Beer of the Bass Posted March 10, 2016 Share Posted March 10, 2016 When I got my current bass back in 2008 I had a new bridge with ebony adjusters fitted by a local luthier. Since I was playing unamplified a lot at the time and was into the whole "digging in" business, my default height was on the high side and the bridge doesn't go particularly low. I'm trying to play a bit more subtly now and get into thumb position a little more, so I'd like to take the string height at the end of the fingerboard about 1mm lower than the current lowest setting. My fingerboard is in good shape (it was replaced at the same time as the bridge), so I'm sure the bass should be able to handle a lower setup. This would be a quick job for a luthier, but the local guy has retired and the guy I've used for repairs more recently is a 100-mile round trip. It looks like something I could do myself if I'm careful about it. It seems that most people approach this by taking down the slots in the top of the bridge to the desired height, then re-shaping the crown so that the slots aren't excessively deep. On my bridge, it looks like it might be simpler to take about 2mm or so off the bridge legs above the adjuster, where the bridge rests on the wheels. It looks like if I mark it out carefully and take care to keep the surfaces flat, this shouldn't be too hard. Is there anything glaringly wrong with this approach? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassace Posted March 10, 2016 Share Posted March 10, 2016 Depends how high you value your bass. One of my basses is a ply 'outdoor' bass and I do most things on it. The Martin and Bryant go to a luthier for everything. Have you any other luthier close to you? If you really feel you want to do the work could you not take off a couple of mm on the bridge face the 'gap' side, so flatness is not quite so critical. I'd suggest carefully marking a 2mm line and presenting it to a belt sander if you have one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jebo1 Posted March 10, 2016 Share Posted March 10, 2016 Where are you based? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beer of the Bass Posted March 10, 2016 Author Share Posted March 10, 2016 [quote name='Jebo1' timestamp='1457648497' post='3000717'] Where are you based? [/quote] I'm in Edinburgh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beer of the Bass Posted March 10, 2016 Author Share Posted March 10, 2016 [quote name='bassace' timestamp='1457623779' post='3000308'] Depends how high you value your bass. One of my basses is a ply 'outdoor' bass and I do most things on it. The Martin and Bryant go to a luthier for everything. Have you any other luthier close to you? If you really feel you want to do the work could you not take off a couple of mm on the bridge face the 'gap' side, so flatness is not quite so critical. I'd suggest carefully marking a 2mm line and presenting it to a belt sander if you have one. [/quote] I couldn't remove material from the gap/foot side on these particular adjusters, as the shafts are fixed into the feet with the threaded part protruding. The wheels thread onto the shafts and the upper part of the bridge sits on the wheels, with a clearance hole for the shaft. I have access to a small belt sander, and if I finish it off with the long flat sanding block I use for levelling frets that should keep both legs flat and in the same plane. I think I'm going to give it a go... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3below Posted March 10, 2016 Share Posted March 10, 2016 (edited) To my way of thinking your plan is good. Your belt sander with some form of jig to help present the bridge square onto the sander seems a good way to proceed as you suggest. Some advice on Internet suggests that removing string tension (to remove bridge) can lead to soundpost moving (or worse, dislodging). I have no experience to judge this either way so would advise caution. Keep bass on back and do not move much until restrung. I have just purchased an adjustable maple bridge (with two! soundposts included, why?), Ebay £11 or so. Disaster is not the end of the world unless your bridge is very high quality etc. Edited March 10, 2016 by 3below Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassace Posted March 11, 2016 Share Posted March 11, 2016 (edited) [quote name='Beer of the Bass' timestamp='1457650978' post='3000740'] I couldn't remove material from the gap/foot side on these particular adjusters, as the shafts are fixed into the feet with the threaded part protruding. The wheels thread onto the shafts and the upper part of the bridge sits on the wheels, with a clearance hole for the shaft. I have access to a small belt sander, and if I finish it off with the long flat sanding block I use for levelling frets that should keep both legs flat and in the same plane. I think I'm going to give it a go... [/quote] Sorry, I made the wrong assumption re your adjusters. More luthiers these days prefer to Araldite the thread into the bridge foot and let the wheel spin in the thread. I've always been slightly uneasy about threading directly into the wood of the bridge. I have a belt sander that I mount in a large vice on the bench. It has a flat table over which the belt passes so I get reasonably accurate results from that setup. If you take care over marking out you should be fine. Good luck. Edited March 11, 2016 by bassace Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
herbass Posted March 27, 2016 Share Posted March 27, 2016 Did you do this after all, Martin? If you're in doubt, you can ask Gordon Stevenson in tollcross if he'd do it for you! He used to pass on bass jobs to Ken before he retired, maybe now he'd be up for the job himself! Despite the info I think you'd manage this yourself too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beer of the Bass Posted March 27, 2016 Author Share Posted March 27, 2016 I haven't got around to doing this yet (and I'm visiting family without my bass over Easter), but I think I'll give it a go when I get back. I had the impression that Stevenson wouldn't welcome bass setup work; a few years ago when I was looking for a bass, he said that he would do work on basses as a service to his customers but that he would not take on work if I'd bought a bass elsewhere. I don't know if that's how he does things or if he was just busy at the time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
herbass Posted April 6, 2016 Share Posted April 6, 2016 I think he has a dislike towards working on basses! :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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