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Weird looking bridge after setup
- Thread starter PionFou
- Start date
So basically, what I understand from all this is that I probably ran into a bad set of Rotosound Flats... That's my luck! Where I'm from, I have to buy them on the internet at 50$CDN a set!!
Guess I've just learned something else then...
-David
Guess I've just learned something else then...
-David
The heigt of the strings will affect the intonation (or position of the saddles on the bridge)ddnidd1 said:
so if you have a 9 inch radius fingerboard then the E and G strings will be lower than the one in the center so the saddles on your bridge will be closer to the edge the bridge
I tried to illustrate but it doesn't work
I've adjusted intonation on a couple hundred basses in my life.
Never have I seen radius changing the way the saddles would look.
Me think not.
Never have I seen radius changing the way the saddles would look.
It's not you. Which is one of the reasons that makes me wonder if intonation has effectively been adjusted in the first place.VintageBT6Lover said:
Me think not.
The radius will affect the intonation but yeah, usually not enough to be noticeable. If you want your intonation truly on, be sure to check the 12th fret harmonic with more than just the 12th fret. I try to get as many notes as possible in tune. Being that the highest notes are seldom used and the first couple frets are normally sharp I randomly check from about fret five to fret fifteen or so. Using a sensitive tuner like a Peterson helps immensely. When I intonate a string thoroughly I sometimes find that the note at the 12th fret is actually slightly out! Depends on the bass.
VintageBT6Lover said:
The image is blurry. I can assure you that the strings sit where they should be in the saddles.
Between the two pictures what makes the positon of the saddles different then. So far I have about 200 and more acoustic ,classical and electric guitars and 4,5 ,6 bassesJazz Ad said:
handcrafted
The radius of the fingerboard my man
Oui je parle Francais
I'd say the left one is intonated while the right one isn't. 
Especially since we're dealing with 2 Jazz Basses with pretty much the same kind of radius.
I don't say you're wrong, just that I never met this phenomenon within the piles of basses I've set up.
It also doesn't make sense at all. But it might just be me.
Especially since we're dealing with 2 Jazz Basses with pretty much the same kind of radius.
I don't say you're wrong, just that I never met this phenomenon within the piles of basses I've set up.
It also doesn't make sense at all. But it might just be me.
Jazz Ad said:I'd say the left one is intonated while the right one isn't.
Especially since we're dealing with 2 Jazz Basses with pretty much the same kind of radius.
I don't say you're wrong, just that I never met this phenomenon within the piles of basses I've set up.
It also doesn't make sense at all. But it might just be me.
These two pictures are from the Fender site
Did you ever intonate a 7 or 9 inches radius Fender guitar or bass from pre CBS era?
I don't think they have the same radius on the photo which makes lot of difference. that's only common sense because the action of the instrument has to follow the radius of the fingerboard to play and intonate properly. Do the experience if you can find an old Fender with a 7 or 9 inch radius in France
Oui je parle Francais
Rene, the radius should be a guide. A great deal depends on the player. The lower strings usually need more clearance so as soon as I get to the A or E the curve starts to straighten a little (larger radius). Don't forget that radius is just one consideration when properly adjusting an instrument. Neck relief and angle, nut/saddle height and string guage/type are just some of the other things we must take into consideration.
PionFou, I totally forgot that the new Fender bridges have the little slots so you can adjust string width. Your strings seem to be in there fine. My bad.
PionFou, I totally forgot that the new Fender bridges have the little slots so you can adjust string width. Your strings seem to be in there fine. My bad.
VintageBT6Lover said:Rene, the radius should be a guide. A great deal depends on the player. The lower strings usually need more clearance so as soon as I get to the A or E the curve starts to straighten a little (larger radius). Don't forget that radius is just one consideration when properly adjusting an instrument. Neck relief and angle, nut/saddle height and string guage/type are just some of the other things we must take into consideration.
PionFou, I totally forgot that the new Fender bridges have the little slots so you can adjust string width. Your strings seem to be in there fine. My bad.
I agree with you 100%, like you said the radius is the guide and the basic for a professional set up but we have to start somewhere and take in consideration all the other things that you mention above.
I don't know, I don't understand it.
Last month I had a Takamine TB10 in my hands. It has a very impressive radius, much smaller than any Fender. Saddles still lined up with the typical slant on lows.
Heck, even a double bass intonates this way.
Last month I had a Takamine TB10 in my hands. It has a very impressive radius, much smaller than any Fender. Saddles still lined up with the typical slant on lows.
Heck, even a double bass intonates this way.
Jazz Ad said:
I went to the Takamine web site and I looked at the TB10 fretless and I think the fingerboard is a 12 inch radius.
But I will not argue over it. This is an acoustic fretless bass so by moving your finger on the fretboard then you do your own intonation because there is no fret at the 12th position. Plus there is no adjustable saddle and you can move the bridge.That kind of bridge will not show you the effect of the radius of the fingerboard.
Most acoustic guitars or basses are extremely difficult to do an accurate intonation because there is always a string that is not 100% intonated. That's why you have to compensate some strings like many makers do.
Why radius affect intonation? Because the height and the stretch of the strings affect intonation so if you follow the radius of a fingerboard than the strings are not the same height and are not stretched the same way. So if you have a fingerboard with a very sharp radius like the old Fender the position of the saddle will follow the effect of the radius of the fingerboard.
That's personal trial and error experience that I had over the years with intonation with all kind of guitars and basses
I don't agree that the radius of the fingerboard plays into intonation.
No matter what the radius is, it's the heigth of the strings from the f.b. that would affect the intonation. A 12" and a 16" radius will both have the same intonation characteristics because the string heigth is identical.
The lower strings will usually be a bit higher for any f.b., regardless of the f.b. radius, or even on a flat f.b. This is not because of anything to do with the f.b. radius. It's simply because the lower strings have more mass and describe a larger arc when played.
No matter what the radius is, it's the heigth of the strings from the f.b. that would affect the intonation. A 12" and a 16" radius will both have the same intonation characteristics because the string heigth is identical.
The lower strings will usually be a bit higher for any f.b., regardless of the f.b. radius, or even on a flat f.b. This is not because of anything to do with the f.b. radius. It's simply because the lower strings have more mass and describe a larger arc when played.
pkr2 said:
You are right it is the height of the strings from the fingerboard.
But if one fingerboard is flat and the other one is 7 inch radius
Will the strings be the same height on both fingerboards if you don,t follow the radius of either one?
The question is:pkr2 said:
You have 2 basses side by side
1) It is a 1958 Fender with a radius of 7 inch fingerboard
2) It is a 2005 Fender with a flat radius fingerboard
3) you do your set up but you don't follow the radius of either
fingerboard ( leave both flat)
4) the one with the 7 inch radius fingerboard will have more space between the fret and the botton of the string on the
E string and the G string.
5)So you will have to adjust the height of both strings
6)By lowering both string , you will have to readjust the intonation on both strings
The one with a flat fingerboard :
You don't have to lower or raise any string because the fingerboard is flat no radius
So you don't have to readjust the intonation
Therefor my conclusion is that the radius of a fingerboard
does affect the intonation
