Guild 175X - new bridge.

[Ken Powrie]

I'm thinking of changing the bridge/rollers on the above. re; tuning problems with use of 'Whammy. Any advice?
KP nutz

 

[Guildadelphia]

Tuning problems usually emanate from the nut and not the bridge. Make sure that the strings are not hanging up in the nut slots. If the nut was cut for let's say 11's and you are using 12's the slots could be a bit tight and need to be slightly enlarged. A lot of times (and its something that should be done anyway) all you need to do is use some lube in the slots (graphite, Nut Sauce, even Chapstick will work).
With regards to "roller saddle" bridges....I don't like them. Usually the string tension is not enough to even make the rollers "roll". Another problem is if you have a Newark St or vintage X175 with a 9.45" fretboard radius you can't adjust a roller bridge to match the radius (most roller bridges have a radius of 12" to 14"). A good TOM style bridge, properly radiused and with cleanly cut saddle notches should work fine. You may want to smooth out the saddle notches with some fine emery paper or abrasive chord. Tru Arc bar bridges and Compton bridges also work great with Bigsbys and IMO are far superior in tone and feel than roller bridges. Some don't care for them as they (Tru Arcs / Comptons) not always going to yield perfect intonation, although the Tru Arc on my Gretsch intonates just fine).

 

[Walter Broes]

What Guildadelphia said. I'd add that you might want to check if your bridge is moving, that's as much a source of tuning issues with floating bridge guitars as are nut slots binding the strings. you can tape the bridge base down, pin it, screw it down, put sandpaper under it,...

 

[Ken Powrie]

Thanks Boys!

 

[Rudehog]

Yes a well prepped nut and scotch double sided tape under the bridge base. I have a compton bridge on my X170 with a bigsby and it works great!

Roller bridges suck tone!

 

[Guildadelphia]

Thin double sided tape is the way to go unless you have a tech pin it or can do it yourself. I'm big on the least invasive/easily reversable method. Scotch Double Sided Poster Tape is my preference...very thin. Before I got my NS 175B I just assumed I'd swap out the stock TOM style bridge for a Tru Arc or Compton but I'm pretty happy so far with the stock bridge. It's a pretty standard MIK TOM but the saddles came properly radiused for the 9.45 fingerboard, the intonation is set spot-on and with an application of clear nail polish on the saddle retainer wire it doesn't rattle or buzz. That doesn't mean there aren't better bridges out there, but this works/sounds fine.

 

[parker_knoll]

get some of those tiny round files that are available for cleaning nozzles. I bought a set very cheaply on ebay.

then use them to make sure your bridge slots are properly sized for your string gauge and nice and smooth too, and do the same for the nut. Once i did that on my Ric all tuning problems vanished completely!

 

[Guildadelphia]

Abrasive Cord is very good for smoothing out bridge saddles and nut slots.

 

[cc_mac]

Those are great tips for properly surfacing the saddles. I've not tried the abrasive chord but think I'll order some. A clear unbinding string path to from the tailpiece to the tuners is crucial. Here's a test. Press pluck an open string and listen to the pitch. Press the string down between the tuner shaft and the nut. Pluck the open string again. Did the pitch rise? If so then the string is binding in the nut. You can imagine the negative impact this has on tuning stability.

Has anyone found a good source for a none 2-footed rosewood bridge base that has enough body to sand/conform to the arched top but not be too tall? The original Guild bases on all mine have been pretty thin and I'm looking for some spares.