Cleaning the roller bridge (with Qvart's tips and blessing)

Russian Guy · Feb 27, 2012

This is addressed to all of you folks who ventured into the unknown (for me) and are maintaining your Guilds clean and healthy.

Qvart's post are the most evident of the fact that it's a piece of cake which is why he does it so playfully.

In order to clean it you gotta first take it off.

So you basically follow this procedure, right?
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1) Take off the strings.
2) Screw bridge posts all the way up until they are out of sockets.
3) Screw the saddle bolts toward the butt of the guitar until they pop out.

Is that it? If that is what do you use to clean them out so they're all shiny?

Vadim

fearless · Mar 25, 2012

Re: Paging Qvart for help - Cleaning the roller bridge

I used an old toothbrush and plenty of effort. Some WD-40 might not be a bad idea, but since I was planning to glue the rollers in place I didn't want any oily residue.

Russian Guy · Mar 25, 2012

Re: Paging Qvart for help - Cleaning the roller bridge

fearless said:
I used an old toothbrush and plenty of effort. Some WD-40 might not be a bad idea, but since I was planning to glue the rollers in place I didn't want any oily residue.

Why would you want to glue the rollers? To eliminate the possibility of them moving while playing or something?

fearless · Mar 25, 2012

Re: Paging Qvart for help - Cleaning the roller bridge

Exactly. Mine had lots of lateral play as a result of thread wear, to the extent that it felt all funny and vague when hitting the strings. No doubt it cost some sustain also. I worked out that the rollers didn't actually roll in any discernible way when bending strings - rather the string glided over the stationary roller as with a conventional bridge. Now that they are cemented in place on the threads it plays much better and stays in tune just as well as it used to.

Qvart · Mar 25, 2012

Re: Paging Qvart for help - Cleaning the roller bridge

I think I used rubbing alcohol and a cotton swab. Mainly just got the funk out of the bridge. I didn't do much with the saddles or screws.

Russian Guy · Mar 26, 2012

Re: Paging Qvart for help - Cleaning the roller bridge

Thank you for additional photos, Q. I sure appreciate it and the bridge looks just like new. Wow!

Russian Guy · Apr 25, 2012

Re: Paging Qvart for help - Cleaning the roller bridge

A month later I finally got around to actually cleaning it. Voila!

Once again, thanks a bunch to Q for tips and photos.

mad dog · Apr 26, 2012

Re: Paging Qvart for help - Cleaning the roller bridge

Misread this, thought you said "Paying Qvart for help ..."

Whatever the case, a masterful, highly sanitary result. You are to be commended for your diligence.
MD

Russian Guy · Apr 26, 2012

Re: Paging Qvart for help - Cleaning the roller bridge

mad dog said:
Misread this, thought you said "Paying Qvart for help ..."

Whatever the case, a masterful, highly sanitary result. You are to be commended for your diligence.
MD

:lol: Thank you, Michael. It does look shiny, doesn't it. I can imagine that it's probably the first time my particular S-300 had its bridge cleaned in all its 33 year old life.

Default · Apr 26, 2012

Just a thought on glueing the rollers. IIRC, Eddie Van Halen used nail polish on his bridges. It glued them down and stopped the rattles, but wasn't permanent.

Don't ask me how he could hear a rattle through a cranked Marshall...

Bill Ashton · Apr 26, 2012

Love it...getting the funk out... "HAH! Good Gawd! UUHH!" In any event, looking at that bridge reminded me of a Fender Jaguar bridge, which are also noted for rattles. IIRC people use nail polish or Loc-tite Blue on them, though the mechanical rattles are only half the problem (the other being a poor break angle over the bridge from the tremolo tailpiece)...

Cleaning the roller bridge (with Qvart's tips and blessing)

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