How to straighten an off center Starfire Bass bridge?

[Nuuska]

OK - I see Lungimsam is routing a cavity for new pup - so relocating the bridge should be a no-brainer.

 

[lungimsam]

Nuuskas idea of making saddles .is cool but would need very big blocks. You can see the distance from the back of blocks to screw heads. And that would change with intonation adjustments. Sorry about the nickel oxidation. I gotta get my Mothers Mag and Aluminum cleaner out.

Thanks Default for the Titebond rec. I Titebonded my cracked bridge and so far it’s staying put. It dried in place under string tension holding it perfect. Hopefully it will last.

 

[lungimsam]

$1649 asking price at famous vendor new.
Look at the wonky alignment of strings to fret dot markers and also to pole pieces that no saddle notching can fix.
I think maybe these lightly built basses just move in ways where perfect alignment is unattainable. But even with that, they still sound and play great.

 

[fronobulax]

perfect alignment is unattainable

I too obsess over cosmetics, but if the strings don't fall of the sides of the fret board while playing, if they can be intonated and if the PU polepieces can be adjusted so that the output is consistent, then what is the practical measurable, effect of perfect alignment?

 

[mellowgerman]

The fret dots would bother me for sure at that price. The pickup poles are what I consider to be normal though. Even on vintage specimens, Starfires always got the same spacing in bridge and neck pickup poles, so naturally the bridge string spread is a touch wider than the poles and the neck string spread is a touch narrower than the poles. This does not result in any audible issues as those big Bisonic slugs create a pretty hefty magnetic field.

 

[Nuuska]

I made a quick check on my 1975 F50R , 1977 F512 and 1992 X-2000 - they all have mop inlay blocks w abalone triangles - and they all are the same - the tip of the triangle is NOT halfway between 3rd & 4th string. You can also see this in Hans book cover.

I measured some blocks to verify, that they indeed were dead center on fretboard.

Also my 1957 baby-Gibson has dot markers closer to D than G string.

It looks like the outer edge of the string is equally close to fretboard edge - and the space between strings is equal - naturally this means that the space between 3-4 is not in center of fingerboard. Because strings are thicker on one side.

If we were to cut nut slots at even intervals center-to-center and do the same at bridge - then cosmetics would be better - but fingering might first feel odd - at least for those who struggle w that 1/32 narrower nut.


Fortunately none of this has ever prevented my joy of having these guitars

 

[lungimsam]

I too obsess over cosmetics, but if the strings don't fall of the sides of the fret board while playing, if they can be intonated and if the PU polepieces can be adjusted so that the output is consistent, then what is the practical measurable, effect of perfect alignment?

It isn't that big a deal, cuz like I said they still play and sound great.
But for 1465$-1645$ it should not be that way.