Millie DC bridge question.

[Kuz]

I'm curious about what happens if the bridge would have been left as it originally was? Is there a difference in how the guitar plays?

Is there a possibility of damage?

 

Thanks,

 

Keith

 

There is no possible way to turn the intonation screws. You couldn't intonate the guitar, the screw driver would hit on the pickup ring and still not get to the screws.

[Kuz]

I'm curious about what happens if the bridge would have been left as it originally was? Is there a difference in how the guitar plays?

Is there a possibility of damage?

 

Thanks,

 

Keith

 

Why don't you post a pic of your bridge? Are you sure it is not an ABR TOM where the screws are supposed to face the headstock? Does the bridge go straight into the wood of the guitar (ABR) or does it go into metal studs that are in the top of the guitar (Nashville TOM)?

[H]

There is no possible way to turn the intonation screws. You couldn't intonate the guitar, the screw driver would hit on the pickup ring and still not get to the screws.

 

Not true, I'm afraid. I have the Nashvilles on all my Heritages the 'wrong' way round and have no trouble intonating them. I like the bridge pickup low in the mounting ring and that gives me room to manoeuvre. I've done the same with Gibsons over the last twenty or so years.

 

There is no 'wrong' way as long as the saddles are in the correct position.

[Kuz]

Not true, I'm afraid. I have the Nashvilles on all my Heritages the 'wrong' way round and have no trouble intonating them. I like the bridge pickup low in the mounting ring and that gives me room to manoeuvre. I've done the same with Gibsons over the last twenty or so years.

 

There is no 'wrong' way as long as the saddles are in the correct position.

 

Sorry, but not on this guitar, look at the pics. Some Gibsons use ABR bridges. I agree that as long as the saddles are in the correct position then everything is fine. But why would you turn a Nashville bridge around and have to keep the bridge pickup low? That doesn't make sense to me. Keep the bridge the way it was intended and you can set your pickups as high or as low as you want.

[Kuz]

I found this on the web, it might be helpful....

 

"It is possible to fit the bridge either way round on the two body posts, which leads to a certain amount of confusion when changing strings, should the bridge fall off. Conventionally, the string length (intonation) adjustment screw heads of the older "Vintage" bridge face the neck, and the screw heads of the newer "Nashville" bridge face the stopbar. Unless the player wishes to completely reset the action and intonation, it is important to refit the bridge in the same orientation as before a string change, regardless of which way round it was to start with."

[H]

Sorry, but not on this guitar, look at the pics.

 

I did. That's why I corrected you.

 

It works for me because I want my bridge pickup low in the mount. It may not be suitable for others but then all I'm saying is that it's possible to do it, not that one should do it.

 

The additional material you found on the web confirms that if you fit the bridge in the reverse orientation after a string change you will have to reintonate. It doesn't say you can't, it says you must.

[Kuz]

 

I did. That's why I corrected you.

 

It works for me because I want my bridge pickup low in the mount. It may not be suitable for others but then all I'm saying is that it's possible to do it, not that one should do it.

 

The additional material you found on the web confirms that if you fit the bridge in the reverse orientation after a string change you will have to reintonate. It doesn't say you can't, it says you must.

 

Fair enough, you are correct. if you can fit the screwdriver in the head between the pup ring without hitting and can turn the intonation screws in can be done. No argument with you on it. All I was saying is that it may be easier to reach the screws with the screwdriver if the bridge is oriented in the more conventional manor for each bridge. I don't no regardless of the pickup height if a screwdriver could get past the bridge pup ring to the screw on this guitar pictured here, maybe it can.

 

[CJTopes]

With the way it was in the pics you could get a screw driver in there but it was at a sharp angle. To the point where you might damage the screw head. It's much better with the screws facing the other way. Anyway, It's playing and sounding great!

[Kuz]

With the way it was in the pics you could get a screw driver in there but it was at a sharp angle. To the point where you might damage the screw head. It's much better with the screws facing the other way. Anyway, It's playing and sounding great!

 

Great news!!!!

Did they ever say why they reversed the bridge in the first place???

[CJTopes]

He said something about having enough distance for the G string to intone but I think he just made a mistake. I still have ti raise the tail piece to get the strings off the back of the bridge. I've heard that having tail piece set higher makes it easier to bend strings. Any truth to that?

[Kuz]

He said something about having enough distance for the G string to intone but I think he just made a mistake. I still have ti raise the tail piece to get the strings off the back of the bridge. I've heard that having tail piece set higher makes it easier to bend strings. Any truth to that?

 

I don't know about making the strings easier to bend. A lot of people will top wrap the stop tail so the strings don't hit the back of the TOM and this also decreases the tension on the strings making it easier to bend. With this method you don't need to raise the stop tail piece. Joe Bonamasa and Billy Gibbons of ZZ top use this method.

 

I personally don't top wrap my stoptail. I raise the stoptail ever so slightly so that the strings barely clear or just barely touch the back of the TOM. I don't want to raise the stop tail too far off the top of the guitar, because I heard raising the Stop tail piece too far will decrease sustain.

 

The real concern, that this is mostly for the ABR TOM where the bridge screws straight into the top of the wood of the guitar, is that if the strings coming off the saddles have a severe break and REALLY push down on the back of the TOM the bridge can cave in over time. But with the metal studs of the Nashville TOM they offer more support so a slight touching of the strings on the back of the TOM should be fine. Terry McInturff told me as long as the strings coming over the saddles make almost a straight line to the stop tail piece (in other words the break of the strings coming off the saddles is not so severe that the strings are really hitting the back of the TOM so bad that the line of the strings looks like two angles; one line off the saddles to the back of the TOM and another line off the back the TOM to the stop tail piece) a slight touching of the strings off the back of the TOM is not enough force to hurt the bridge.

 

I might not have typed that visual very clearly, but I hope you understand.