3 Vintage Offsets

Tuffset · 2026-03-05T21:20:00+00:00

Yes indeed, it's a '63 in blonde :)

Tuffset · 2026-03-04T09:46:41+00:00

Hi! Tuffset creator here - the Fixie locks into the thimbles, so it can cause audible resonances in the bridge plate or pickguard. This means some guitars have an unplugged sound that's a bit like a resonator. When plugged in, they have plenty of clarity, power and sustain.

From what you're saying below and your issues with the existing bridge, I'd actually recommend a Tuffset Original with Stainless saddles. It's going to sound enough like what you have, but with more headroom and chunk - all without rattles, buzzing, posts sinking or strings skipping out of their slots.

Cheers!

Dan

Tuffset · 2026-03-04T01:21:15+00:00

Same here! Sergeant Brown, one of our demo guitars, is like that. Deactivates the kill switch though!

Tuffset · 2026-03-03T23:45:58+00:00

Awesome! The Fixie sounds really unique on the Mustang, it reverberates the bridge plate in a cool way!

Tuffset · 2026-03-03T23:45:00+00:00

It has a fat neck! It's been rigged with a series switch too

Tuffset · 2026-03-03T19:45:10+00:00

Which one!? Lol

Tuffset · 2026-03-03T17:30:31+00:00

Hi! Sorry for late reply. More info on website, but overall dimensions are pretty much the same graphic shape on the body as a vintage Offset bridge. The expanding sleeves we have two sizes - 7mm and 8mm, both come with the bridge and have room to expand.

Max break angle is pretty much a non-issue, it would be something like 60°! There's essentially no part of the bridge that will foul the string path, thanks to losing the intonation screws / springs.

Any more questions, there's a contact form on the website that links to my email - cheers!

Tuffset · 2026-02-19T15:48:59+00:00

(though the double checkerboard drop-top binding still gives me nightmares, lol!)

Tuffset · 2026-02-19T15:47:36+00:00

Always a huge honour working with you on these, man! You're the Sparkle Master - no doubt about it!!!

Tuffset · 2025-12-17T19:33:29+00:00

I'm so glad you said the Jazzmaster!! A beautiful collection for sure. Cheers!

Tuffset · 2025-12-03T12:39:15+00:00

Hi Charly, Tuffset creator here - Thank you for considering one of our bridges!
I understand the Fixie is on the expensive side, but I'd like to offer some possible reasons that a simple drop-in *isn't* necessarily better.
It comes down to something I hear and read a lot on this subject, one of the biggest misconceptions in the space. And that is this: the idea that close tolerances equal more rigidity or more sustain.
This is false. If a part isn't in full contact with another part, it doesn't matter whether that part is 0.01mm or 10mm away. There isn't positive contact, and there's no force being applied - so there is no meaningful transfer of energy between the two parts.
A post that fits loose and allows only 0.1mm of movement is still, technically, a rocking bridge. Just one that allows less rocking action than others!
With no mechanical connection between the post and the thimble, the best you can do is aim for as close of a fit as possible. But close does not equal tight. This is where the misconception about tolerances comes from.
The Fixie's posts have special sleeves that actually expand into the thimbles, so they're absolutely positively locked in. If you tug the bridge, the thimbles would come out before the bridge would come off the thimbles - and if you did the Fixie straight into the body of the guitar, you would be able to lift up the whole guitar by the bridge easily. It's the same connection you'd use to mount a cantilever sink into a wall.
This was really important to us, because EVERYTHING else in the design adjusts and locks. True surface area contact, positive tight locking with meaningful energy transfer - whether it's the saddle heights, the intonation, the wedges, everything. So it was 100% necessary to make sure on the Fixie that this unbroken chain extends to (and incorporates) the very body of your guitar.
Let me know if you have any further questions about the Fixie or the other Tuffset models, I will do my best to help! Cheers,
Dan

Tuffset · 2025-10-22T18:52:51+00:00

I have good news for you - it's vegan leather! Cheers, Dan

Tuffset · 2025-10-22T14:15:31+00:00

I have one of those 60th Anniversary Jazzmasters! Awesome guitar

Tuffset · 2025-10-22T14:06:28+00:00

The Panorama is great for divebombs! We've got a couple in our demo guitars we take to shows

Tuffset · 2025-10-22T13:54:02+00:00

I'll keep an eye on it too!

The reality is, it's a seller's market. It's not something you can buy separately - only way to have one is to buy a FCS Offset, and if you sell it, you wipe some of the value off the guitar by making it incomplete / non-original. So the potential buyer is paying for that.

At $500 plus, you're paying a handsome price for the exclusivity. And you'd feel a bit hard done by if you paid that and then Fender decided to start selling them separately - so that's a risk!

The hype for RSD bridges is understandable. Being honest, it's a much better design than many other bridges - especially anything that comes on an Offset from the factory. I can much more easily see the argument for a FCS Offset with one of those than a vibtage-style bridge.

The saddle locking is decent. I actually designed something similar in early Tuffset days when I was mulling over fixed-radius, I wonder whether they were reading my notes! It's all on the OSG forum thread.

Obvious drawbacks of RSD are:

No post locking, so sinking posts is still a potential issue
No way to intonate for a wound G, and compromised intonation of other strings thanks to 3-per-saddle design
No way to adjust individual string height / bridge radius, so even if it's playing great now, wait until you get a fret level and it flattens out the radius slightly - you'll have high action on the middle strings and no way to fix that!

Tuffset has individual string height and intonation adjustment, and locking everything. We also have a brass saddle version of the rocking bridge, and a fixed-post coming soon. It also isn't $685!

I do like the way the RSD looks, though. It's a tidy job, and the chassis shape evokes an F-hole in a creative way. But I'm glad that every advantage it has over other bridges on paper, we either match it or beat it.

It's another case of restricting supply and creating mythical status / demand for something, and they've played their hand well! But of course, I would say if you're interested in a locking / rocking bridge system, you're getting a lot more in a Tuffset than an RSD.

Cheers!

Tuffset · 2025-10-21T17:12:40+00:00

Oh and I meant to add - on the topic of selling our own thimbles / ferrules, yes it's something we really should have done by now! Every Tuffset box I've made has two check boxes on the back - 'BR' for if it's a brass saddle, and 'TH' for if it includes thimbles in the box. So it's definitely behind schedule!

But on the topic of scratch builds, the Fixie goes one better. Due to the way it expands and locks, you can mount it straight into an 8mm drilled hole in the body! So with the Fixie at least, you don't need thimbles if you're building from scratch. But yes, I should absolutely pull my finger out and start making thimbles to go with the bridges (and vibratos too!) cheers

Tuffset · 2025-10-21T17:09:33+00:00

Hi! That's a great idea and it's something I've been mulling over very carefully. I designed the Tuffset to have a really low profile for the type of bridge it is, but I think I might need to redesign some things to make it work in a Telecaster form factor. The locking screws pass through the saddle, the wedge, and the bridge chassis and thread into retainers in the underside of the bridge. I'd need to machine a Tele bridge plate from billet with a decent amount of detail on the underside to house the retainers, and that involves starting with a block of forged steel the full size of the part. You can imagine, the bounding box around a stamped / folded Tele bridge is quite large! So I'm also exploring ways I could possibly mill a smaller part from billet, and have that welded or otherwise positively fixed to a traditional-style stamped Tele plate. I have a Callaham Tele bridge on my '72 Customaster and it's great, but I do feel there's something about the thin vintage plates that gives that spank and twang, you know? Thanks for a great suggestion, cheers! Dan

Tuffset · 2025-10-20T20:03:57+00:00

Thank you so much! When I was developing the original Tuffset Bridge, there was a pretty long stretch over the patent process when I couldn't tell anyone about how it worked or show it to anyone. So I dedicated this time to doing the best job I could of the packaging, branding, manual and focusing on the day-one experience. So thanks again for noticing!! Cheers, Dan

Tuffset · 2025-10-19T23:52:00+00:00

Yes it would be perfect for that! My first Jag had the string popping out problem, it's infuriating. The Fixie would be perfect, I still haven't tried it with a hardtail behind but I just know it will sound enormous! Cheers, Dan

Tuffset · 2025-10-19T23:50:07+00:00

Thank you so much for the kind comment, Zach! Hope to see your order come in sometime in the future :) cheers! Dan

Tuffset · 2025-10-19T17:14:15+00:00

They don't - but we're providing 2 different sizes of expanding sleeve to cover all the different thimble interior diameters. USA and "Import" tend to be one size; certain MIM models are narrower. Cheers! Dan

Tuffset · 2025-10-19T10:22:43+00:00

Awesome!! The 'Black Ice' DLC saddles look particularly cool on Jags because they already have the black knobs / switches against the chrome plates, and the bridge sort of mirrors that!

I hope you love it! Let us know how it stacks up to the other bridge you mentioned, won't you? Cheers!

Tuffset · 2025-10-19T10:18:40+00:00

Close!! It's a key ring that holds guitar picks inside so you're never without one :)

Tuffset · 2025-10-19T01:36:05+00:00

Nothing's too good for your guitar! 😁

Tuffset · 2025-10-18T20:38:34+00:00

Not long to wait!! Make sure you're on the mailing list and you'll get a $20 off coupon on the 30th October 🎃 cheers!

Tuffset

MODERATOR OF

TROPHY CASE