw heads if you have the tail price low. If you top wrap or have the tail price high the strings probably won’t touch them.

[robbyclark]

I have two LPs. A 2008 and a 2015. Both have the Nashville bridge. The 2008 came with the screw heads on the pup side. The 2015 came the exact opposite with scew heads facing the tailpiece. I bought both of them brand new, and no one had ever altered them as far as I am aware.

[MatthewRomanoMusic]

Thanks man! Doing a string change on an Edwards LP with an ABR style bridge and I got myself a little confused. You always have great info, keep up the good work!

[guus]

You're forgetting what happens with the strings between the bridge and the tailpiece. With the ABR bridge the saddle screws stand-out more, therefor the chance of them touching them is bigger when mounting them towards the tailpiece. This may have an effect on the sustain some people say.

[ObiWanAugus]

Excellent. You saved me from making a mistake. I am working on my first Les Paul type guitar; and i was about to put the bridge in the wrong direction.

[davidthayer]

Sometimes you might need to switch it around to get it to intonate or so the adjustment screws don't hit the strings

[photorooster]

You can see by the break angle which way any bridge should go, however I have been known to disassemble and reassemble a bridge in a direction that makes screwdriver access and intonation easiest to adjust.

[BILLYMORGAN]

For me you just added more to the confusion or mystery. There is another hybrid bridge that has characteristics of both bridge types. It's the same widge of an ABR-1 but has Nashville like posts. My particular bridge has a few problems, namely it looks like someone filed down the slots. Could it be they got confused and put the bridge on backwards and then filed it to fit? Whatever they did it made my bass strings sit lower and thus break easier. Now the guitar either needs the saddles swapped around or all totally replaced. I'm still on the fence as this lack of consistency and the mystery of my guitar just make things frustrating. It's also a bish to have to correct someone's damage to a supposed new guitar.

[toraksel]

2:17 why do you attribute that to confusion? I always mount an ABR-1 with the screws facing the tail piece, and I reverse all the saddles so that they point the "correct way". I prefer this by a lot, regardless of what's historically accurate or how Gibson sets it up on new guitars.

[guitar]

The intonation adjustment screws on the Les Paul I have with an ABR-1 will touch the strings if I have it on backwards because I like the tailpiece set pretty low.

[alabamahebrew]

well you helped me! I thought my Sully Erna had the Abr1, nope, its the Nashville! So that means the next time I change strings I have to flip the bridge lol. Even though Ive always loved the Les Paul I did not know that much about them until recently. In fact it was right here on your channel that I started hearing the ABR1 and Nashville talk... the first time I changed strings on that Les Paul I took the bridge off to clean it and when I went to put it back on I couldn't remember which way it faced, so I googled it and the only example shown had it for the ABR1, but Austin just showed me that I in fact have the Nashville bridge lol. Great Video Austin!

[MauiBoyTrav]

Thanks! This helped me realize I have a Nashville so the screws point to the back.

[mattsitasmusic]

thank you! now I will flip my saddle before each gig to evenly distribute wear :')

[mojorisen]

I just put the bridge on where the saddles point is at the top facing the humbucker unless there is intonation issues I either flip the bridge or turn an individual saddle around.

[MetalMatt]

Looks like I got a abr 1 type, worried I had part of a bridge missing from a Custom Gibson les Paul I bought in 2016 but didn’t play much so decided to look it up that how I ended up here