Can you raise the action by manipulating the two-point screws?

[Napthol]

Just wondering if a guy feels like he has raised the individual saddles quite a bit already, can those pivot screws on a two-point bridge be also used for action adjustment?

 

[Top-L]

You shouldn't be raising the saddles to change action if there are trem posts. The trem posts are the primary adjustment. The block screws are to set the radius of the bridge.

 

[Napthol]

I never knew that, but most of my guitars have been vintage six-point bridge.

 

[eclecticsynergy]

That's one of the main advantages of two post bridges; it's much simpler to adjust the action.

 

[GuitarDoc]

Simple answer to your question...
Yes.

 

[GuitarDoc]

PS:
You can definitely raise and lower the individual saddles to change the action (in addition to the trem post screws).

 

[ErikH]

PS:
You can definitely raise and lower the individual saddles to change the action (in addition to the trem post screws).

Yup, what he said.

It's a balance. You get the bridge set to where you want the tremolo play (for a Strat 2-point), but not so high that it's way off the body. You want the front bottom edge of the plate to just clear the body when pushing down on the trem, not hitting it. At that point, adjust the saddles for your desired action. If your neck has backbow, that may be forcing you to raise things higher than necessary so a truss rod adjustment to get the backbow out may be needed. If the neck relief is good, adjust the bridge and saddles as needed.

 

[JMP/HBE]

.

 

[Chistopher]

If you want to raise the two posts without converting your guitar into a floating bridge, you will possibly have to tighten the trem claw a bit.

There's nothing wrong with raising the saddles, I actually like the saddles to be high enough that the screws don't touch my hand at all if at all possible.

 

[GuitarDoc]

If you want to raise the two posts without converting your guitar into a floating bridge, you will possibly have to tighten the trem claw a bit.

There's nothing wrong with raising the saddles, I actually like the saddles to be high enough that the screws don't touch my hand at all if at all possible.

Yep, agree. Those little buggers can be pretty uncomfortable. Sometimes you have to actually cut/file the screws shorter. Nothing wrong with that either.

 

[Mincer]

Yep, agree. Those little buggers can be pretty uncomfortable. Sometimes you have to actually cut/file the screws shorter. Nothing wrong with that either.

Leo's bridge design had that flaw. Before I knew better (or bought saddles that didn't do this), my palm was constantly cut up.

 

[GuitarDoc]

Instead of the normal bent steel saddles, the better design is the Highwood saddles which threads the screws through the bottom of the saddle instead of the top. That gets the screws out of the way of the hand.