Installing new bridge

[Nunovsky]

Hi! A few months ago I got a cheap SX p-bass to use as a special mod project.
I bought a new bridge for it, a high mass with brass saddles.
Both the old and the new bridge have 5 screw holes but they don't align.
How can I solve this? Is it ok to place the bridge a few milimiters bellow so I can make new holes on it?
Thanks.

 

[bholder]

The best solution is to drill out the existing holes and fill them in with hardwood dowel pieces (glued in). Then you can line up the new bridge and drill new holes where ever needed.

 

[JRA]

i think bholder 's idea is the best solution. i recently plugged the five holes on my J-bass so i could use a different bridge. i stuffed the holes with toothpicks and yellow wood glue and 'clipped off' the protruding ends of the toothpicks with 'side cuts' ("dykes" "diagonal cutting pliers"). when the glue was dry (the next day) = i put the new bridge on by drilling fresh holes wherever they needed to be. just be sure to cut/clip the toothpicks even with (or ever-so-slightly below) the surface of the body --- might be easier to wait until the glue dries. easy peasy!

some folks might dab some epoxy into the holes to fill them up...with or without toothpicks.

but fill the holes and then put the bridge where it should go. good luck!

 

[Nunovsky]

Thanks for the answers. I thought about that solution and I guess it's really the best way to do this.

 

[JRA]

I thought about that solution and I guess it's really the best way to do this.

it really is. it may sound like a hassle, but it's such an easy fix (toothpicks and glue!). and then you don't have to worry about the best position of the new bridge. the hardest part is waiting for the glue to dry! i think you can use any glue that's made for wood --- slather some onto the toothpicks and stuff 'em into the holes. clip the toothpick ends and wipe off excess glue. wait. done.

 

[Zooberwerx]

it really is. it may sound like a hassle, but it's such an easy fix (toothpicks and glue!). and then you don't have to worry about the best position of the new bridge. the hardest part is waiting for the glue to dry! i think you can use any glue that's made for wood --- slather some onto the toothpicks and stuff 'em into the holes. clip the toothpick ends and wipe off excess glue. wait. done.

I use kabob skewers instead of toothpicks. They wedge in the old screw holes nicely (with a drop of glue), easily shaved-down with a chisel, and are virtually undetectable. The plugs are also sacrificial so it's easy to reclaim the real estate if necessary. Just by luck, my recent plugs ended up directly below the ball-ends. If overly obvious, you can always touch-up with a paint pen or the like. Helps to have a wife who's an artist!

Riis

 

[JRA]

I use kabob skewers instead of toothpicks.

great choice! i've used them, too --- and i've used the large/giant toothpicks that some restaurants use for certain dishes, and i've also just made my own: by shaving off edges of 2x4 stock and using scissors (and/or utility knife) to roughly shape them enough to plug into the holes. yeah, there's nothing magic about toothpicks, they're just generally available. i actually prefer using multiple, flat-sided toothpicks when i have them.

 

[Nunovsky]

I'm keeping the center hole to help align the bridge. I'll fill the rest of the holes and drill the rest. Since I'm sending this bass for a refinish you won't notice the former holes once everything's done.

 

[Matt Liebenau]

If the new holes are going to overlap the old use the dowel method or use something that mostly fills the hole and requires minimal glue. If you have a bunch of glue in the old holes the glue will cause a hard spot that could cause your drill to wander off from where it should be, especially if you're not using a drill press.

Also, if the holes are exposed at all the really, really "right" way to fill is to make plugs from the same wood, preferably off cuts from the body but at least the same species. Dowels leave end grain facing out which can eventually telegraph through the finish.

 

[ctmullins]

Where the holes fall isn't nearly as important as where the saddles fall. Make sure the saddles are in the right place, or you will have trouble intonating the bass. That's the crucial bit, and the screw holes are wherever they are.

 

[Dirk Diggler]

Don't forget the new bridge might not fit in the exact same spot.
The saddles could be more forward or backward from the original.
Unless you have to drill new holes close to the old ones, there's no need to fill them at all.

When mounting holes don't line up, it usually means the bridge wasn't a direct replacement.

Make sure everything is square and lined up, nothing worse than a crooked bridge.

Good luck,
Dirk

 

[Yahboy]

I suspect the high mass bridge you bought are 20mm spacing saddle than standard 19mm specs.

 

[fhm555]

I've used oak dowels to repair a couple bodies that had stripped strap pin holes. Just drill out a hole large enough for your dowel to be a snug fit then apply plenty of glue and push the dowel down into the hole. I leave them a bit proud then trim them down flush and drilled for my strap button screws. I've done the same to repair a body someone had wallowed out all the pickup mounting screw holes on but used Devcon 2 ton epoxy instead of wood glue because my intention was to install some brass threaded inserts and use machine screws to mount my pickups, but i didn't have the patience to wait on the inserts and screws to arrive so i just drilled pilot holes for the screws i had and went on with my project.