Individual string saddle height adjustment?

[Robert Delahunt]

All,

I was wondering: do you usually adjust string height on a trem bridge per string, or sort of more like to each other? Normally I'd go 2mm bass 1.5mm treble, but do you guys do like the low 3 at 2mm and the high 3 at 1.5mm? How do you guys set string height? Thanks!

Robert

 

[Nightrunner]

Re: Individual string saddle height adjustment?

All,

I was wondering: do you usually adjust string height on a trem bridge per string, or sort of more like to each other? Normally I'd go 2mm bass 1.5mm treble, but do you guys do like the low 3 at 2mm and the high 3 at 1.5mm? How do you guys set string height? Thanks!

Robert

A good starting place is using a radius gauge based on the fretboard radius... Then adjust to taste & clearance necessity.

& if we're talking Floyd trem, then there's no individual saddle height adjustment per se & the saddles have a pre-set radius. In that case, I use my nifty Stew-Mac ruler to measure the distance between the bottom of the string and the top of the frets & set it so that the treble side gap is slightly less than the bass side gap by adjusting the trem posts. 3/32 treble side & 4/32 bass side (at the 17th fret) in the case of my Jacksons.

EDIT: & should this go in the "Guitar Shop" category?


--Nightrunner

 

[Robert Delahunt]

Re: Individual string saddle height adjustment?

A good starting place is using a radius gauge based on the fretboard radius... Then adjust to taste & clearance necessity.
& if we're talking Floyd trem, then there's no individual saddle height adjustment per se & the saddles have a pre-set radius. In that case, I use my nifty Stew-Mac ruler to measure the distance between the bottom of the string and the top of the frets & set it so that the treble side gap is slightly less than the bass side gap by adjusting the trem posts. 3/32 treble side & 4/32 bass side (at the 17th fret) in the case of my Jacksons. EDIT: & should this go in the "Guitar Shop" category? --Nightrunner

Thanks. I was just wondering if i shoud taper from 2mm on bass into 1.5mm on the treble, i.e. gradual (assuming that's height above fretboard under string, i.e. conforming to the radius). I got a vintage trem (sorry).

 

[Nightrunner]

Re: Individual string saddle height adjustment?

Thanks. I was just wondering if i shoud taper from 2mm on bass into 1.5mm on the treble, i.e. gradual (assuming that's height above fretboard under string, i.e. conforming to the radius). I got a vintage trem (sorry).

Well, I don't have a vintage trem, but I do have a book by Dan Erlewine that talks about this. He states, "Adjust the outside E strings to the action height that you like by using a 6" steel rule to measure the gap between the bottom of the string and the top of the 17th fret. Now place your radius gauge on the two outer E strings just in front of the bridge saddles, and raise or lower the four middle strings until they, too, just touch the gauge. Your bridge saddle curve will now match the fingerboard curve."

You can also do what you said & set each height by measuring the gap which would also conform to the radius... but it's not always as easy to read the scale, so using a gauge to get it close first can make your job easier.

He then goes on to say (and I think this is the part that's really relevant to your question), "It may not feel exactly like you want it, but it's the correct starting point from which to personalize your action, and it's more accurate than eyeballing it."

Also, later in the chapter while talking about a factory Fender setup, he says that their tech, Albert Garcia sets the bass E "slightly higher" to 5/64" and the treble E to 4/64" - then uses the radius gauge to blend the bass into the 4/64" used for the rest of the saddles...

Basically sounds like these are general starting points & then you can adjust to taste, right?


--Nightrunner