WTB DUPLO

Pre-intonated Saddles

WTB DUPLO

The original T style three saddle bridge created a legendary tone and in the Wilkinson Duplo and Duplo 59 we have recreated that classic tone with historically correct materials and construction methods, and like all Wilkinson products we have added a new twist that allows for modern strings to intonate more precisely for fantastic classic in tune tone.

The sound of the original T style guitars bridge pickup was due to a number of essential factors these being;

Materials, A stamped cold roll steel plate (only the correct gauge and the correct tempered/hardened plate can recreate the classic)
Magnetic connection, the magnetism from the steel bass plate (keeper plate) of the bridge pickup is magnetically connected to the bridge surround via the three steel screws, thus creating a large magnetic field around the whole of the bridge unit.

SADDLES AND INTONATION

No less important to the sound are the three saddles and how they affect the tone.

Tone is all about sound transfer, and with two strings holding down each saddle the energy is greatly increased. This is the reason that six saddle variants of the T style bridge cannot capture that same tone or vibration through the bridge.

So if six saddles have this inherent sound difference why do so many guitars use these versions? Simple, for more precise string intonation.

On the classic three saddle bridge intonation would never have been exact, and also no player was using a plain G string in the 50’s but a wound G string which would have meant totally different intonation pattern.

THE DUPLO DIFFERENCE

Now the vast majority of us have a plain ‘G’ and this requires a whole different intonation pattern.

Pre-intonating the three saddles is a way of offering a solution to this problem whilst retaining all that classic tone, however, as we don’t not know what string gauge a guitarist is using we find pre-intonated (whether angled or machined) is still an approximation.

However with ‘DUPLO’ saddles you can now get even closer to the perfect intonation. One side of the saddles has a double stagger giving you over 1/8″ (3.5mm) equal to 16 degrees whilst flipping the saddle over gives you 1/16″ (1.75mm) equal to 8 degrees of stagger. Mix and match which saddles you flip and compensate for whatever string gauge mix you like

SPECIFICATION

  • Model WTB Duplo

  • Finishes Chrome/Steel

  • Plate Material Cold Roll Steel

  • Saddle Material 360 Brass