Breau Posted February 22, 2009 Share Posted February 22, 2009 Hi folks, could someone help me out with this, should it be neccessary for the bridge and tailpiece on a new les paul to be adjusted so high that you can see the threads of the adjusting screws, to eliminate fret buzz. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Plains Posted February 22, 2009 Share Posted February 22, 2009 My tailpieces are resting on the body, or close to it. Just make sure the strings don't touch the back of the bridge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrJustice Posted February 22, 2009 Share Posted February 22, 2009 My tailpieces are resting on the body' date=' or close to it. Just make sure the strings don't touch the back of the bridge.[/quote'] What are the ill effects of this? Both my SG and LP came out of the box with the strings touching the back of the bridge... I guess the tailpiece can be adjusted, but the higher it's set the greater the force on the mounting studs. DJ -- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Breau Posted February 22, 2009 Author Share Posted February 22, 2009 Thanks for the reply, just bought a traditional and I'm a little concerned about how high the bridge and tailpiece are. Guess I'll take it back to back and see what they can do. Thanks again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sok66 Posted February 22, 2009 Share Posted February 22, 2009 The most important factor is to not have the strings resting on the back of the bridge. Doing so can cause rattles & unwanted secondary vibrations, and increases forward pressure on the bridge studs, a particular concern on ABR-1s. Where the tailpiece studs are set seems to affect feel / string tension somewhat. There are a lot of opinions on where they should or should not be set. I set them just high enough for the strings to break over the bridge saddles without touching the back edge of the bridge. I've never proven to myself there's any benefit to having them screwed all the way into the sleeves, even though logic might suggest you'd get a bit more sustain that way. Since YMMV, try the guitar with the studs set in a variety of heights and see what works for you. FWIW, I always loosen all of the strings when moving the tailpiecce studs, and I got a tool from Stew-Mac that minimises damage to the studs, or the chance a screwdriver might slip off & scratch te top. Link below: http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Tools/Wrenches/Tune-o-Medic_Bridge_and_Tailpiece_Tools.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sok66 Posted February 22, 2009 Share Posted February 22, 2009 Hi folks' date=' could someone help me out with this, should it be neccessary for the bridge and tailpiece on a new les paul to be adjusted so high that you can see the threads of the adjusting screws, to eliminate fret buzz.[/quote'] Sorry, meant to comment on this first. Te simle answer is no, it doesn't matter. The bridge & tailpiece height are going to depend upon the depth of the top and the angle of the neck tilt. These are going to vary slightly from one Les Paul to another, although with modern manufacturing techniques the guitars are much more consistent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
80LPC Posted February 22, 2009 Share Posted February 22, 2009 Breau, can you post a picture ? Strings touching the edge of the bridge mark the plating, shorten string life and as mentioned, put a side-loading on the bridge. Something else that produces a side loading is saddles that are adjusted near, or at their limit of travel. Screws that are fitted directly into the wood are obviously more sensitive to this. Are nine's ABR 1 bridge is showing a slight lean to the rear. I think I'd be tempted to raise the stop bar and reduce the break angle slightly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Breau Posted February 22, 2009 Author Share Posted February 22, 2009 I will try to get a picture posted. appreciate the help, thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Breau Posted February 23, 2009 Author Share Posted February 23, 2009 Here is the pic of the bridge and tail piece I mentioned before, any suggestions would be appreciated. Gibson Side view Picture 2 Kind Regards Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
80LPC Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 Looking at the first picture, the bass side screw looks fine, but the bridge is leaning towards the stop bar. When you sight underneath the bridge and compare the 2 thumbwheels, they should be parallel with each other. But the treble side thumbwheel appears to be at a different angle, so it's possible it could be bent. This could explain the bridge leaning slightly. I don't think the screws are wound out too far. Are any strings touching the back edge of the bridge ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Breau Posted February 23, 2009 Author Share Posted February 23, 2009 The high E string is touching the rest are not. Anything played above the first three frets causes fret buzz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
80LPC Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 Sorry to hear about the buzz. I would return it for a thorough check / possible replacement. You shouldn't have to start adjusting the action on a new Gibson to eliminate buzz. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Breau Posted February 23, 2009 Author Share Posted February 23, 2009 Yes I believe you are right, for the price, it should not have these issues. I will return it to the dealer. Thanks to all for the info. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpaceAceOne Posted May 6, 2009 Share Posted May 6, 2009 Hi there, I have a similar problem with my 2008 LP Traditional (bought 1 month ago): The factory setup action already is very low (slight buzz on low E-string) but bridge and tailpiece seem to be _very_ high. You can see 2-3 windings of the tailpiece-screws/bolts already and the high- and low-E-Strings, the A and the D-strings are touching the back-edge of the bridge. So the tailpiece would have to go even higher (than it already is) to prevent the strings from touching the bridge-edge, right? And to get rid of the buzz I'd have to raise the bridge, too (and then in return re-raise the tailpiece again I guess, correct? To have it all safe and stable: How many visible windings of the bridge / tailpiece bolts would you consider still safe? Cheers, SpaceAceOne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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