{} To me, my bridge saddles seem to be angled very far back. My action is set pretty low. It was anywhere between 3/32 to 5/32 at the 16th fret (I think) before, then I raised it, giving each saddle screw a full turn. I didn‘t measure the action height. Is this normal for the saddles to be this angled on 55-01’s? It seems excessive to me... Thanks for your help!
The saddle height, and break angle of the string over the saddle doesn't appear excessive. The saddle surface is round, and so has no angle in itself. The angles of the intonation and height adjustment screws will necessarily be greater with higher saddle height, and are not a problem as long as you are not running out of adjustment range. You might want to replace the intonation screws on the lower strings with shorter length screws, leaving about 1/8" or so extending out of the saddle. -
I asked because I am not sure it can go much higher on some before it starts running out of adjustment range. The angle of the whole assembly was the angle I’m referring to. The bottom of the adjustment screws are noticeably in front of where they enter the saddle. I just wasn’t sure if this was a normal appearance for these basses, as none of my other basses have these severe angles.
They do look close to maxed out. And your action looks very low for how high they are. Is your neck a bolt on?
If you want to adjust the angle of your neck so that you have a better range of adjustment on your saddle height you can shim it with a small piece of business card. You could also get shorter intonation bolts and springs if those bother you.
Do your other basses have the same bridge plate? The location of the string through hole at the rear of the bridge plate will make a difference. If the hole is lower, the saddle assembly will be angled more. Other differences in the instruments can also result in higher saddle height, and more saddle assembly angle, for a given action height. The neck to body angle, and neck relief are probably most significant. If the tops of your saddle height adjustment screws are near the tops of the saddles, you are still within adjustment range. If the screw tops are recessed down near the center of the saddle, then you're beyond the limit of adjustment. There is also an advantage to having the saddles adjusted higher. The increased string break angle provides more downward tension against the bridge plate, which helps the saddles stay put. -
No, but in this case the shim would need to be at the outer end of neck pocket, and therefore visible. May or may not be objectionable. -
Check to see if there is a shim in the butt end of the neck pocket. If so, removing it will allow you to lower the saddles.