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problem with bridge!!

#41
96tbird said:
Here's what happens. View attachment 389456
Click to expand...

That's not the same bridge. Why are you so worried about this? All he has to do is try it with his bridge and see what happens. Easy peasy, no muss no fuss, takes about 5 minutes and best of all it's free. Besides, it might just work.



bazza99, which bass is this? It looks like a single pickup version of the '69-ish Silvertone Model 1490 Bass.
 
#42
I m not worried about it. I'm just showing that you are wrong.

And my bridge there is the same layout as ops. I confirmed it from his pic before I swapped it all around.

I'm not worried. Just wanted you to see that his bridge is together as it was designed. Just for the sake of information. I don't get why you had to bring up my emotion (wrongly perceived by you) when I'm just sharing information. I ran the experiment and there's the results.
 
#43
That is most definitely not the stock bridge. The stock bridge is narrower than this bridge.

Do not realign the neck because that isn't the problem. If you do, you will end up with the same too wide string spacing problem and a crooked neck to go with it.

Finding the original bridge is the ticket but that might be tricky. There are a great many of them (under various names) that are considered junk and sitting unused in closets or the attic and maybe you can get a bridge from a TBer who would part it out. It's even possible that I still have one and I'll take a look through my pile of parts today. If I do have one, I'll PM you and you can have it for the cost of shipping.

The Silvertone name adorned guitars from several different manufacturers over the years, including Danelectro, National, Harmony, Kay and Teisco. -- Wikipedia.
Click to expand...
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed])




It's likely that the original bridge looks like this. Find one and your problem will be solved.
ae02a5f6.jpg
 
#45
I've tried to find smaller bridges for a bass I want to make with narrow string spacings but only have found a Hofner. The Hofner style is sort of cool, though, using frets and fret slots on wood. I don't know what it would sound like on a solid body, though.
 
#46
mongo2 said:
LOL, I thought it was something as trite as that.

I guess we won't know for sure unless bazza99 tries it.
Click to expand...


Lol, some guys just can't take it when evidence for all to learn from is presented.

Dissemination of information to eschew misinformation is frowned upon by some here and called trite I guess.

As others here have said as well as myself, that bridge is incorrect for that bass so flipping saddles is a futile exercise.
 
#47
those saddles have the groove in the center and are already right up against each other; there's no "flipping" that's going to change that (and thus the spacing), that doesn't even make sense.
 
#48
walterw said:
those saddles have the groove in the center and are already right up against each other; there's no "flipping" that's going to change that (and thus the spacing), that doesn't even make sense.
Click to expand...

I disagree. Look closely at the saddles, the intonation screw is offset so flipping the saddle will move the groove to the other side.

Moving the D and G strings over to the holes where the intonation screws now reside will place the strings closer to their respective polepieces, after that all that's necessary is to put the intonation screws where the strings now reside and flip the saddle to put the groove under the string.
 
#49
sorry, look again :)

the saddles are already as close together as they can go (they're touching) and the groove is in the center of each saddle.

you can flip them any which way you want, placing the intonation screws at whatever crazy angles you want, but the grooves will still be in the exact center of each saddle, and the saddles will still be the same distance apart from each other (touching).

the string spacing would not change at all.

(scratch that, if the saddles were now not perfectly square with each other like in 96's perfect example, the spacing would get slightly wider.)
 
#50
walterw said:
sorry, look again :)

the saddles are already as close together as they can go (they're touching) and the groove is in the center of each saddle.

you can flip them any which way you want, placing the intonation screws at whatever crazy angles you want, but the grooves will still be in the exact center of each saddle, and the saddles will still be the same distance apart from each other (touching).

the string spacing would not change at all.

(scratch that, if the saddles were now not perfectly square with each other like in 96's perfect example, the spacing would get slightly wider.)
Click to expand...

Look closer. If the strings are moved as I stated previously they will be closer to their respective polepieces. I'm not talking about putting the intonation screws at any crazy angles, just moving them to the hole vacated by the string when it's moved. When the saddles are flipped the offset of the intonation screw will compensate for the flip. I've done this several times on instruments that owners have reassembled improperly.
 
#51
And that's exactly what I did. I took my bridge that has the identical configuration as the ops (the only difference being that mine has no channels in the plate to ****** saddle shifting) . I swapped the screws into the LOW string holes. I then tried flipping the saddles every which way.

It does not work. All the saddles sit at crazy angles.


The string holes are equidistant but the offset screw hole configuration that accommodates the off center screw holes in the saddles will not work in holes that are all four equidistant.
 
#53
96tbird said:
And that's exactly what I did. I took my bridge that has the identical configuration as the ops (the only difference being that mine has no channels in the plate to ****** saddle shifting) . I swapped the screws into the LOW string holes. I then tried flipping the saddles every which way.

It does not work. All the saddles sit at crazy angles.


The string holes are equidistant but the offset screw hole configuration that accommodates the off center screw holes in the saddles will not work in holes that are all four equidistant.
Click to expand...

I think it will work well enough with bazza99s bridge. Moving the strings will get them closer to their respective poles. As you agreed before, it won't hurt to try it.
 
#55
mongo2 said:
Look closer. If the strings are moved as I stated previously they will be closer to their respective polepieces.
Click to expand...
OK, last try.

imagine those 4 saddles sitting on a table, not attached to anything at all. they're butted up against each other, meaning the string grooves, which are centered in each saddle, are as close together as they can get.

how can you rearrange them, spin them, flip them any way you want, so that the string grooves are now closer together than before?
 
#56
Rich McCoy said:
Get yourself a file and make new slots.
Click to expand...
this is an obvious but weirdly unavailable option; nobody seems to make ungrooved brass bass saddles, which would be perfect for doing exactly that!

the trouble here is that some of the new grooves would probably have to sit halfway inside the old ones, making it impossible to do.

besides, if you tried to narrow the spacing via new grooves, the strings would still be anchored the same (wider) distance apart, and you'd have the opposite effect from the vintage threaded-rod saddle principle, in that the strings would want to pull the saddles apart, spreading back out to the wide spacing again.
 
#57
walterw said:
OK, last try.

imagine those 4 saddles sitting on a table, not attached to anything at all. they're butted up against each other, meaning the string grooves, which are centered in each saddle, are as close together as they can get.

how can you rearrange them, spin them, flip them any way you want, so that the string grooves are now closer together than before?
Click to expand...

If the strings are moved to the other holes as I described earlier they will be positioned closer to their respective poles. Where's the harm in trying it?
 
#58
Pilgrim said:
Regardless of the bridge selection, the neck needs to be re-aligned just to get the strings centered on the neck. That's really a separate issue from the bridge, but it is not really debatable.
Click to expand...

Maybe not. I keep looking at the picture and, from what I can tell, the bridge itself is not centered. Almost appears as if the previous owner took a too-wide bridge and lined it up with the margin on the bass / E string side during installation. As a result, the E string path is almost spot-on but each ascending string is ever-increasingly off target. I'm all for a neck shift but, looking at the neck / pocket relationship, I'm not convinced there's enough wiggle room to compensate for this mess.

Riis
 
#59
I had this problem when fitting a cheap P/J style bridge to a short scale bass.

I needed to reduce the string spacing by 1mm so took 0.5mm off both ends of the A and D saddles and the inner ends of the E and G.

I then slotted the string and intonation screw holes inwards by 0.5mm for the A and D and 1.5mm for the E and G.

I haven't completed it yet (I am waiting until the weather gets warm enough to do a some machining in my wood shop, aka garage) but if I have trouble with anything moving I will make a doubler plate to go on the back of the bridge with the correct spacing of intonation screw and string holes in it.
 
#60
Zooberwerx said:
Maybe not. I keep looking at the picture and, from what I can tell, the bridge itself is not centered. Almost appears as if the previous owner took a too-wide bridge and lined it up with the margin on the bass / E string side during installation. As a result, the E string path is almost spot-on but each ascending string is ever-increasingly off target. I'm all for a neck shift but, looking at the neck / pocket relationship, I'm not convinced there's enough wiggle room to compensate for this mess.

Riis
Click to expand...


You may be right. The picture looks like it was taken a bit off-center, so there is a little visual confusion for me.

I propose a re-phrasing: When the process is done, the strings should be centered on the neck. If this requires re-aligning the neck, do so.

This thread is nearing chicken-or-the-egg status.

ie: Bridge, neck, or both?
 

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