Dean Edge 1 Bass - Bridge Setup

steve42 · #1 01-26-2013, 07:11 PM

I bought this bass used a few years ago when I was just getting started, and my original thoughts were "It's a Dean, I don't expect much, I'll use it until I can buy a serious bass."

It's still my primary bass, mainly because I love the heft of the body and the tones are nice. However, as I have learned more, I have figured out that I made a newbie mistake when I bought it.

The guy who owned it before was a sweater. I don't mean he was hairier than an argyle cardigan; I mean he was one of those players who sweats when they play. The rest of the guitar was in beautiful shape for a players bass, but there was some surface rust on the springs and the saddle adjustment screws.

Since I was putting new strings on it anyway, I removed the bridge, disassembled it, used my Dremel tool with a soft wire brush to clean the surface rust off the parts, and then lightly oiled them, dried them off and reassembled the bridge.

Now, I have a bit more experience and I was making some minor adjustments to the setup (to lower the action for one thing) while restringing. I noticed that the saddle adjustment screws, which are Allen-wrench adjustable, are actually different lengths, and I think I replaced them incorrectly that first time.

Now, the nut tapers from high on the E to low on the G. I assume that the bridge saddles should do the same, but before I disassemble again, I wanted to make sure.

Can someone confirm that the saddles should generally sit lower on the G-side than the E-side and that everything should taper down that direction? I'm 60 miles from the nearest store that is likely to sell this model, so I'd rather clarify it with you fine folks than wait until I can drive there.

Thanks,

Steve

202dy · #2 01-26-2013, 07:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by steve42

I bought this bass used a few years ago when I was just getting started, and my original thoughts were "It's a Dean, I don't expect much, I'll use it until I can buy a serious bass."

It's still my primary bass, mainly because I love the heft of the body and the tones are nice. However, as I have learned more, I have figured out that I made a newbie mistake when I bought it.

The guy who owned it before was a sweater. I don't mean he was hairier than an argyle cardigan; I mean he was one of those players who sweats when they play. The rest of the guitar was in beautiful shape for a players bass, but there was some surface rust on the springs and the saddle adjustment screws.

Since I was putting new strings on it anyway, I removed the bridge, disassembled it, used my Dremel tool with a soft wire brush to clean the surface rust off the parts, and then lightly oiled them, dried them off and reassembled the bridge.

Now, I have a bit more experience and I was making some minor adjustments to the setup (to lower the action for one thing) while restringing. I noticed that the saddle adjustment screws, which are Allen-wrench adjustable, are actually different lengths, and I think I replaced them incorrectly that first time.

Now, the nut tapers from high on the E to low on the G. I assume that the bridge saddles should do the same, but before I disassemble again, I wanted to make sure.

Can someone confirm that the saddles should generally sit lower on the G-side than the E-side and that everything should taper down that direction? I'm 60 miles from the nearest store that is likely to sell this model, so I'd rather clarify it with you fine folks than wait until I can drive there.

Thanks,

Steve

Confirmed.

Actually, the saddles should roughly conform to the radius of the neck. However, the bass side strings need more clearance to allow for the wider vibrations of the strings. The treble side can be lower.