Fixed bridge for B Tuning in 25.5"

[Filipe Marquez]

Hello there. I'd like to ask you: do you know of a fixed bridge for a 25.5" that would allow for proper intonation with B Tuning? I have a Floyd in a 25.5" in B tuning, and it intonates fairly well, but am thinking of building a guitar, and i'd like to use a fixed bridge (i fear the saddle of the 6th won't go as far as needed).

Plus i'd like to ask you too: How can the guitarist for CC for instance, tune to Bb in a 24 3/4"? Do you have experience with that? Or does he probably play always with bad intonation?

Thanks

 

[JB_From_Hell]

Re: Fixed bridge for B Tuning in 25.5"

Tons and tons of people have tuned regular guitars down to B. The first B tuned band I ever heard was Type O Negative. I remember thinking, "Holy crap that sounds heavy and gnarly as hell!" My high school friends all petty much shared that sentiment. The next instance was Dream Theater's John Petrucci using an Ibanez Universe on the song "Lie." Same reaction.

Not one of us EVER mentioned how much better either would've sounded if only their guitars were intimated perfectly. Unless you're playing a guitar with those goofy squiggly frets, it's not intonated 100%, regardless of tuning. If I want to tune my guitar to whatever, I get a heavy set of strings and tune it to whatever. It makes me happy, and I don't really worry about it.

 

[Johnny the Kid]

Re: Fixed bridge for B Tuning in 25.5"

Check out a Hipshot bridge.

JB is right though. Unless you have a true temperament fretboard (which are annoying) then you will never truly be able to completely intonate a guitar in any tuning. Even my seven string is a ***** about intonation and that's okay. A guitar played through distortion will sound in tune. And even the slightest variance in two notes can make the sound pop a bit more.

 

[Filipe Marquez]

Re: Fixed bridge for B Tuning in 25.5"

Check out a Hipshot bridge.

JB is right though. Unless you have a true temperament fretboard (which are annoying) then you will never truly be able to completely intonate a guitar in any tuning. Even my seven string is a ***** about intonation and that's okay. A guitar played through distortion will sound in tune. And even the slightest variance in two notes can make the sound pop a bit more.

Hm. I heard the Hipshot has a far too big saddle and people were having to replace it with smaller ones to intonate their 7's and 8's. Either way my only worry is to intonate well at the 12th fret. The low B 'cause the others will definitely fall into intonation, at the 12th.

I still wonder how the Low Bb stays in a 24.3/4" though. I had a 7 once, a 25" one, and the Low B would never intonate.

 

[JB_From_Hell]

Re: Fixed bridge for B Tuning in 25.5"

I still wonder how the Low Bb stays in a 24.3/4" though.

Ask Kenny Hickey. Or the guys from Sevendust. Or Bill Steer from Carcass. Or Head & Munky from Korn (lots of Les Pauls in the studio). Or Meegs from Coal Chamber. Or the guys from Cannibal Corpse...

 

[Johnny the Kid]

Re: Fixed bridge for B Tuning in 25.5"

My 7 string is a 24.75". The B intonates fine, but playing higher up can cause slight variances in sound.

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: Fixed bridge for B Tuning in 25.5"

You might consider a compensated nut for better intonation. As an extra benefit, with the use of a compensated nut (since most of the compensation takes place at the nut instead of at the bridge), the bridge saddles don't need as much travel to intonate properly.

 

[Filipe Marquez]

Re: Fixed bridge for B Tuning in 25.5"

Ask Kenny Hickey. Or the guys from Sevendust. Or Bill Steer from Carcass. Or Head & Munky from Korn (lots of Les Pauls in the studio). Or Meegs from Coal Chamber. Or the guys from Cannibal Corpse...

Well, if i had a contact with them, i'd sure do. All in all you're too bitter. Maybe drink more water and get more sun.

My 7 string is a 24.75". The B intonates fine, but playing higher up can cause slight variances in sound.

Weird! Never heard of 24.75" 7's, but nice to hear it. Perhaps it does stay intonated in Bb.

You might consider a compensated nut for better intonation. As an extra benefit, with the use of a compensated nut (since most of the compensation takes place at the nut instead of at the bridge), the bridge saddles don't need as much travel to intonate properly.

Hm, thanks! Will research into what that is.

 

[Darth Nihilus]

Re: Fixed bridge for B Tuning in 25.5"

I play in B standard and play Les Pauls among others. The compensated nut will solve a lot of the problem just like GuitarDoc suggested. The better intonation at the nut will make it so the saddle won't need to go back as much. Another thing I've found is to NOT go so heavy on the string guage. I use 11 to 48 tuned to B standard on my Les Pauls and I have zero problems with intonation. 11's tuned to B standard gives me a similar tension as if I were in E standard using 8's. This might be too light for most people but it makes it to where I can adjust the intonation easily.

If you have a 25.5 scale and have a fixed bridge, you might have to either move the whole bridge back a bit or what I've done is remove the low E (or B in our case) saddle and sand it down to allow more room to adjust that saddle back. Remove the spring too of course.

 

[Johnny the Kid]

Re: Fixed bridge for B Tuning in 25.5"

If you have a 25.5 scale and have a fixed bridge, you might have to either move the whole bridge back a bit or what I've done is remove the low E (or B in our case) saddle and sand it down to allow more room to adjust that saddle back. Remove the spring too of course.

Doing this will cause more intonation issues than it will solve. Especially because the frets will be laid out for a 25.5 scale length guitar and moving the bridge back will create a longer scale length. You would have to refret the entire guitar to compensate.

 

[greekdude]

Re: Fixed bridge for B Tuning in 25.5"

Hello there. I'd like to ask you: do you know of a fixed bridge for a 25.5" that would allow for proper intonation with B Tuning? I have a Floyd in a 25.5" in B tuning, and it intonates fairly well, but am thinking of building a guitar, and i'd like to use a fixed bridge (i fear the saddle of the 6th won't go as far as needed).

Plus i'd like to ask you too: How can the guitarist for CC for instance, tune to Bb in a 24 3/4"? Do you have experience with that? Or does he probably play always with bad intonation?

Thanks

its also about string tension. Loose strings will intonate badly. Raise the action and you make it worse. But, OTOH who needs perfectly intonated low B on the 24th fret?

 

[Johnny the Kid]

Re: Fixed bridge for B Tuning in 25.5"

its also about string tension. Loose strings will intonate badly. Raise the action and you make it worse. But, OTOH who needs perfectly intonated low B on the 24th fret?

What if you're sweep picking brah?

 

[greekdude]

Re: Fixed bridge for B Tuning in 25.5"

What if you're sweep picking brah?

on low B, 24th fret? sweep picking? that's barely accessible man, even with the little finger. Anyway, add some real vibrato Yngwie style and you are good to go No one will ever know.

 

[Darth Nihilus]

Re: Fixed bridge for B Tuning in 25.5"

Doing this will cause more intonation issues than it will solve. Especially because the frets will be laid out for a 25.5 scale length guitar and moving the bridge back will create a longer scale length. You would have to refret the entire guitar to compensate.

Who told you that? You're absolutely wrong. What are your credentials, I'm a guitar tech myself and have performed this mod quite a few time in my 20+ years as one. You're only moving the bridge back far enough to get a low B to intonate, you won't be moving the other strings beyond their intonation range at all.

 

[Jackson Distortion]

Re: Fixed bridge for B Tuning in 25.5"

Zakk Wylde tunes down ridiculously and he prefers 24.6" scale.

 

[Johnny the Kid]

Re: Fixed bridge for B Tuning in 25.5"

Who told you that? You're absolutely wrong. What are your credentials, I'm a guitar tech myself and have performed this mod quite a few time in my 20+ years as one. You're only moving the bridge back far enough to get a low B to intonate, you won't be moving the other strings beyond their intonation range at all.

Moving the whole bridge back won't cause intonation issues? Really? You're increasing the scale length on the guitar. Unless you refret it, there's no way any note you play won't be even slightly out of tune.

 

[kramersteen]

Re: Fixed bridge for B Tuning in 25.5"

Moving the whole bridge back won't cause intonation issues? Really? You're increasing the scale length on the guitar. Unless you refret it, there's no way any note you play won't be even slightly out of tune.

Obviously you compensate the other saddles and they would remain in the same location as before and only Low b would be moved. :earl:

 

[Filipe Marquez]

Re: Fixed bridge for B Tuning in 25.5"

Thanks Darth. I will research what is a compensated nut. Also Johnny, i believe moving the whole bridge backwards will only 'cause intonation problems if one of the string saddles needs to be at it's closest to the neck position, 'cause if you think, each saddle proportionates a different scale length.

 

[Johnny the Kid]

Re: Fixed bridge for B Tuning in 25.5"

Obviously you compensate the other saddles and they would remain in the same location as before and only Low b would be moved. :earl:

But that's not what he said before. He said to move the whole bridge back. Doing that will increase the overall scale length on the guitar and your strings will not be in tune when you fret the notes. If you moved the whole bridge back, you would have to replace the neck to compensate for the long scale length that moving the bridge back would cause. Furthermore, moving the saddle back that drastically on the B string will again cause fretting issues.

 

[Filipe Marquez]

Re: Fixed bridge for B Tuning in 25.5"

@Johnny Yeah. I too agree it would be an unnecessary measure. But technically, as far as i see, moving the bridge back would only do wrong if one of the strings needed it's saddle to be at it's closest position towards the nut, at the current position that it is now.

Otherwise, for instance, if at this moment the saddle that is closest towards the neck still is a bit towards the end of the body, then you could move the bridge back at the exact length that this saddle is farther away from the neck.

Don't know if you got it but, this is what i believe to be true.

(EDIT: Or if not an unnecessary one, one that should be taken as a second more careful option, which i believe was what Darth meant, and that COULD only be taken calculating the exact amount you can move)