| You might need to push down your bridge top to make sure it's perpendicular to the top of the bass. As you tighten your strings toward correct pitch, new strings often need several days to stretch. In this process, the bridge will, more often than not, begin to tip toward the fingerboard, since it's not glued down. Check and see if there's a gap in the bridge feet on the tailpiece side, that'll be a dead giveaway. If you have an adjustable bridge like mine, the bridge can lean and not have a gap on the bottom, but if it's just a straight up bridge like I think you have, look for the gap. You might need to lower the string tension a little to do this. In most cases, the BOTTOM of a properly dressed bridge will be around 90 degrees to the bass's belly, but some will be more centered to the top point. Also, put some pencil graphite in the string slots as well as the nut slots and make sure these slots are smoothly dressed for easy string movement. I've seen experienced players with bridges almost falling down, so this detail is often overlooked which will affect adversely the string tension and playability. (make sure you read the sticky about changing strings)
Ike
Last edited by Ike Harris : 06-18-2008 at 10:35 AM.
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