Double Bass How high can I safely raise this bridge?

[ejnachtrab]

I have 6-7 threads showing on standard aluminum adjusters. It seems like this is about half the length of the threaded end of the adjuster. How much higher could I reasonably go?

There is nothing else weird going on with the bass. Only that the last time it was set up a little lower than I like, which hasn’t been a problem until the deep, dark, dry Michigan winter.

 

[ejnachtrab]

 

[ejnachtrab]

I usually have the opposite problem (bottoming out the adjusters in the summer) so this looks crazy to me…

 

[Stewie]

I'd make some hardwood washers to put between the adjusters and the bottom pieces of the bridge. If you were to have less than 3 or 4 threads on the upper parts, you might tear out the threads. PM dimensions of:
Inside of hole
Outside of washer
Thickness(es) you'd like and I will send them along

 

[Paps]

Yes, I certainly wouldn't want to go higher.

 

[turf3]

That looks VERY mechanically dubious. Remember we're talking about machine threads into wood, which is already a mechanically poor way to do things.

Are you saying you need the full range from bottomed-out to what you're showing us, to cover seasonal variation? I'd suspect there's something else wrong with the bass, that seems really excessive. If you really do need that much range, I'd consider the "summer bridge and winter bridge" solution. Short term, I think you'd be in safer territory to lower that bridge down and put spacers under the bridge feet, personally.

 

[dperrott]

probably fine. You might want to get the bridge shimmed though so you don't have so much threads showing

 

[DoubleMIDI]

I would get a piece of maple, cut two pieces a bit bigger than the top of the bridge feet, then bore a hole in the middle of the pieces as large as the original one in the bridge foot. Then glue the pieces to the bridge feet and align the holes with the adjuster. Clamp and get the adjusters out. File the overstanding wood from the glued parts so it aligns with the bridge feet.

No second bridge needed.

 

[ejnachtrab]

Thanks for all of your responses. I really do appreciate it.

There’s nothing wrong with the bass. A couple summers ago (22) while it was having some minor set up work done I expressed admiration for one of my luthier’s basses that was set up pretty low. So he set my bass up similarly. I could see by where the bridge was at the time that it’d likely be a problem in the winter. Last winter was mild and I’ve been favoring my other bass this past year anyway. But I’ve been coming back around to this bass and now THIS winter (or at least this past week) has been below zero and bone dry. The humidifier is running full blast and I need to get the bass back to my guy. In the meantime…

 

[KUNGfuSHERIFF]

+1 on maple spacers glued to the legs. Simple and somewhat common repair.

 

[Chris Fitzgerald]

+1 on maple spacers glued to the legs. Simple and somewhat common repair.

+2 for same. Nnick Lloyd did that to my LaScala hybrid back in 2008 or so and has been rock solid ever since. Basically got it “in the range” where it had a little room to go either way safely depending on what the weather did. But I’ve kept it at 7-10mm ever since. Usually amounts to a single turn each winter and then back in the spring/summer with about 3-4 threads showing.

 

[Jason Sypher]

+3 on gluing maple shims on the top of the bridge feet. But while you’re at it make sure your bridge is centered on the knicks in the f-holes and 90 degrees from the top. A bridge that migrates south or leans in the direction of the tailpiece too far will lower your string heights. I’ve saved some gigs on awful rental basses with terrible string heights by cheating the bridge one way or the other.

 

[turf3]

What Jason said. Check that first before changing anything else.

Also make sure it's centered side to side - actually, it's not centering between the F holes that's critical, it's the centering of the strings on the fingerboard. Fingerboards/necks aren't always aimed perfectly at the mid point between the F holes.

 

[Ron Lacey]

I had the same issue when I went to Zyex strings which were “fatter” than what I had on before. The G string would buzz against the fingerboard from Ab to B and would go away as I raised the bridge. But I had to go really high with only a turn or 2 of threads left. As Jason and turf3 suggest, my bridge had moved toward the tailpiece and had to go higher to raise the strings enough. I reset the bridge to get the scale length in the bass specs and problem solved. I didn’t have to move the bridge very far and it is a bit north of the notches as turf3 noted, the bass sounds much better and I have about half the threads engaged. I was also able to recenter the bridge as it had also moved toward the G side a bit.

 

[Paps]

Yes, undoubtedly the maple extensions work well and are well advised.
As a purist though, surely it would be better to get a new bridge custom fitted?
If it were my bass, I would certainly spend the extra bucks for a new bridge.

 

[ejnachtrab]

All better now.

 

[Jason Sypher]

Nice work

 

[Paps]

Perfect!

 

[Chris Fitzgerald]

That’s it right there.

 

[ejnachtrab]

One more shameless plug for Ed Fedewa. He’s a great bassist, principal bass in the Lansing Symphony and an excellent jazz player. As a luthier he is the cat out here in Michigan IMHO. He understands the needs of a working bassist and always makes time to work on my basses and help me out when I’m in a pinch. I’ve been there when he’s working on Bob Hurst’s bass or Rodney Whittaker’s bass or a student’s bass (or a really messed up old Czech flatback that I never should have bought…) and he treats everyone with the same focus and respect. I’m glad I got my bass to him yesterday before this freezing rain s**t show that we’re having now. He did those bridge feet and a few other small things for me while I waited. The bass is playing and sounding better than ever. Anyway, there you go. My 2 cents.