Looking for a better bridge for a Norma guitar

Bob411

Bob411

thrumming with potential
My neighbor bought a MIJ, in the 60s guitar for $20. It's a Norma, possibly made by Teisco.

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norma.jpg


I cleaned the white rocker switches and got them to do something. You would think they would be on off switches for the pickups. Maybe someone rewired it wrong, one switch turns both pickup either on or, off. The other is like a tone control, maybe puts one of the pickups out of phase?

He is tickled pink, having a blast with it. I'm wondering if I can find a better bridge for him. I found this pic on Ebay, if it's not the exact same bridge, it's very, very close.

norma bridge.jpg


Are there any places that sell parts to upgrade old MIJ guitars, made by God knows who, where I can get a better bridge? Even some shitty
non-adjustable preformed thing that would make it kind of sort of intonated?
 
If those posts measure out the right way, maybe a tune-o-matic style with roller saddles will fit.

In my research for my Ampeg guitar, which came to me with something similar to that bridge, I came across a richenbacher bridge plate that is pretty much the same as that base plate. It got me thinking about just finding something that will sit right on top of that base plate.

You have to consider the height though. Too high and you’ll mess up the action. Too low and you’ll have no break angle over the bridge.


This is what was on my Ampeg when I got it. Much flatter radius than what you’re working with, but essentially the same thing.
IMG_4503.jpeg


Ultimately, I gave up on trying to plop something on the posts because I wasn’t going to be able to solve the height problems I mentioned above, but the Ampeg has super low action and everything is very much in line in terms of height off the body.
 
I found a Norma just like that {but red} in the trash! I took out the pickups and threw the rest back. Still have em in the junk drawer. they have the clang!
 
@Gorgon90 ... I can confirm that your memory is still working correctly (just in case you were wondering)! It was a 1963 Hofner Colorama II and the original bridge had been replaced with one pretty much the same as Bob411's (it's a terrible bridge!), but it turned out even if I could've sourced an original, it would've been wrongly compensated as G strings were wound back in those days (I suppose I could've got a wound G string, now I think about it). Anyway, I kept the base, but made a new top out of a bar of brass. Here's a link: https://diystrat.blogspot.com/2012/01/hofner-colorama-ii-restoration-project_30.html

If you don't want to go the DIY route, a tune-o-matic bridge would be great if the holes were correctly spaced for that base, although I seem to remember looking into that and it didn't match up. I've seen tune-o-matic bridges that come with a wooden base (designed for 330-style guitars, for example). That could be an option, although the wooden base looks a bit rubbish on a solid-body guitar (you'd also need to make sure that the wooden base was flat and not curved). The another option of course it to install an actual tune-o-matic bridge on that guitar. You'd need to drill for the studs, or slightly less intrusive would be to use more of an original-style tune-o-matic where the studs are almost more like screws (like this one: https://guitarpartscenter.eu/en_US/p/GOTOH-GE103B-tune-o-matic-bridge-N/11042).

Whatever option you go with, remember to consider string spacing and radius.
 
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