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String spacing? Anyway to make it just that little bit bigger?

J

JamesTheBassBoy

Oct 12, 2007
56
0
34
London
#1
see now i have a 6 string bass which seems to have a strangely small string spacing (about 15mm?) and i wanted to make a couple of improvements on it such as buy a new bridge, new pickups etc.
its a real nice body, quilted maple top on a mahogony body, (im impressed considering it was so cheap)

my question is, can i make the stringspacing any bigger, just too about 16.5mm without have to make the whole neck socket bigger and have to get a new neck etc just to improve a few things.

its most likely theres no way of doing it, but i just wanted to see if there was ANYTHING whatsoever i could do, i love this bass, but the bridge sucks! and it could really do with some new pickups and a nice pre!
 
#2
actually wait guys i think im alright, i think if i move the new bridge back to the edge of the body, can i get it to fit as i want to, can anyone tell me if there any problem in doing this? obviously i cant move the pickups i want back a bit because of the routing, however the routing seems to be the correct size for the pickups i want anyway. if i measured correctly
 
#3
moving the bridge back would change the scale length of the bass and throw off the intonation on all the frets. You could by a different bride that allows adjustable string spacing or one that is set to be a little wider (17 or 18mm) and install it right where the old one is. The only problem I can see with this is the strings running close to the edge of the fretboard as you go up the neck. You'd have to do it to see if that is actually a problem
 
#4
Moving the bridge will throw off your intonation. The notes will get more and more out of tune as you move up the neck. (Unless it is an unlined fretless!)

How close are the strings to the edge of the fretboard? If there is a lot of space, you might be able to widen your string spacing a hair at the bridge. Otherwise, I am afraid you're out of luck.
 
#5
The rule of thumb that I go by is, the width of the last fret, where the neck joins the body, is the maximum center to center spacing from your lowest string to your highest.

So just measure the last fret and divide it by 5 (for your six string bass), this is the maximum string spacing you can go with if you replace the bridge. If the width of your neck at the last fret is 75 mm, then you will not be able to go wider than the 15 mm spacing that you currently have.
 
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#6
well i measured and it appears to go up to 80mm, this would be 16mm string spacing right? however if i extend the stringspacing to this, the strings will push over to the edge of the fretboard wont they? does anybody know of any bridges that have 15mm string spacing or 16mm stringspacing then? i was going to go with a Hipshot A style bridge but the smallest they make them is 16.5mm string spacing
im ok for the pickups, delano and mec appear to do the correct pickup sizes for the routings i have
 

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