My bass' bridge is screwed up...

Fassa Albrecht · #1 07-12-2009, 05:53 PM

Seriously, I've adjusted it three times in the last week. My bridge has two screws for each string, and both of these need to be adjusted for the action.

Recently it's developed a bad habit in that one side of these pairs of screws has become lop-sided, and despite of what I do, they stubbornly refuse to level. This has lowered my A string by a good couple of MM, and it also means I'm having tuning issues.

Any ideas as to remedies?

fdeck · #2 07-12-2009, 06:13 PM

A pic would really help. It seems possible that the threads are stripped. Here's what I would do if it was my bass:

1. Loosen all of the strings

2. Leave the bridge plate on the bass (no sense in messing with that) but disassemble the offending adjuster completely.

3. Look for evidence of damaged screw threads. If necessary, diassemble the neighboring adjuster for comparison.

4. If the threads are actually stripped, and I was too cheap / impatient to order a replacement part, I would tap out the hole to the next size and use a larger screw. But that's not a trivial task if you've never used a tap before, because it's easy to break a tap in the hole. Here in Wisconsin, everybody has worked in a machine shop at some point in their life.

5. In the future, a tiny bit of light machine oil (or some motor oil in a pinch) on each screw will help keep it nice. But you don't want to use so much that it oozes out and damages your strings or the wood of your bass. I would put a dot of oil on the screw, wipe it back off with a paper towel, and install.

eli · #3 07-13-2009, 05:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fassa Albrecht

Seriously, I've adjusted it three times in the last week. My bridge has two screws for each string, and both of these need to be adjusted for the action.

Recently it's developed a bad habit in that one side of these pairs of screws has become lop-sided, and despite of what I do, they stubbornly refuse to level. This has lowered my A string by a good couple of MM, and it also means I'm having tuning issues.

Any ideas as to remedies?

What kind/style bridge? I had a post-CBS Fender P some time ago, and the OEM bridge would never hold position -- the saddles would lower on their own while I was playing and I had to readjust them after every other gig. Solved the problem by switching to a BadAss -- but of course it totally changed the tone of the bass.

Steveaux · #4 07-13-2009, 02:02 PM

Vomit is highly acidic. It probably ate the screw threads.

Fassa Albrecht · #5 07-13-2009, 04:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steveaux

Vomit is highly acidic. It probably ate the screw threads.

Wrong bass...that was my Shergold.

Quote:

Originally Posted by eli

What kind/style bridge? I had a post-CBS Fender P some time ago, and the OEM bridge would never hold position -- the saddles would lower on their own while I was playing and I had to readjust them after every other gig. Solved the problem by switching to a BadAss -- but of course it totally changed the tone of the bass.

It's just the standard bridge that came with the bass...I need to take a pic.

benrhodes · #6 07-13-2009, 05:16 PM

ah-ha! so i'm not the only one! i was having minor problems with this before, but two nights ago i played my first gig, and after every third song or so one of the e string saddle screws would start to loosen. the string would end up lying flat against the frets and i would frantically have to adjust it between songs. i hope there is a quick fix for this that doesnt involve a new bridge.

Darkstrike · #7 07-13-2009, 05:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by benrhodes

ah-ha! so i'm not the only one! i was having minor problems with this before, but two nights ago i played my first gig, and after every third song or so one of the e string saddle screws would start to loosen. the string would end up lying flat against the frets and i would frantically have to adjust it between songs. i hope there is a quick fix for this that doesnt involve a new bridge.

One of my bridges done this, i took out the screws, dropped in a little superglue, and when it dried, i turned the screws with an allen key, to break the glues hold, but leave the movment stiff, saddle never slipped again.

Bassman822 · #8 07-13-2009, 05:27 PM

I've used clear nailpolish on the screws in the past- worked well for me at least

eli · #9 07-13-2009, 06:51 PM

There is a product called Loctite that is designed especially for this purpose -- holds screws still, while allowing you to turn them (with some effort) when you need to.

fdeck · #10 07-13-2009, 08:48 PM

Note about Loctite, that there are different grades from weak to strong. The strong grades are designed to require a fair amount of effort to loosen. Also, some of these products "creep" when they are not in confined spaces, so they may get out and onto your finish. Use extremely sparingly.

An alternative is a bit of Teflon plumber's tape.

WarriorJoe7 · #11 07-13-2009, 08:53 PM

use a very small drop of weak loctite for these screws

Joe.shaffer · #12 07-13-2009, 08:58 PM

Yeah, Loctite may not be the best idea for this application. Like fdeck said it'll wreck a finish if your not super careful. I've only had one bass that did this, I drilled and tapped the hole to the next size up and got a bigger set screw. To me this seems like the best solution short of a new bridge.

THand · #13 07-13-2009, 09:08 PM

Just for the heck of it, I'd wrap the screws a time or 2 with regular Teflon tape like plumbers use. It won't damage anything, and you can keep everything original. It may work.

eli · #14 07-13-2009, 09:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by THand

Just for the heck of it, I'd wrap the screws a time or 2 with regular Teflon tape like plumbers use. It won't damage anything, and you can keep everything original. It may work.

Now, see, that's what a forum like this can do for you. I very much like the Teflon tape idea, better than the Loctite idea. Much neater, and completely reversible.

benrhodes · #15 07-14-2009, 08:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Darkstrike

One of my bridges done this, i took out the screws, dropped in a little superglue, and when it dried, i turned the screws with an allen key, to break the glues hold, but leave the movment stiff, saddle never slipped again.

good idea, i'll give it a try. thanks!