Apparently, a lot of R & D went into designing these Telecaster bridge saddles. I have used others with some success but never thought I would find ones that finally solved the problems with regard to intonation, tone and user friendly design. The first thing I noticed is that they are a trifle longer than other boutique designs and the ends are cut such that they look like they could fit into each other. Aesthetically pleasing and a nice touch. The compensated angle of each of the three saddles is as dead on as I could achieve with a six saddle Gotoh style bridge and intonates perfectly with a stock 10 or 11 set. I can only assume it would do the same for lighter or heavier string gauges. The saddles are highly polished brass and seem to have slightly more mass than others I've tried. I've noticed a perceived increase in sustain and a more defined overall tone. It's worth mentioning that the allen height adjustment screws are recessed so there is no chance of cutting your hand on the top of the saddle -- and angled so that they don't interfere with the anchor screws as mentioned by another reviewer. One last point is that you can keep the separation between the saddles or in my case, have them touching which I think adds to the overall thickness of sound. These saddles represent cutting edge design and offer dramatic improvements over other designs currently available. It's really amazing how much better my tele plays and sounds. Bridge saddles are critical to getting a great tone and often overlooked by too many players. Will look forward to seeing more products from this company in the future. Great Job! Update - 10/04/05 Comments on the Glendale Double Notched Telecaster Bridge: Having played almost a month of shows with my new Glendale bridge and newest saddle set, I feel a few comments are in order. Before I get into specifics, I feel the changes are dramatic and go well beyond the usual incremental improvements experienced with most after market designs. I had played for over 25 years with the six saddle Gotoh heavy plated chrome over brass bridge, mostly because I could intonate the individual strings and felt the stock ashtray design was awkward. Within the last year, I switched to the Callaham 3 saddle Tele bridge and noticed a real improvement in overall sound with the added benefit of lightening up the body by at least a few ounces. Switching to the Glendale bridge has added another huge improvement. Finally, my tele is sounding like I always wanted it to. The double notch design is just fantastic and there is absolutely no adjustment period when switching from a six saddle type or any other. I went for the non magnetic per Dale's suggestion as I've always loved that somewhat less twangy 50's Tele sound (Roy B, Danny G, etc.) and the GD bridge delivered. It's actually lighter and a touch thinner than the Callaham and polished smoother on the back where it meets the body. Solid as a rock and no need for the two front mini bridge screws offered on the Callaham design. I am in no way slighting the Callaham bridge which offers a real improvement in performance over a six saddle, stock Fender ashtray, Joe Barden or Vintique. However, the Glendale design is cutting edge and simply the last word in Telecaster Bridges. My tele has never sounded so alive. The chiminess and overtones, controlled feedback and sustain are noticeably more attainable, even at lower stage volumes. Some of this has to be attributed to the Glendale saddles which I've already reviewed but these are the newest creations from Dale and I'm using his brass set with an aluminum saddle for the A and low E strings which brightens up tone a bit. The fit of these saddles are amazing. Everything about this bridge regardless of which saddle set you choose is simply the very best on the market. At this point, it is hard to imagine this design could be improved upon. Perhaps what I like most is that Dale is a great player and knows exactly how to reinvent these parts to get the most performance out of your guitar. Thanks for the great products!

The "Blackguard” Cold Rolled Steel Base Plate combo-ed with Brass Intone Cutting Edge Saddles was the missing element in achieving “REAL_DEAL 100% Vintage Tone” Some of you may already know that I have been a lucky man in my personal quest for recreating absolute dead ringer true to the bone vintage guitar pickups. And lately I seem to have an ever growing/increasing repetition for being one of the very few “Pickup Winders” That’s honestly tapped right into what made “Vintage – Vintage!” And unlocked secrets as to why some of those old guitars sounded so dang great and some even better then others of the exact same vintage. This has allowed me to actually clone old guitar pickups and then actually prove it! As we go on to A & B my pickups -- side by side – with some golden ear pros in the very same room as we A & B my pickups with these great old guitars… Prior to installing Glendale’s Blackguard Bridge -- I happened to noticed that 2 particular Tele’s a 53’ and a 54’ had a interesting sound that seemed to somehow be generated and actually coming from the bridge area… and the old Tele’s had a more solid sound to the notes.. Also the Old Tele’s -- they did not have this slight metallic splatter dangling on the tail end of every note. This metallic splatter sound would sometimes make it hard to find the neck rhythm sound I needed to find quickly while trying to get in the mix with a live band.. It would also make the bridge pickup sound a little too crazy as false sounds were attaching themselves to the notes. Glendale’s Blackguard Bridge was the final chapter in achieving (true as life) real 100% re-created Vintage Tone.. The bridge is also very-very important to what was making these Old Tele’s so dang special – that underestimating the properties of sound that the bridge plate is responsible for is a fools game.. ( I was guilty myself of not ever wanting to admit or believe that these special bridges did so much) The hard fact of life is all these new reissue Hot Rolled Steel newer/modern bridge plates are adding unwanted and un-musical sounds to the mix and ruining your chance at actually enjoying real vintage tone without the $50,000.00 mint 50’s Tele… There’s a reason that’s beyond “investment opportunities” that created the Vintage craze.. It was sound/tone and there was no mistaking when you heard a good one out of the bunch because it pretty much would cause your jaw to drop. They were reasons why they sounded so good.. Even if Leo himself was un! aware of ever single little reason… but truth of the matter is it happened and it’s true! and there’s living proof out there still today… as every now and then some guy with a real vintage guitar sends us home with our tail between our legs.. Well those days are over.. There’s some good guys making real vintage pickups today (I surely hope I am one!) and you now have Glendale’s Blackguard Bridge and Intone Cutting Edge Brass Saddles… and some nice true replica vintage pickups, just add a resonate body and fat back neck and [also: one more important part of the tone-chain “a good NOS tone Cap” something from the 1950’s or 60’s that’s rated at 100-Volt ONLY! And .050 mfd. GOOD-ALLs and Sprague VQ’s have a very musical tone and are a huge player in your vintage sound – search E-bay for these and pay whatever it takes to win it! ] There is nothing like playing these recreated and real vintage instruments the cost and the price of all these items to recreate a good vintage instrument is peanuts when you compare it to the thousands you would spend trying to buy a real one… and even if you did get a real one the chances of it actually being one of the really great old vintage guitars is growing less and less as time moves on and the good ones are snatched up. www.buckcannon.com

Although I had a pretty bad experience with a guitar builder in USA, who promised me to make a vintage replica telecaster last year but never delivered anything, I was still toying with the idea of ordering a custom-made dream telecaster. Then I came across Glendale's website this spring and noted his philosophy with keen interest, and so it all started. First I ordered Glendale's non-magnetic bridge plate + saddles for my other two telecasters. These turned out to be a very useful up-grade; nothing left to be desired anymore for these tele's. Convinced by the remarkable quality and tonal results of those bridge plates, I decided shortly afterwards to get myself that custom-built telecaster as per my specifications, with great confidence in the Glendale company. Since one month I am the proud owner of this production guitar #004, and I'd like to share my experience with you guys, my fellow tele-pickers. I've learned already that wood quality, construction and a lightweight body are critical factors for a livelier, groovacious solid-body tone and great sustain. This guitar features a one-piece ash body (Lbs 3.2) from the swamps of Louisiana. The neck has some of the straightest-grained maple wood I've ever seen, excellent beefy shape, beautifully finished with a very thin nitro lacquer, and feels supremely responsive. In my opinion you can recognize the over-all workmanship just by how the neck has been made! This one is super stable and therefore stays in tune very easily. From the very first minute, the guys of my band noticed how remarkably well-tuned this guitar sounded. Further on, this guitar has been equipped with a set of Dale's own pick-ups, including a 5 pole-staggered bridge pup, which gives great twang, spank, bite, definition, brilliance, chicken-speak, cluck and roundness, which are so important for that bottom-end tightness that conjures up that typical tele-tone we all want!In short, no reason for changing anything, since the combination of high-quality materials and superb workmanship results in a real killer guitar! All the hardware gives plenty of confidence, as this one is so well-balanced sound wise and so unforgivingly well-tuned that she really forces me to play neat and clean. During these past exciting months, Dale proved to be very helpful, with a fine eye for details and ideas, which he always communicated in a very pleasant way to me on my side of the planet. It was a thrill to make this project happen! With grateful thanks again, and keep up the good work, Dale! September 22nd, 2006 Amsterdam

They are absolutely fabulous and they seem to fatten up my overall tone without sacrificing any twang at all. They intonate dead on perfect and the angled height adjustment screws stay completely off my bridge anchor screws which lets me adjust them as far back as I need to. I honestly think you have Vintique beat with these things buddy and I am proud to say I have them on my guitar!

I'm always reluctant to use words like "perfect" - especially when discussing guitar tuning. But after installing INTONE saddles on my tele, I can't find a better word to describe the intonation. I can finally play chords above the 12th fret without getting a dirty look from the piano player! My tone got a little beefier, too. These saddles really make a difference. Great job, Dale! Ronny Dale Shultz has shared his talents all over the globe with such luminaries as; Bob Will's Texas Playboys, David "Fathead" Newman, Claude Gray, Red Stegall, Leroy Van Dyke, Lynn Anderson, Johnny Bush, Frenchie Burke, Johnny Gimble, Hank Thompson, and too many others to list. His ability to play many different musical styles on several instruments keeps him highly in demand as a session player and performer. Update - 8/21/05 Dale told me that his bridge would make a difference in my tone. I was expecting a slight change for the better - but I was absolutely blown away by the results! The annoying overtones were gone and I was left with a rich, even tone. The balance from string to string is much better, and the overall tone of my guitar is greatly improved. It simply turned my good Tele into a GREAT Tele! Thanks again, Dale! Currently plays for the Insiders

The guitar is from May 1953, two months younger than Roy Buchanan's Nancy. And mine plays in perfect tune now. If I only had Roy's soul...