|
|
#1
10-04-2003, 03:07 PM
|
|||
|
|||
Questions about a set-up
I was given an old Ventura dreadnaught with an adjustable bridge. It appears to be in very good shape; a couple of small dings is all, the neck is not warped, frets have no visible wear. Probably was a closet piece. It came out of a pawn shop and had only two strings on it when purchased and then given to me in that condition. I noticed right away that the saddle was upside down. I righted that and installed new strings and messed around with it until I got it tuned and after playing around with it for the past 6 or 7 months I’ve grown to like it, not as much as my T-410, but it is pretty nice for the price. QUESTIONS: The saddle will just fall from its slot if you remove the strings, should it be that loose? I’m not sure it even belongs on the ol’ box. NEXT: I really didn’t know how to set those two screws on the adjustable bridge – I just sort of guessed – can anyone explain that here or direct me to a source? I went through a bunch of books and have searched the web for some instruction, to no avail. I can take it to a shop, I suppose, but I’d like to try and fix it myself. I appreciate any help y’all might give me – Many thanks!
|
|
#2
10-04-2003, 05:18 PM
|
||||
|
||||
|
Hey Bill. Those adjustable bridges are pretty much a marketing idea, which is to say great for selling, but not so much for tone. The ideal thing is to convert to a regular saddle, but that's expensive and requires a lot of skill. You can see how this is done on a Gibson Hummingbird, at http://www.frets.com/FRETSPages/Luthier/Technique/Guitar/Bridges/HumBirdBr/hbirdbr1.html . In this case, the bridge is replaced, but it might also be possible to fill that wide slot with the same kind of wood, and then route out the new saddle slot.
For fitting the saddle, I'd go for a fit that's just snug enough for friction to hold it in place. Chances are very good that the saddle you've got there is plain old plastic, so a bone, Tusq, or Micarta replacement would probably improve tone. If I were making a saddle for this guitar, I'd make it the proper height for when the metal base is seated all the way down into the bridge, and then turn the screws so they're just tight enough not to rattle or work loose. This way you'll get the maximum contact between the saddle and bridge, even though there's a piece of metal between them. I hope this helps.
__________________
Chris We all do better when we all do better.
|
|
#3
10-05-2003, 07:36 PM
|
|||
|
|||
|
Thanks Chris, I appreciate the advice.
If you're reading this you should seriously consider looking at the link posted above. Even if you're not interested in doing you own maintenance, set-ups, etc. it's worthwhile to know how these ol' boxes are held together. There's some excellent information there considering care and maintenance; just read between the lines. Again thanks for the reply, Chris. Sincerely, Bill Last edited by BillSoTex; 10-06-2003 at 05:00 PM.
|
