Spring rattles in bridge - what to do?

makkE · #1 03-02-2011, 10:58 AM

Hi,

Since I installed some heavy labellas, the spring of the saddle of the A-string is rattling. It's even coming through the pickup a little.
How can I stop it. I guess I have to dampen it somehow, but I am looking for a proper solution, so maybe one of you has had this problem too, and found a good fix.
The bass is a squier 50ies model, "high-mass bridge".

Cheers

purpletornado · #2 03-02-2011, 11:01 AM

Is the saddle screw loose? Seems like it should be compressing the spring slightly.

makkE · #3 03-02-2011, 11:09 AM

No, it's relatively far back, further than it was before. I switched from 45-100 to a 49-109 set. The spring is compressed tightly. These strings just vibrate a lot - labella flats.

It was present on the e-string as well, before I set up the intonation. I guess the spring is just comporessed in a way that it somewhere touches the screw lightly.

Eric Moesle · #4 03-02-2011, 04:10 PM

If that is in fact what you are hearing - and not the saddle itself rattling because flats sometimes don't give enough downward pressure on the saddle - then I'd recommend removing one of the springs and taking it to your local hardware store and find some slightly stiffer ones in the parts-drawer aisle. Shouldn't be more than a buck or two for an entire set of matching springs.

TheSuzie · #5 03-02-2011, 05:04 PM

As Eric said it could be the saddle itself bouncing on the bridge plate. It could also be the set screws vibrating inside the saddle, something I have experienced lately. It seems that a lot of cheaper imported saddles have a very loose fit in the threading for the setscrew. It's almost like they used the wrong drill and tap to match the setscrew, never mind that I suspect the saddles are not the best metal. I have heard of problems with Squire, lower end Ibanez and have experienced it myself on an SX.

In some cases the saddles will even drop down or the set screws pop out. On my bridge the setscrews wiggle around very loosely even though they are screwed fully into the body of the saddle. You can try a drop of weak glue on the threads to see if it kills the buzzing.

Peace,
S