R8 Les Paul 

This is the typical bridge found on most

Les Paul’s, SG’s ( non-tremelo ) and 335′s.

The travel and adjustment on the bridge saddles is much less than a Strat or Tele. The saddles are pre-engineered for the fingerboard radius; so when filing the saddles to “open up the factory notch for the string “, one must be very careful not to “deepen the notch” … which would lower the  string … another job that is best left for your Tech to tackle.

I often times will find,  with the tailpiece / bridge combination , that the tailpiece is adjusted ( or screwed down ) too close to the body. The real criteria that you need to watch for … is that the strings clear the back side of the bridge casting. If you see that the strings are deflecting off the back of the bridge; raise the “stop tailpeice”,  enough for the strings to just barely clear that back edge .

McConville Electric

I chose a Schaller bridge for this electric guitar that I built 20 years ago.  This is a   “  wrap around”   type bridge with a removable string bar.

I liked the fact that the saddles were brass and quite a bit taller than the typical Les Paul style bridge ; this allows for more adjustment to match the fingerboard radius.

Rickenbacker 4001 bass bridge

 Intonation Series Continued …..

Guitar Bridge Variations and Considerations :

 Part 1 

A typical “floating”  Stratocaster bridge, has some specific challenges that you need to be aware of,  in order to make a educated decision on what route to go as far as getting your Tech to setup your guitar to your preferences.

Many of my longtime customers have chosen to

 ”immobilise” the pivoting Strat bridge

in order to stabilize intonation and tuning.

I’m not suggesting that this is the right or wrong thing to do.

It is a matter of personal preference. 

The choice of string gauge and tuning is “ultra-critical”

when you have a bridge that is “floating“

between the “K” value ( strength ) of the trem-springs and the

load of the string tension.

That wonderful, lilting, tremelo technique ala

Jeff Beck or Jimi Hendrix is undeniably beautiful !

But there is a price to pay when executing double stop bends …

when you bend one string up .. the other 5 strings go flat as

the floating bridge plate tips forward when the extra

“string bending ” tension is added into the mix.

 The  typical country Tele-pickers

who emulate the sound of a pedal steel guitar,

with tons of double stop bends,

like Steve Piticco  or Brad Paisely,

tend to favour the very

stable, “fixed bridge” of a Telecaster.

Another option for overcoming the floating bridge complications; is to load up the tremelo spring tension by adding more springs or screwing the spring claw deeper into the wood of the body in order to bring the bridge plate  flush with the surface of the guitar top.

This will allow you to push down on the Trem-bar, lowering the pitch of the strings, but you will no longer be able to pull back to raise the pitch as the plate will be resting against the guitars’ top surface. 

The advantage to this setup is that you will still have some tremelo action and will still be able to do those double stop bends without the other 5 strings dropping in pitch.

This not a judgement call one way or the other;

it is my intention to raise the level of awareness so that you can

make an educated choice ….

Intonation series to be continued ……

Thanks for tuning in …. A’ prochain

 I realise that I am taking a quick detour from the intonation series … but it is important to make all the guitar players aware now;  of the fact that this is the best time of year to bring your guitar in to your Tech so that they can dress the fret ends, while the wood is at it’s driest.

McConville SL-6 Auditorium

At the end of the heating season, the wood in your guitar will generally be at it’s lowest moisture content. When you feel those sharp fret ends protruding along the edge of the fingerboard, take it to your Guitar Tech. If you take care of it now … it’ll be good forever. 

Singer songwriter Dayna Manning stopped by to pick up her guitar after a Spring tune-up.

 Darcy and I were lucky enough to get a  “sneak preview” of some of the new material she’ll be doing on her upcoming  tour with Emm Gryner, as she crooned out a few tunes at the workbench.   

59 ‘ VOS Les Paul Junior 

This Junior was in for the same “edge-dress” job 

Another issue that arises from ignoring this problem …

The fret ends will “pop” the lacquer off in small bubbles, along  the edge of the fingerboard, as the wood shrinks.  

This is why you take care of this problem when the wood has reached it’s lowest moisture level.

See you next post …

Michael

Gibson ES-335 . Fret dress at neck-to-body junction.

#4 Fretwork: ( part A )

In order for an instrument to play to its’ maximum potential, often times some fret work needs to be performed.

If you don’t address the inconsistencies in the frets, then your only option is to hike up the action until the buzzing or “splatting-out notes” go away.

When you arbitrarily hike up the action to eliminate the fret problems; all of the previously mentioned adjustments … lay of the neck / action / intonation / string gauge / special tunings etc / …. with all be thrown off !

I am not suggesting that you start experimenting with the frets. You either understand completely or you don’t; no half measures here.

We cover this subject in great detail in the GRAD classes at Conestoga College.

If frets are the issue … go to a qualified Guitar Tech or Luthier

When you sight the neck along its length from the nut to the last fret ( close one eye … it’ll help ) , you’ll often see a bit of a “ski-jump” at the neck-to-body junction. The truss rod will do nothing to correct this . Your Guitar Tech or Luthier will need to either dress ( level /recrown / polish ) those upper frets or remove the frets, level the fingerboard and refret.

Often times ( with the advent of the higher fret wire profiles … tall and jumbo ) it is possible to take the inconsistencies in the “lay of the neck” out by dressing the crowns of the upper frets so that the action can be lowered to optimum playability without the upper notes “splatting out”.

After dressing, the action was lowered and the customer logged in hours of playing time in complete bliss !

The neck-to-body junction is the most complex intersection of wood joints in most guitars. It is at this intersection that guitar frets most often need to be “dressed”. Dressing the frets involves levelling, re-crowning, and polishing in order to ensure that they are completely even along the length of the neck. When this task is done with precision, it will then be possible to lower the strings closer to the fingerboard without extraneous fret buzz.

 The combination of  the ”lay of the neck” and the “action height” has a direct affect on the playability and intonation.

 In many cases, the neck may be adjusted by the “truss rod “.

The torque of the “string load” pulls the neck up and raises the action …. when this becomes extreme, the guitar becomes physically unplayable. Even if you have the “brute strength ” in your fretting hand to play with that high action ; the amount of force you exert to bring the string into contact with the fret; will pull the intonation “progressively sharper” as you ascend the fingerboard.

When you tighten the truss rod , it counter-acts the pull of the strings and straightens the neck, which brings the string action back down, closer to the frets.

When an instrument is set up properly, it should take the same amount of fretting pressure to produce a note anywhere along the length of the neck.

Intonated Acoustic Guitar Bridge Saddle -Taylor 12 String

Once all three of these values …. string tension / lay of the neck / action height ….. have been established; then you are ready to move on to the next stage of adjustments that will regulate the intonation.

Next Edition  # 4  Fret Work

Intonation: Setting intonation is one of the most commonly misunderstood / misinterpreted aspects of proper stringed instrument maintenance.

When “setting the intonation” or “regulating the tuning” so that the instrument plays in tune with itself across the entire register; there are several factors that need to be taken into consideration. All of the following actions / considerations that I’ll cover over the next few installments of this series will affect the accuracy of the intonation.

#1 String Gauge:

The most common error that customers unknowingly make, is to arbitrarily change gauges of strings.

For the most part, stringed instruments are generally comprised of organic ( wood ) components / neck and body.

The strings, on the other hand, generate a very exact “mechanical force”. Flip over the next package of D’Addario strings you purchase and you’ll find the “lbs torque” that each string generates at concert pitch. You can add up the exact amount of load that those strings generate (individually or in total ) when tuned to concert pitch. ( Thank you … D’Addario ! )

You need not concern yourself with the “exact math” as far as string load is concerned. But you do need to settle on exactly what string gauge that you plan on sticking with forever.

It is not a matter of right or wrong or better or worse when it comes to string gauge choice. You just need to make the decision … and stick with it !

When the mechanical force of the strings is exerted on the organic ( wood ) components of the instrument … the instrument will “flex” under the strain of the string load. Once the instrument has “flexed and found it’s equilibrium” to resist the exact load of the strings that you have chosen … it will hold in this “flexed position”… essentially “floating in resistance” against that mechanical load of the strings.

Depending on the gauge of string you choose, the load can vary tremendously from 90 LBS – 165 LBS +.

To further complicate matters; if you use various tunings on the one guitar ….. the load can easily shift by + or – 35lbs-50lbs .

This is why …. after getting an instrument set up ….. you need to stick with the exact same gauge of strings and tuning, when you go to install a fresh set. If you don’t; then all the minute adjustments and finessing that was done previously by your Guitar Tech … goes right out the window!

In summary:

Once these values have been established, you are now ready to begin the various adjustments needed, in order to regulate the intonation.