• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

New EBMM Special Stingray 4HH Bridge Saddle Issue

#45
bdplaid said:
So I have solved the problem. I did as the Caprice/Cutlass players did and changed the screws. Although I'm not totally happy with the result:

View attachment 3242130

The problem is that IMO the screw is too short. But it's all I could get locally.

BTW, it's 6-32 thread pitch.

I think the long term solution is to thread the upper hole as well, and I'll try that when I get the urge. But for now, It works.

The bass is killer. The price i paid for it was about the same as for a Fender USA Elite. This is so much better in workmanship and overall quality I'm not sure I have words. It's on-par with a custom boutique instrument. The various sounds that come from it sit SO well in a mix. It doesn't sound like a P, not like a J, but because of the way it sits in a mix I don't care.

And surprisingly, I actually think the compensated nut makes a difference. The notes just sound "different."

The only wish I have is for a 1.5" width neck. Hold the P-spacing.

View attachment 3242132
Click to expand...
I didn’t read ALL the suggestions to alleviate the issue...but a few.
What I would do, and this is just me talking...is get a 6-32 thread tap and run it up the saddle from the bottom. Then once it get to the top, cut threads into the top so that the screws will no longer bottom out, but thread into the top of the saddle, and in/turn, be slightly more stable.
Now, I don’t have one of these saddles in my hand, so I’m only assuming it will work...everything sounds good on paper, until you actually LOOK at it...
 
#47
eastcoasteddie said:
Eehhh...beat me to it...
Day late and a dollar short...
Click to expand...

Of course, you would go from bottom to top to keep the threads in sync, but it would still be the top of the saddle getting tapped -- and this "could" be done with the saddle still on the bass by just flipping it over with the string off. I was more concerned with metal shavings around the pickup, though. I still think a proper shim is the better option to correct the neck angle -- which would negate the need to modify the bridge, and not detract from the resale value of this bass when bpplaid discloses his "modification" in the eventual for sale thread :)
 
Last edited:
#48
No mod needed, unless you call shorter bridge screws a "mod." It took this from being a very good player to being a phenomenal player. No one would ever know, nor would they need to, especially since I have no plans to sell it. This bass is exceptional; 8lbs, lightest StingRay I've ever seen, sounds and plays like a dream.

If I ever put the old screws back in, it would't play as well and IMO devalue the bass.
 
  • Like
Reactions: lowdownthump, Steve59 and SteveCS
#49
SHIM THE NECK. Don't make any mods that you can't easily reverse. Shimming the neck isn't hard and it's actually the best option here. Just use something that doesn't compress as the shim, like a thin piece of hard veneer. Don't use paper or anything like that. Also, you don't really need that big of a shim, we're talking ultra-thin. Put it back towards the heel, then put the neck back on. If you sell the bass later on and someone doesn't like it, they can easily take it out.
 
#50
Goofball Jones said:
SHIM THE NECK. Don't make any mods that you can't easily reverse. Shimming the neck isn't hard and it's actually the best option here. Just use something that doesn't compress as the shim, like a thin piece of hard veneer. Don't use paper or anything like that. Also, you don't really need that big of a shim, we're talking ultra-thin. Put it back towards the heel, then put the neck back on. If you sell the bass later on and someone doesn't like it, they can easily take it out.
Click to expand...
So which is more difficult, shimming the neck or replacing four saddle screws? I already know the answer to that.
 
  • Like
Reactions: lowdownthump and Slater
#51
Goofball Jones said:
SHIM THE NECK. Don't make any mods that you can't easily reverse. Shimming the neck isn't hard and it's actually the best option here. Just use something that doesn't compress as the shim, like a thin piece of hard veneer. Don't use paper or anything like that. Also, you don't really need that big of a shim, we're talking ultra-thin. Put it back towards the heel, then put the neck back on. If you sell the bass later on and someone doesn't like it, they can easily take it out.
Click to expand...
I very much agree with shimming the neck. Completely reversible. One sort of paper that does actually work well without compressing is sand paper.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Goofball Jones
#52
Goofball Jones said:
SHIM THE NECK. Don't make any mods that you can't easily reverse. Shimming the neck isn't hard and it's actually the best option here. Just use something that doesn't compress as the shim, like a thin piece of hard veneer. Don't use paper or anything like that. Also, you don't really need that big of a shim, we're talking ultra-thin. Put it back towards the heel, then put the neck back on. If you sell the bass later on and someone doesn't like it, they can easily take it out.
Click to expand...

Alternatively, use the shorter screws supplied FOC (free of charge) by the OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer)?
 
  • Like
Reactions: lowdownthump
#55
mojomike001 said:
Personally, I've shimmed so many necks that it's not even a second thought. Plus, with changing the screws, you still run out of adjustment when the saddles bottom out.
Click to expand...
As have I. But it takes far longer to shim a neck and get it right when all I needed was a couple of mm travel on the saddle. This won't run out of adjustment, it's perfect.
thanks.
 
  • Like
Reactions: lowdownthump
#57
I asked EB about getting replacement screws. Here is what they said:

Thanks for playing Ernie Ball Music Man! We can send them out if you purchased as new and are located within the US. We only have the 2 sizes in factory (5/16 used on the low "B" & "G", and the 3/8 used on the "E", "A" & "D"). We can send you 6 of the 5/16 ones for the inner saddles. To better assist you, what is the serial number and your shipping address? Can you provide a photo or copy of the receipt?
Click to expand...
 
  • Like
Reactions: lowdownthump and bdplaid
#60
I put the new saddle screws in tonight. The results are very good. I don't have my action super-low, but I would call it medium-low. I found I was able to get a very nice, clear tone with lots of punch and nice overtones without having to exert as much effort. I would call it very comfortable. It also intonated beautifully.

I also looked at shimming the neck prior to installing the new saddle screws. If I had a proper wood shim that fit the pocket, I might have gone that way. On the other hand replacing the screws was pretty easy. I think the whole process, minus the setup work, took me 15 minutes. I doubt I would get a shim properly fit in that time.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back