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Bridge base plate doesn't lay flat; help/suggestions?

MattS

MattS

Jan 17, 2011
267
115
Cheshire, CT
#1
I've been in the process of seriously modifiying a squier p bass over the last 7 months. Lastnight, I installed a new fender style bridge to my modded squier p bass; pretty much the same exact bridge that was there before. However, there appears to be a little bit of lift towards the front of the bridge. I'm sorry I don't have a picture, but the front of the bridge base plate (opposite side of the screws) has a little bit of lift. Anyone ever experience that? it's pretty small, it doesn't appear to wobble, move, or bend at all though I haven't put the strings on yet. I don't want to get a new bridge, they're not totally expensive i know, but ... just trust me, no getting a new bridge, too much to type/explain. Do/can/should I:

a) try to flatten it? I was thinking if I took off the saddles and put the base plate in my table vise and tighten it to flatten it. I'm not sure if that'd work, cuz maybe the base is not big enough or too thick for that?

b) drill two holes in the front 2 corners of the base plate to put 2 screws in the front two corners. I kinda don't want to put more holes/screws into the bass if I really don't have to.

c) I was thinking maybe if I put a piece of veneer under that part to sorta fill the gap, make it make more contact to the body. I don't know if this would be effective or necessary.

any other ideas?

I'd greatly appreciate your thoughts and suggestions and look forward to your responses.

- Mat
 
#2
If the original bridge sits level on the guitar or other flat surface and the new one doesn't, it's likely the new one's plate is bent.

If that's the case, there are two issues, strength of the plate and your ability to get it flattened out.

What would worry me is the likelihood of the new one bending again. If you can easily bend the new one's plate, I'd recommend re-installing the old one.

Best of luck,

Bob
 
#3
I see a few of them raised up once in a while when I occasionally repair a bass for friends.

It's usually from over tightening the mounting screws and the tail-side of the bridge is sunken into the body a little bit.

No biggie if it lays flat when the strings are on it and tuned up to pitch.

But overtightened screws on a wooden body can cause all sorts of interesting things to happen.
 
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#4
no to stuffing veneer under there, but yes to straightening the plate, or even bending it a little concave underneath, so that tightening the screws forces all 4 corners against the wood. (tele players deal with this all the time.)

screw holes at the front corners would work perfectly, but is a pretty drastic solution.
 
#5
SurferJoe46 said:
I see a few of them raised up once in a while when I occasionally repair a bass for friends.

It's usually from over tightening the mounting screws and the tail-side of the bridge is sunken into the body a little bit.

No biggie if it lays flat when the strings are on it and tuned up to pitch.

But overtightened screws on a wooden body can cause all sorts of interesting things to happen.
Click to expand...


This - I've seen them where the end described in the OP was raised off the body, until the strings were tuned to pitch - then it sat flat... In a case like that, I wouldn't worry about it...


- georgestrings
 
#6
It's a squier body, not like it's gonna be a collectible. If it doesn't lay flat when strings are installed, I would put two screws on the front corners. Those holes would be covered by a different bridge plate if you were to ever replace this one, and it won't effect the tone at all.

And why no to the veneer, Walter? I have the neck pocket of my P bass lined with veneer so that the neck fits in there tight, I don't see why it would be a problem under the bridge.
 
#10
Just as a note...all "sheet metal" was once on a large coil. At some point during the processing the coil was unrolled and flattened out by running it through a series of rollers that had smaller and smaller offsets. The metal has memory so it will sometimes regain some of the curve it once had. This is especially true of a small piece that is cut by some means, normally die stamping, from a larger piece. Pieces that come from the inside of a coil that had the tighter curve will often have more bow than a piece taken from the outside of the coil.

Invalid Link Removed

mech
 
#13
mech said:
Just as a note...all "sheet metal" was once on a large coil. At some point during the processing the coil was unrolled and flattened out by running it through a series of rollers that had smaller and smaller offsets. The metal has memory so it will sometimes regain some of the curve it once had. This is especially true of a small piece that is cut by some means, normally die stamping, from a larger piece. Pieces that come from the inside of a coil that had the tighter curve will often have more bow than a piece taken from the outside of the coil.

Invalid Link Removedmech
Click to expand...

You're right!

I just went out into my driveway and son-of-a-gun - my 1986 Chevy Blazer has turned back into sheet metal!

Now what do I do? I was gonna drive that the cut wood. :spit:
 
#14
Ray man said:
I just noticed my badass bridge has the same issue.
It's just a hair off the body toward the front.
Ground wire is flat, it's not overtightend or sunk into the wood.
It doesnt flatten out when tuned to pitch.

I guess its just bent a little, i hope thats not a prob.
Click to expand...
i doubt the cast zinc badass plate is bent, it would probably snap before it bent.

maybe that groundwire needs to be moved behind the mounting screws, so that it pushes the front edge down instead of up.

(maybe for the OP as well.)
 
#15
walterw said:
i doubt the cast zinc badass plate is bent, it would probably snap before it bent.

maybe that groundwire needs to be moved behind the mounting screws, so that it pushes the front edge down instead of up.

(maybe for the OP as well.)
Click to expand...

I don't know, it seem to rock a little when on a flat surface like a table ect..
In any case it's only a hair off on the topp corners only, I can slip a piece of paper in no more than 1/4 of an inch, the rest seems flush to the body. Should I even be concerned at all?
Btw, I tried loosening the bridge a liitle while tunned to pitch to see if it would help. Nope, while it does flaten the string side, the screw side just raises up.
I also tried moving the ground wire to a different spot.
 
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#16
Ray man said:
I don't know, it seem to rock a little when on a flat surface like a table ect..
Click to expand...
an old tele trick is to sand the bottom of the bridge plate to be dead-flat.

another is to put a strip of really thin shim (like business card thin) behind the screws, again to help the mounting screws push the front edges of the bridge down.
Ray man said:
In any case it's only a hair off on the top corners only, I can slip a piece of paper in no more than 1/4 of an inch, the rest seems flush to the body. Should I even be concerned at all?
Click to expand...
in that case, probably not.
 
#17
walterw said:
an old tele trick is to sand the bottom of the bridge plate to be dead-flat.

another is to put a strip of really thin shim (like business card thin) behind the screws, again to help the mounting screws push the front edges of the bridge down.

in that case, probably not.
Click to expand...

I didn't think it was a prob, but it was annoying me and I just had to clear it up.
Thanks
 
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#18
b1.jpg
 
#20
Ray man said:
I don't know, it seem to rock a little when on a flat surface like a table ect..
In any case it's only a hair off on the topp corners only,
Click to expand...
Slide the bridge plate across a sheet of sandpaper on a flat surface. The sandpaper will scratch the high spots. Take a file and carefully file down these high areas, and repeat the process until it's reasonable flat and doesn't rock on a flat surface and the scratches from the sandpaper more or less are even over the whole surface of the bridge.

In looking at your photos, that is a very noticeable up-bend on the corners. I would lay it upside down on an piece of thick paper stock placed on a flat anvil surface, and smack the corner area with a large flat brass drift and hammer. That should flatten out the corners. Don't over-do it, otherwise you may deform the larger area of the bridge plate.
 
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