NBD: Waterstone 20th Anniversary TP-12 32" Scale

[BTL]

This thing is a beast...I'll post more information after I've spent some time with it.

https://reverb.com/item/44200295-waterstone-20th-anniversary-tp-12-bass-guitar-2022-onyx

[Dave W]

Congrats! I hadn't heard anything about them for several years, good to know they're still around.

[morrow]

Whoa !
Looking forward to your impressions .

[Basvarken]

Is the brIdge that Waterstone uses what you expected from the research you’ve been doing?

[BTL]

Is the brIdge that Waterstone uses what you expected from the researsch you’ve been doing?

Yes, I'm 99.9% certain it's the Sung Il BM108 and TS108 shown in the links below, but with extra holes drilled for the second octave course. All of the critical dimensions are identical, and as an FYI, the base of the bridge block is 10mm thick and the wings with the intonation screws are 2mm thick. I have difficulty imagining these could deflect under tension like I heard the older import bridges might, but I suppose anything is possible. As you noted previously , string spacing is 66mm.

Chrome,8 Strings Brass Flat Bottom Base Bridge,BM-108CR-XB-1
Chrome,8 Strings Flat Bottom Base Tail,TS-108CR-XB-17087

[Basvarken]

Never knew EY Guitars makes these. Good to know!

I'm actually fed up with ETS at the moment. I have ordered three 12-string bass bridges in august.
And I'm still waiting. Each time I have them on the phone they have a different excuse: he's ill, there has been a flooding, the machine has broken down, they can't get the raw materials, his son is ill, et cetera

I'm stuck with these three bass guitars I'm building. They are all three ready to assemble. But I can't proceed because I need the bridge sets...

[BTL]

I remember reading that you were having issues with ETS and I'm sorry to hear that. I was given a link to an EY Guitars listing for the BM-108 & TS-108 on Reverb.com by ESP/LTD customer service when I inquired about the bridge they use on their 8-string basses.

Somebody else made the connection between Sung Il (Korea) and the EY Guitars manufacturing facility/distribution center (China). The EY Guitar listing uses the same part number, photo, and spec sheet as the Sung Il site, so it seems like a pretty safe bet that they one and the same. 

[BTL]

So, the backstory on this bass is that I've become more than a little obsessed with 8 and 12-string basses over the last couple of years, so much so that I've designed an 8-string bass bridge that is currently in the prototyping phase. Independent of that, I somewhat recently became Facebook friends with a man named Bob Singer, and he reached out to me about a custom build.

In the process of discussing details (he's buying a bass that was abandoned by another customer), I realized he is the owner of Waterstone. I mentioned that I'm a fan of the brand and we chatted on the phone at some length. Something I didn't realize is that Waterstones are made by Mirr in Korea, the same shop that makes Reverend, Duesenberg, PureSalem, MusicVox, and others. Mirr is an OEM that is not as well known as some others, but their build quality is second to none. As many folks know, I'm a huge fan of 32" scale basses, so once I realized that the 20th Anniversary TP-12 is medium scale, I was hooked...I had to have it!

[Basvarken]

I remember reading that you were having issues with ETS and I'm sorry to hear that.

Well the miracle has finally happened. The bridge sets are ready and on their way to my address...

[BTL]

Well the miracle has finally happened. The bridge sets are ready and on their way to my address...

That's fantastic, I'm so glad it worked out!

[Basvarken]

So, the backstory on this bass is that I've become more than a little obsessed with 8 and 12-string basses over the last couple of years, so much so that I've designed an 8-string bass bridge that is currently in the prototyping phase. Independent of that, I somewhat recently became Facebook friends with a man named Bob Singer, and he reached out to me about a custom build.

In the process of discussing details (he's buying a bass that was abandoned by another customer), I realized he is the owner of Waterstone. I mentioned that I'm a fan of the brand and we chatted on the phone at some length. Something I didn't realize is that Waterstones are made by Mirr in Korea, the same shop that makes Reverend, Duesenberg, PureSalem, MusicVox, and others. Mirr is an OEM that is not as well known as some others, but their build quality is second to none. As many folks know, I'm a huge fan of 32" scale basses, so once I realized that the 20th Anniversary TP-12 is medium scale, I was hooked...I had to have it!

That is pretty cool.
When I google their site I also find a site that redirects to https://www.italiaguitarsusa.com/

[Chris P.]

Can't wait to see the new builds, Rob!

[Basvarken]

Well, I cheered too early. The bridge sets came in today. And they didn't make what I asked. I can only use one set of the three they made.
Guess it's time I found a new hardware tooling company...

[Dave W]

Well, I cheered too early. The bridge sets came in today. And they didn't make what I asked. I can only use one set of the three they made.
Guess it's time I found a new hardware tooling company...

That's too bad. With all the time they had, you would think they would make an extra effort to get it right.

[BTL]

Well, I cheered too early. The bridge sets came in today. And they didn't make what I asked. I can only use one set of the three they made.
Guess it's time I found a new hardware tooling company...

I'm really sorry to hear that. Will the Sung Il bridges get the job done for your current builds? Have you reached out to Tom @ König Bassworx?