Hondo 2 D string too low!

[Jamesemt]

I've just bought a Hondo 2 Sd Curlee style bass off ebay and the D string is too low and frets out half way up the neck. The other strings are fine. The string visibly looks too low. Looking at the bridge, I can't adjust the individual saddle heights.  I'm reluctant to raise the entire treble side of the bridge as happy with the G height. Is this a known issue with this style of bridge? Am I just going to have to compromise? 

 

Could it be G string nut height? 

 

Edited September 10, 2023 by Jamesemt

[PaulWarning]

from the photo it looks like the slot in the D string saddle is too deep, I picked up a cheap 3 point bridge for my Hondo (mine had bowed) from China via ebay, or perhaps you could shim the D string saddle with something?

 

 

 

[Jamesemt]

I've tried taking another photo. To me it looks like the G string is a bit low? But I've no experience with these bridges at all. 

Edited September 10, 2023 by Jamesemt

[PaulWarning]

there's youtube tutorials on how to set up a 3 point bridges, one thought I've just had is have you checked to see whether somebody has mixed up the saddles? so say, the E string saddle is in the D strings place

[Jamesemt]

23 minutes ago, PaulWarning said:

there's youtube tutorials on how to set up a 3 point bridges, one thought I've just had is have you checked to see whether somebody has mixed up the saddles? so say, the E string saddle is in the D strings place

 

Ah I never thought about that. I suppose it's possible. I think I need to take the strings off and have a look. 

[neepheid]

Saddles in the wrong order - they often have numbers on them to show which order they should be in.  In the case of my Epiphone Jack Casady, they're numbered

 

G = 1

D = 2

A = 3

E = 4

 

And they're in height order, A is the highest, E should be lower than A but slightly higher than D and G should be the lowest.

[Jamesemt]

OK great thanks 

[Jamesemt]

For anyone in the future who searches for this, it was the saddles that had been put back in the wrong order by a previous owner. 

[neepheid]

Nice, glad you got it sorted.  This sort of thing is easily done when the saddles can all fall out en masse if you remove all the strings.

[Jamesemt]

Yeah - thanks for the advice 🙂

[Baloney Balderdash]

On 10/09/2023 at 23:46, neepheid said:

Saddles in the wrong order - they often have numbers on them to show which order they should be in.  In the case of my Epiphone Jack Casady, they're numbered

 

G = 1

D = 2

A = 3

E = 4

 

And they're in height order, A is the highest, E should be lower than A but slightly higher than D and G should be the lowest.

I feel like I should probably add that this is so to partially follow the radius of the fretboard but while also accounting for the fact that thinner strings compared to thicker strings of about the same tension will require less space to vibrate and therefor making adjusting them for lower action possible.

 

This goes for when adjusting bridges with individual height adjustment for each string too, that is that ideally the strings should form an arc of ever so slightly lower radius (more curve) than the fretboard, but tilting slightly downwards towards the high G string.

 

Edited September 12, 2023 by Baloney Balderdash