Author Topic: Clearance between bridge and hieght adjustment screws (Read 458 times)

andy3hal · « **on:** February 10, 2013, 12:19:49 AM »

Dear Alembic friends, can some one please advise how much clearance there should be between the bridge and the hieght adjustment screws, my 5 string Scorpion bass bridge is tilted at a small angle and there is perhaps too much clearance between bridge and the hieght adjustment screws, can any one offer advise.

Thanks

Andy

mario_farufyno · « **Reply #1 on:** February 10, 2013, 05:00:18 AM »

That bridge doesn't look set any higher than the one in my Rogue (in fact, it seems a little lower), but it doesn't tilt like that.

It keeps tilted like that whithout strings? Is there any clearence making it loose somehow? Note that screw at bolt's bottom? I don't know for what it is for, but may be this can be used to tighten the bridge at the post... You could try screw it a little in your next string change.

adriaan · « **Reply #2 on:** February 10, 2013, 05:29:48 AM »

Have you found Joey's Post on Setting up Your Bass yet? An amazingly short and DIY guide to setting up an Alembic.

The top of the black height adjuster screws on my two basses is flush with the top of the brass tube. Like Mario suggests, try adjusting the small nut underneath the brass tube to correct the tilt - do loosen the strings beforehand.

You may also want to try disassembling the bridge, as the first saddle is reversed. Some good suggestions on this old thread - not sure if it mentions taking lots of pictures with each part that you remove, but in any case spread out the parts so that it's obvious what goes where in which particular order.

JimmyJ · « **Reply #3 on:** February 10, 2013, 09:00:55 AM »

Hey Andy,

Welcome to the forum.

Yes, we need a couple more pictures of that bridge to see what's going on because the low-string saddle does appear to be backwards. The rounded shape is meant to be on the tailpiece side.

And as Adriaan said, the tilt issue would be solved by tightening the nuts of the adjustment screws - the ones actually holding the bridge at height. They're meant to be snug but turnable. If you can find a small enough wrench you can hold them in place and tighten the main screw down towards the nut while still on the bass. Take the strings off before doing any of this or you will be fighting a lot of forces.

Keep us posted.
Jimmy J

andy3hal · « **Reply #4 on:** February 10, 2013, 07:01:32 PM »

Many thanks for the advise, totally missed that the bridge was on backwards, looks like I am going to have a bit more work than I had thought. The first pic is how I receieved the bass, the next two pics are the bridge in close up and the last is an example of I am assuming how it should be. Next step is to strip the bridge down and rebuild it. Yesterday I stripped the whole bass down, going to give it a good cleaning and then put it back together, not a restoration job, just a good cleaning, it has a number of dings here and there, it obviously has a story to tell, dont want to erase that. Many thanks for the great advise Andy

(Message edited by adriaan on February 10, 2013)

keith_h · « **Reply #5 on:** February 10, 2013, 07:13:35 PM »

Yes the bridge is on backwards and was reassembled with the saddles on backwards also. If it wasn't a flat out mistake my guess is it was done to move the strings more towards the middle without having to cut new saddles.

It is pretty straight forward to put it back to original if you follow the picture on the far right. I would then look at Joey's setup mentioned above if you need any assistance in that area.

Keith

JimmyJ · « **Reply #6 on:** February 11, 2013, 12:55:01 AM »

That's interesting. Your bridge isn't just backwards, it's inside-out! The screws that adjust the saddles are the only part that are facing the correct direction - adjustable from the tailpiece side.

Note in your last picture that the low string's saddle adjustment screw is on the far left whereas yours is on the right side of that saddle. That means your bridge is in fact backwards but you will need to switch the adjustment bolt directions AND swap the outside 4 saddles so the string slots are in the correct order...

To swap those saddles you will need to disassemble the bridge. I've never done this and I don't know how the pins (the rails that the saddles slide on as you turn the bolts) are held in place. I'm sure somebody here can give you a more detailed description of the operation.

Stay tuned and we'll get you sorted out!
Jimmy J

jacko · « **Reply #7 on:** February 11, 2013, 03:14:10 AM »

I disassembled one of my bridges once and I'm pretty certain I found the 'rails' were stepped so they are held in place when the two end pieces are screwed in.

Graeme

andy3hal · « **Reply #8 on:** February 11, 2013, 03:12:49 PM »

Thanks for everyones help, think I am there now, stripped the bridge down last night and reassembled it against one of the photos I had of another 5 string. The bridge comes apart quite easily, but being careful to make sure all the parts are kept safe and don't roll off the table onto the floor, I used a plastic lid off a glass jar to keep all the parts safe. The bridge pins are knurled at one end only so they are are a puch fit into one side of the bridge, really is a great piece of engineering and very well thought out, thanks Alembic for a great design. I have attached some pics of the bridge back on the bass, over the years looks like it has had some clumsy saddle filing for the string slots, will dress that up when I start setting it up. Thanks to all for you sharing. Andy

slawie · « **Reply #9 on:** February 11, 2013, 03:59:11 PM »

Looks to me like saddles 2,3,4 should moved to 1,2,3 respectively and 1 relocated to 4.

Nice bass! At the moment I'm Jonesing for a medium scale 5 small standard or Stanley. Your scorpion is beautiful

slawie

JimmyJ · « **Reply #10 on:** February 11, 2013, 08:51:55 PM »

Hey Andy, Nice going! You've got the hard part figured out (disassembly and reassembly). But as Slawie pointed out you want to pay attention to the size of the slots cut into each saddle and arrange them so they match your strings. Here was your "before" Pic:

And your "after" pic.

The saddle with the largest slot in it needs to be on the far left and then the slots should get progressively smaller from left to right. You're almost there! Nice work! Jimmy J

jzstephan · « **Reply #11 on:** February 12, 2013, 05:33:12 AM »

It looks to me like it might need new saddles. The height of each saddle needs to match the radius of the fingerboard AND have the right size slot.

JimmyJ · « **Reply #12 on:** February 12, 2013, 08:21:50 AM »

The radius is built into the bridge - you can see the arch in the adjustment bolts and pins on the back plate. And his setup doesn't look too bad when it was backwards so it should be close if he can get the saddles in the same order, simply turned around...

Jimmy J

jzstephan · « **Reply #13 on:** February 12, 2013, 10:37:06 AM »

Thanks for setting me straight!

bigredbass · « **Reply #14 on:** February 13, 2013, 11:05:07 PM »

I can't believe this post has gotten this far without someone firing up the 'gee, why isn't the A-string perfectl centered?' squall !

The bridge disassembly/reassembly is not hard, but definitely take a few digital snaps or make a diagram B E F O R E you start (assuming it was on correctly to begin with): The first time I did it, I re-installed it with no drama . . . . backwards. Of course, this was only discovered after it was completely re-strung. . . It's also worth noting exactly where the saddles were: You can screw them back into their relative spots again much more easily than stringing it up with all the saddles at one end of the threaded rods and then trying to move them that far under load to synch your harmonics . . . I won't do THAT again either.

It's amazing how often and quickly I can turn Trial and Error in Error and Trial ! Oh well, not everyone can be a Charter Member in the 'Get a Bigger Hammer' Club.

J o e y