How to Position and Install Your Guitar Bridge
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- Опубликовано: 31 июл 2024
- In this video we are talking about how to properly position and install your guitar bridge. This is mostly about figuring out exactly where the bridge needs to go so that your guitar will play well and intonate properly. I hope you guys enjoy!
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Really useful bridge install tutorial. Lots of important tips and detail. Thanks Brad!
Thank you
Thank you so much for this. I've got a body waiting to go, but I was putting it off for fear of screwing up the bridge. Perfectly timed!
Perfect timing! I'm just about to drill the bridge on a guitar body I'm building, and I happen to be using the same exact Hipshot bridge!
Looking forward to the string-through hole drilling video, I'm a little nervous about that part.
awesome as always Brad - this was the exact lesson I needed today....going to grab a "refreshment" and get to work on my bridge!
Have fun!
Good video Brad. I'm working towards my first build so can't get enough of this sort of thing 👍
Good timing
This is a perfect explanation as to how to do this.....it all makes total sense. Many thanks!
Glad I could help
Thank you so much. That was exactly the information I needed for my Tele project!
Glad I could help.
Yep, no mistake about it. I have seen that guitar kit hanging in its place for like, forever! So yes, you really need to finish that one up, please! Haha. . .
Also, the real reason I would like to see it finished is that I am pretty excited about how it would look done. And of course, with all the technique incorporated in the build, which I believe, would be shown as well.
Keep it up Brad, looking forward to more of your videos.
Thanks Peter
Awesome, id love to see more like this. Tuneomatic, wraparound and tele ashtray would be great. Thanks Brad!
Good idea Jim. The tele is the same setup.
Very helpful. Thanks Brad.
I'm very excited for this to be complete! It's already looking great, very sleek.
Glad you like how it’s coming together in the early stages Chris!
@@BradAngove I literally stopped everything in the house and made everybody watch :). It's good to be the king!
My wife pointed out that it looks like there is figuring in fretboard. It may be a lighting affect, but hope its real because it looks fantastic
I’ll give a closer look when I do the fretwork.
If the screw doesn't go in easily, you can rub the screw on a candle and the wax will make it easier to drive in. Soap also works.
Really good video on this subject. Really straight forward. Looking forward to the video when you add the string through holes.
Thanks Carmen
I know good use for that lip balm
Stick the tip of every screw before driving it in. It's a lot easier that way and in few years someone will be really thankful during disassembly! Mine screw tips have tropical fruits flavour
This is the series I've been waiting for.
I may or may not be planning something similar
I do the exact same thing only with wax. This is especially effective on those tiny little tuner screws. They will snap off very easily if you don't wax (or lip balm) them.
Nicely done....I'm doing my first FrankenTeleStrat...I'm gonna look at the rest of your tutorials. Thanks
Cheers
Nice video as always brad !! I know there isnt too many of them out there covering this.
Thanks Terry
Nothing like a ‘Newkie Brown’ for hydration ! Thanks for your very detailed and simple demonstration of positioning the bridge! (Where’s the confounded bridge!)
"I'm so far behind I might as well be in government"...love it!
Haha couldn’t resist
Ha!!
Really good information
Thanks for taking the time to
Thanks for watching.
Very informative. I am doing my first guitar build.
Thank you and the humor is appreciated in an all too serios world
Glad you enjoyed it.
Muchas gracias por el video, la explicación es clara y la demostración muy precisa. (thanks for the video)
I’m glad you found the explanation helpful. Gracias y de nada.
More Awesome info For Builds 👍👍🎶🎶🎸Thanks Brad.
Cheers John
I like the humor in this one Brad, and Mrs Toast lives in my head too! Keep up the good work...
Guitar build looks spectacular! Please lmk when You get ahead… and thank You for helping Me save My Washburn Parallaxe! I bought a “Kaish” bridge which looks pretty similar to the hip shot and following along step by step!
Thanks; glad I could help.
Needed this 2 months ago! Thanks good vid.
Hopefully it helps for the next one.
I have been putting off fitting my bridge I am now going to fit it, that was the clearest bridge set up I have seen Thank you very much, if you write how you explain you need to write a book on guitar building from start to finish, I'd buy it
That would be an interesting little exercise. Publishing a short ebook perhaps? Intriguing.
Always enjoy your videos Brad . I'm converting a "small scale " Solo kit I made last year into a hardtail. I'm tired of fighting intonation and tuning this little guy! (Strat). Seems, small scale guitars are really hard to tune! I'm putting on a full size neck. I've done 6 builds this last year, with a few trial and error bumps. Anyway, I've been using bees wax on all of my screws on all builds. I just thought it was a "given" in woodworking. Thanks for being there when we need you ! God bless!
Putting wax on your screws for this sort of thing is always a good idea.
Good video. Sorry to be critical, but I really would've appreciated a top-down camera set-up.
That makes sense. I just don’t really have one.
one additional tip for everyone that I learned from experience....if you get a kit, or even just a body that already has a route for a trem block (strat style) or the string through holes (tele style) DO NOT just assume that the measurements were correct when those were routed or drilled. I've had a few prefab bodies, that I assumed (DOH) were done correctly, only to find out when assembly was complete, that the bridge position was too forward (it's ALWAYS too forward) I couldn't adjust the saddles back enough to intonate correctly.
My tip, if you trust yourself enough, is to get a body like Brad's here, where nothing is done for the bridge...that way you can measure it yourself to make sure it's correct...
Had that issue with both the steinberger freedom type and the burled tele type kits on ebay. My steinberger sprit type ebay kit might have that problem too. Looks like true saddle distances for a 648mm (25.5") scale length should be about 650mm to 655mm. this is based on a late 90's LTD M2 with low action and correct intonation. On the steinbereger freedom kit, the saddles would only move back to 650mm with the bridge in the pre-routed position. True correct intonation length for low E on that guitar is 656mm. I moved the entire bridge down by 13mm.
Totally agree bought a jem body and there was not enough space to fit the post for the trem in the body, so I've adlibbed and filled trem holes front and back and I am fitting a hard tail bridge on it now, it's not a problem as I have guitars with Floyd roses so not a total disaster, also finding out that companies lie about neck pocket and neck widths, have two guitars I'm going to have to shim at the side of the neck pockets with vaneers as I have ordered from abroad and invested in too much to return the parts so making do
Thanks for sharing this video 👍
Thanks for watching.
Thank you Thank You Thank You....I'm getting ready to place a compensated bridge for `54 Gold Top & `54 Junior builds, I was not quite sure about the placements. Have a great summer, keep the cold brews coming
Cheers Jerry
@@BradAngove Hey Brad, I thought I was misreading my scale length..12. 1/4” on 12th fret??? Then I found out Paul Reed Smith said that Gibson scale lengths could be 24.5? That’s where I set my compensated bridge? Thanks again
If that’s double the distance to 12 then yes. They are more often 24.75 I think, but my memory could be incorrect on that.
Great video thank you
They are fantastic bridges for sure! And the best tip as always is measure loads to get it spot on. And drink a bottle of Dog! ( I've never seen a bottle that small its almost always a pint bottle.) Great job mate as always..
Thanks Stu
This is very helpful!
Glad to hear it.
Another good vid and beer choice.
Would love to see how a set in neck is matched with a body especially on a Les Paul. Also placement of stop bar and tunomatic bridges.
I learned this somewhere awhile back, but what I do is I bought a cheap trapeze tailpiece and mounted it to a block of wood that is curved to match the bottom of a guitar pretty closely. Put the block up against the guitar body on the bottom.Then I string the high and low E strings with the trapeze and place the tunomatic bridge on the body and move it and the trapeze block to where it needs to be and mark it. Works great!
I measure scale first and position the bridge. The I put the stop tail in straight behind it. Positioning matters less with those. As long as its not so close that the string will contact the back edge of the bridge on the way to the stoptail. If you put it crazy far away it can add string tension though.
Then I use a string or meter stick to figure out the angle by running it from the nut to the bridge and adjusting the angle to get the action right.
That adjustment is done by shimming or sanding the heal.
Doing a hardtail strat right now. Good info
A little lube on the bridge mounting screws (soap, wax, etc,) will work wonders.
An LP Jr. style body with a Tele style neck! That's gonna be a cool build... You don't see many 25.5 inch LP guitars, Gonna be sweet when down tuning!! Great video as always my friend, The only things I do different than you are I use my drill press (my eyes are terrible after being a machinist all my life and staring at tolerances of .001 to .002 over the years) So my holes would never be straight without my drill press, Lol! And I always dip my screws in wax before driving them in. Thanks for the video bro!
Cheers man
You could also use a compass to bisect the scale length line to find the center, which might be helpful if the top isn't flat :)
Ya, that would work. In that case you may want to use a couple strings and just center it on the neck.
Sounds like that dog gave you indigestion lol good video all the same, loved the dig at bureaucracy 😂😂😂
Thanks bud that's the one I needed lol
Newcastle Brown? Great choice, man! :) If you get the chance, try Smitherwicks and/or Frydenlund. Both are fantastic! :)
Just picked up a 12 pack myself
Second this, although I would still take a nuky brown if I could still drink beer.
I’ve got plenty of Swithwicks in the fridge haha.
@@BradAngove It's my poison! Hahaha!
Those of us in Wisconsin know about New Glarus Fat Squirrel Nut Brown Ale. Delicious, perfectly balanced.
Also HIGHLY recommend everything made my Founder's Brewery in Michigan. Among the best, if not the best, in every style of beverage they brew. Particularly a fan of their stouts, porter, Scotch (or Scottish, if you prefer) ale, and the Centennial IPA is my absolute favorite IPA, and often my default year-round ale.
Cool. I'm building Rickenbacker 350 style flattop with a Les Paul scale neck from Solo and a Wilkinson Tele bridge. One of a kind deal (Ricken-Tele-Paul) and I find your videos helpful.
Sounds like a cool one.
Brad your timing is great. Just bought a Wilkinson trem for an odd strat import Euro has anyone ever heard of that brand? Going to convert from six point to two point.
I use lots of Wilkinson hardware. It’s good stuff.
Great video!
Cheers!
Nice job Brad
Thanks Thomas
Awesome. Now I just have to make the freaking neck so I have an idea of what the scale length will be!
Anyway, thanks. This will actually help out immensely.
Much simpler than I expected, but then you've done it a few times too! :)
Haha yes I have.
Helpful.
Great tips. Took awhile for me to disassociate alcohol from guitar but i know thats a personal problem. Wouldve rather just got into the guitar build from the very start. This was very informative.
Glad you liked it
thanks Mr. Brad
The beer thing is indeed very common in Germany, it’s like an unwritten law: a beer must be opened with literally anything but a bottle opener
Good video. Looking forward to seeing the next though on drilling the string through holes. You should give the Babicz bridges a try. Solo music sells them as well. I’ve put Babicz on my last two builds and I’m not sure that I would try anything else at this point.
I’ve heard the Babicz are awesome. I’d love to give them a shot one of these days.
@@BradAngove When I look back and see “last two builds” it might sound like I’ve got a lot of builds behind me. My last 2 builds are in fact my first 2 builds.
Haha fair enough
Thats was a fantastic video and a great help for novice builders. 😎👍 last video was smithwicks (pronounced correctly) and now a bottle of newky brown. Ireland England are you drinking your way through Europe. Sadly only wine and cheese in France 🇫🇷 😢
Good wine though. I may have to opt for a scotch for the next one haha.
@@BradAngove Scotch...!!! you know there's a rivary between us Irish and them over the whiskey. Firstly they can't spell it LOL
Haha yeah I did a little tour of the whiskey museum in Ireland and the amount of ire toward Scottish whiskey was quite funny.
genial muy bueno very good my friend
Hey Brad, excellent instructional video about a very important step in building guitars. Here in the U.S, I only have access to a "yard stick". I guess I'll have to order a Canadian "meter stick"! 😆 Nice choice for the "shop lubricant"!!!
Hey, George. Good news! They're not hard to find, seeing that most of the planet uses the metric system. Mostly, because learn they're not advanced enough to understand fractions. 🙊 shhh! Don't tell them I said that. 😉
@@GreyMatterStew, 😆😆😆 I was just joking. I may be American, but I'm also a Master Craftsman Carpenter of over 40+ years. I've used the metric system for well over 29 uears with Europian style cabinets. I actually have a " meter stick". 😆😆😆
@@georgemcmillan9172 It's 'metre' 😉
@@georgemcmillan9172 Oh, yeah. I thought you were. I was kidding, also. Irony was my intention. The metric system is much simpler, and is so widely accepted. We (The US) are just being stubborn. Just think, instead of going a mere 70 (mph), we could be going over 112 (kph). It just sounds faster. 👍 😁
@@tonysansom You say metre, I say bowling shoe... Meter must be the imperial spelling. 😂😂😂😂
That's gonna be a cool looking guitar I think man
Thanks Blake
The digital square/protractor from Harbor Freight is an cheap, invaluable tool for locating bridges.
Hi! There, good job, you should have a Top View over the Bridge to see see better the guide lines.
Ahh, Newcastle Broon. My home town brew. Can't beat a bottle of dog !
Hi Brad, 2 very basic questions here from a newbie.
1. When measuring the scale from the nut, since it is not installed yet, do you take it from the edge of the fretboard or do you add the few extra millimeters where strings should rest? How to take that extra into account when measuring?
2. Is there a specific minimum string angle both to reach the bridge and from the nut to the tuners?
Thank you Brad and all your followers for the help.
Great videos and tutorials.
By the way as an Italian I would recommend a glass of Japigo Tuscan red wine....
Cheers Brad!
Hi Paola. You would measure right from the edge of the board where the nut would start. There is no angle on this setup. On a normal LP setup there would be, but there’s no specific minimum.
@@BradAngove thank you Brad I really appreciate!!
13:52 ... best tip I ever found was using a bit of beeswax (just a tiny bit to coat the threads) to help lubricate the threads as they cut into the hardwood. Have you ever tried it?
Yes, I just use a bit of paste finishing wax. Works great.
thanks for your content Brad its super helpful. Do you place all the saddles in the middle position then put then place the bridge with the sadles directly on the intonation line?
I place the saddles in the middle and then I aim to have a relatively even amount of adjustment space in either direction, but usually favoring adjustment toward a longer scale length slightly.
Ash, Newcastle Broon. My home town brew. Can't beat a bottle of dog !
Ah Newcastle Brown good choice .....was my drink of choice while going through my RAF Trade Training
Brad could you show how to locate a tunamatic particularly the slope treble to bass.
This was great but doing a tunamatic too would be useful
Next time I’m doing one I will make a video.
Trooper Ale is great
Hey - was there a build video on this or was this a kit upgrade? Keen to do a LP JR type guitar. Thanks!
This one is in progress. It’s getting the paint job now.
I inherited a Mastercraft laser level and distance finder. Kinda old and something too "gimmicky" for me to consider buying for myself. But damn if that isn't the handsiet thing!
Thanks for the video!
Good for finding center?
Those English new castle beers are really good . Specially with fish and chips . This coming from an American 😂
Brad love the channel. Can you do a video of how to direct mount pickups? Which inserts inner thread diameter match the screws used with dimarzio and duncan pickups. I'm shocked there are so few videos on this. Check for yourself on youtube.
I can do a basic video on this. I think crimson guitars has a few as well. I just use small screws and either superglue springs down or use foam underneath the pickup.
hi, thank you for that video. that helped a lot.
I do a complete handbuilt guitar. my center line of the neck is a bit off the center line of the body (like 1-1,5 millimeter on the bridge position) so thanks to you i could adapt. Does that happen often ?
i built a bolt on neck. Do you recommand screwing the neck in before positionning the bridge ?
I’m sure it happens occasionally. Yes, screwing the neck in is advisable.
@brad angove hi dude, i did paint my wooden keyboard with blackest black 3.0 paint and i am using plastikote clear sealer matt finish, i have a question / if i want to add another layer of coat do i have to slightly tarnish top coat , thx in advance dude .
I don’t know much about plastikote, but generally you should sand lightly if you’re going back in for another round of clear.
Hi Brad,I going to do the same ie humbuckers.
I would like to put a les Paul style bridge on a tele ,but have no idea on how to do it.
I'm a beginner at this .
You’d mostly just need to shim the neck and make sure the bridge width is small enough to work with that neck.
that guitar could have also used a recessed TOM bridge with the straight neck. good video tips
Indeed. I think Kiesel used to do that. They still may.
Hi Brad! What if I want to install a Vintage Fender Tremolo (6 screws) BUT, I will use the bridge flush to the body. Do I really need a drill press or a special tool? Can I try it by hand with my drill?
Ya, those are just short screws and you just need pilot holes for them anyway. I don’t think you need to worry.
Ive heard that you should place the bridge with the high e saddle at its furthest forward adjustment. Is this necessary or should you typically have enough space to adjust it back if you just place it in the middle of the adjustability range?
I prefer to have some adjustability in either direction just in case.
I didn’t realise Newcastle Brown hit the international market!
This is great. I'm converting a broken Chinese Kahler style bridge to a hipshot style on a Dean Z strat style. I'm filling the bridge slot finishing and using your technique. Any extra suggestions on a project like this?
Dan Erlewine has a tutorial on filling holes/damage that you may want to have a look at just for some extra info.
@@BradAngove Thanks for the referral. Love your vids great stuff.
Which part saddle will be my basis for installing my bridge to have a correct intonation? I copied what you have done for my measurement sir , I am using a schaller bridge 3D-6NI , thank you very much for the response
Your contact point for the string is the important part. Right at the top of the saddle. The last thing your string touches before it stretches out over the fretboard to the nut.
Good one. That was explained well. Is it just me or does the Tele neck look better on an lp? Lol
It’s nice looking. I like it.
Glad you like it
If you don't want pencil lines on the body of your guitar, place down some masking tape approx. where your lines are going to be. Then, when all the holes for your bridge are drilled remove the tape and all your pencil lines with it.
I placed a bridge on a guitar that someone had already stained once, so I did it all on painters tape. It should be done right on the raw body though. That way you don’t need to worry.
13:30 Good, Wonderbread might be watching.
Should a ground wire be run under the bridge? if so how would you do this???
Thanks!
Yes. You just drill a small hole from under the bridge to either the pickup cavity or the control cavity.
Do you have any video's for tune o matic bridge and for filling in bridge posts that are slightly off
I did that in my series on the ultimate SG kit build.
Thx brother
I make what is essentially a tool designed from a modified depth micrometer, that can sit against the nut, or against the nut slot/end of the fretboard, and be used to give you any scale length, including multi-scale, for guitars and basses. Our website, RUclips, Instagram, and Facebook, should be up and running in the next few weeks, with our goal to be up in time for the Holidays, and in time for Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, etc. shopping. We build handmade, custom electric guitars and basses, some made to order bodies and necks, various tools, various measuring instruments and gaging, numerous fixtures and jigs to aid guitar and bass builders, guitar and bass hardware (knobs, tuner keys, etc.), components (bridges, saddles, etc.), custom pick guards, and we can utilize just about any materials (exotic and domestic hardwoods and figured hardwoods, metals, stones and some crystals, fused glass, many plastics and some composites) machined in our shop, due to my background in machining and 25 years of instrument building, as well as working with several local artists and artisans.
Great video!! And, Brad, I won't just throw my website, RUclips, or links to anything, into a comment on your channel. To us that would be unethical. This Gmail ID is not linked to any of our business interests, and I will be using a different ID for our business. We would love to see if you're interested in trying out any of our tools, measuring instruments, hardware, or components, but that would be discussed at a later time, and not in a public forum like a RUclips video content section. The only reason I mentioned anything was in seeing the different methods you discuss for setting scale length and bridge position. I do hope this wasn't overstepping the bounds of decency, and if so I do sincerely apologize to you for my transgression.
That Hipshot is one of my favorite current bridges, too, good choice.
Working on my first build. I have a Squire body, matched with an aftermarket neck and bridge. The neck is spot on 12.75 at the 12th fret. For the bridge to be spot on at 25.5, the bridge sits too far forward so that the pickup hole in the bridge plate does not line up with the bridge pickup cavity. It appears that I need about 1/8 or 0.125 of an inch. Should I sand the base of the neck to ensure the scale length is correct? Or, would I enlarge the bridge pickup cavity?
Love the channel...going to use dupli-color and the 2K clear...
Thanks,
Tom.
Does the bridge not have enough adjustability to cover the range of where the saddles should go?
@@BradAngove correct. This is a squire body that originally was a top loading bridge. I am converting it to a string through bridge. The bridge cavity us the house shape. To move the bridge closer to the nut will require cutting out a chimney in the house cavity to fit the pick up. Any thoughts on this?
It would be easier to bring the neck pocket down a bit or take a hair off the end of the neck. But make sure you’re using the right type or bridge. Modern vs vintage have different springs and bolts. You could also just change those two parts to give longer range for the saddles.
@@BradAngove I took the easy way out. I bought a different bridge that allows greater range for the saddles. This will allow bridge placement without modifying the body and/or the neck. thanks for your help!
Question: Shouldn't the High-E and Low-E bridge saddles be adjusted to the center or middle of their full travel, so that you can set and get the maximum available saddle adjustment on each of all the saddles? I looked to me on the video, that the Hipshot saddles were pre-adjusted to their full forward position, which would probably work ok for the Low-E saddle. But that might not be enough adjustment for the High-E saddle. Your thoughts? Great video and explanation BTW!
Typically more adjustment is needed in one direction than the other. The low e side gets set back a bit from the high side as well. But yes, adjusting for the middle saddles at least to be in the “middle” of their range is a good idea when you are figuring out where to put the bridge.
Exelent job... and l like that color. Can u send me what color it's that and where l can buy... thanks
The color of the bridge?
I know this is probably going to work fine, it just freaks me out not being able to adjust string height. Also, to each his own, but why would you want a Tele neck and bridge on a Les Paul? It must also be a flat fretboard, otherwise how would you set the saddles for radius?
The saddles are adjustable. You can adjust radius and string height with them. More adjustable than a tunomatic.
Some people prefer the scale and feel of a tele or strat neck. Some prefer the flat profile over an angled neck as well, myself included.
Great video, thanks spreading the knowledge. I have one queation. Im about to commence a guitar build and want to use this exact same bridge. This bridge comes in 2 different floor height sizes being 0.125" and 0.175". How do I know which one to buy? The guitar im building will be a PRS CE bolt on neck type build basically a Dustie Waring hardtail type guitar.
It just depends on how far out of the neck pocket your neck/fretboard protrude. I’d usually err on the side of the smaller one.
@@BradAngove Thanks man. Understood. Love ya work🤘
Thanks Ryan
From where you have that bridge
Screwholes for that Hipshot bridge should be at 26.125" (+/- 0.0030") when measured from the inside of the nut...
Nice
How did you know where to carve out the pickup cavity?
You just need to make sure it’s in line with the neck and doesn’t impede the bridge.
Brad with all of the stuff you have, why no drill press?
I’ve got a drill press Pete. I don’t keep it on my little guitar setup work bench though.
Do you do much with a floating trem system? I know, all the haters out there won't like this question. But I am building a guitar and putting a floyd on it. Still a little ways away from that step but just looking ahead always keeps my interest.
I have very little experience with them. If you want it to be truly floating you have to route a cavity for it to pull back into.
Nice, I'm doing this tomorrow on a bass. The general principles should be the same, right?
Indeed
@@BradAngove Worked great, thanks. New bridge is awesome!
Glad to hear it!
Yeah, yeah. Teaching, learning. All that is fine. Good job. Good video.
Now, with that out of the way...
DUDE! Your building a "Mind Bender."
Do you know the song?
I don’t think so, but I’ll have to look for it haha.
@@BradAngove best non-Frampton use of a talk box, ever...
ruclips.net/video/bt1io_Z2WOQ/видео.html