Lateral bridge adjustments

[Chris Fitzgerald]

Yesterday I noticed that the string heights on my laminate LaScala in my office were all out of whack - the top strings were too low, and the bottom strings were way too high, and no amount of using the adjusters was able to help. Finally, it occurred to me that the bridge curve was off center with the curve of the board, so I scooted the bridge over about 1/4" toward the treble f hole, and everything fell right into place and felt and sounded great.

In this case, the feel and sound of the bass is all the proof I need that the bridge needed to be moved, but in general, are slight lateral adjustments of the bridge a fairly normal adjustment to make? What if anything are the dangers involved in this kind of realignment?

[CPike]

Were your string heights normal prior to noticing they were out of whack? If so, then your bridge probably got knocked sideways by some outside force - perhaps bumping it going through a doorway, for ex. Routine lateral adjustments of the bridge are not normal. Once the bridge is properly fitted and centered on the top of the bass between the f-holes with the strings positioned over the fingerboard correctly, the only adjustment that is necessary is height - or perhaps experimenting with moving the bridge slightly toward the neck or toward the tailpiece for tonal variations.

I guess lateral adjustments were "routine" for me back in my private teaching days. About 2 or 3 times a week I had to re-center the bridge on a student's bass because of their carelessness and clumsiness, ha ha.

Chris

[Uncletoad]

Originally Posted by Chris Fitzgerald

Yesterday I noticed that the string heights on my laminate LaScala in my office were all out of whack - the top strings were too low, and the bottom strings were way too high, and no amount of using the adjusters was able to help. Finally, it occurred to me that the bridge curve was off center with the curve of the board, so I scooted the bridge over about 1/4" toward the treble f hole, and everything fell right into place and felt and sounded great.

In this case, the feel and sound of the bass is all the proof I need that the bridge needed to be moved, but in general, are slight lateral adjustments of the bridge a fairly normal adjustment to make? What if anything are the dangers involved in this kind of realignment?

Those things are made really well. The distance between the FF holes (like where the notches are) when halved will give you a centerline. The bridge centerline should sit exactly on top of that centerline. The distance between each foot and the the FF holes are exactly the same on either side. If that relationship is off then it's taken a hit or slid around during some work or string changes.

Make sure the soundpost hasn't moved either. If the bridge has moved that much the soundpost may have moved as well.

[Chris Fitzgerald]

My string heights were a little out of whack for a while, but more recently they became stranger still. I probably must have whacked it during transport. However, it did get me thinking: if moving the bridge by a miniscule amount can help center the strings over the curvature of the fingerboard and make the bass play and sound better, how much harm can it do?

[CPike]

No harm done at all, apparently. The harm was done when the bridge was out of alignment. Centering the strings just put everything back to where it should have been in the first place.

Chris

[Uncletoad]

Originally Posted by Chris Fitzgerald

My string heights were a little out of whack for a while, but more recently they became stranger still. I probably must have whacked it during transport. However, it did get me thinking: if moving the bridge by a miniscule amount can help center the strings over the curvature of the fingerboard and make the bass play and sound better, how much harm can it do?

From a design point of view the bridge has a pretty standard spot it's supposed to sit and a clear orientation in that spot. The top graduations, FF hole positions, bass bar and soundpost positioning etc. are all tied together. By moving out of that space you can displace the center of where the string tension is focused away from that area and potentially do some damage at worst or at least cause an degradation in tone.

I routinely eyeball my bridge after transport to make sure it's where it belongs in 3 dimensions as it does get banged around from time to time. I'll make spot adjustments when need be.

[mrpc]

"Pretty standard" says alot. For instance, given the differences in string tensions from brand to brand, it seems that the bridge postion might work better in a non standard position sometimes.

[Uncletoad]

Originally Posted by mrpc

"Pretty standard" says alot. For instance, given the differences in string tensions from brand to brand, it seems that the bridge postion might work better in a non standard position sometimes.

I suppose, but the level of detail in construction on the New Standard is gonna nail down the spot for the bridge within a pretty small tolerance. I don't think changes in string tension should require or suggest the bridge be relocated out of that spot.

Arnold needs to speak up here.

[mrpc]

Originally Posted by Uncletoad

Arnold needs to speak up here.

I think that every bass has it's unique idiosyncrasies. I rememeber another post in which Arnold expessed his amazment in hearing Gary Peacock fiddle with his bridge adjustment, and the resulting sound that developed.

[nicklloyd]

A bass bridge can be adjusted here and there a few millimeters. The Sun will continue to rise and set.

[Chris Fitzgerald]

Thanks, Nnick. I figured that last part out when the sun went down last night and came up again this morning.

Seriously, I do remember an old thread around here somewhere about misaligned string tension, and some luthiers cautioned against not having the strings centered. In the case of my office bass, I think I was just putting right what had been knocked wrong in transit. But sometimes i find myself on a gig feeling like the G and D strings are too high or low in relation to the A and E, and a few millimeters shift could be all that's needed to set things right when you take the curve of the baord into account. My layman's take on it is that as long as there's some "free board" left on the outside of the G and the E, and as long as the bass sounds and plays good, it should be fine. Of course I'm just a caveman, not a luthier...

[Damon Rondeau]

Hey, when I was green as grass, when I knew nothing from a TalkBass, when all I had was 20 years of slab playing, I didn't even know a DB had a movable bridge. So the bridge on my Crapola got whacked in transit, was off to the high side by an inch or so, and I got all concerned and freaked out and took it to a luthier! I guess that was probably "wise" and everything, but I realized then and there how pathetically little I knew about this instrument I was messing around with...