How to adjust adjustable bridge

[livemusic]

A few days ago, I bought a new J-45 1960s J45 Ebony VOS (black, white pickguard) because I have long been seeking a black/white Gibson that struck my eye. Love it! Looks great, sounds great! Now, it has an adjustable bridge; I assume it's because it's supposed to be they are duplicating how the J45 was built then or something like that. Anyway, I have no idea how to adjust. It has a screw on both sides of the saddle. Is this to raise/lower the action? Say I want to lower it a tad, just loosed strings screw the screws in or out or what! I can take this guitar in to get it fully set up, just wondering if I can lower action a bit with these screws. Google didn't provide an answer.

 

Seems I have read some people don't favor an adjustable bridge. This guitar sounds great! It doesn't have a Gibson thump like my J45 Standard, I dunno, it's more balanced or something, maybe a little brighter. Whatever it is, it sounds great! Of course, I need to put new strings on it and see how it sounds then.

Edited January 5, 2019 by livemusic

[Leonard McCoy]

A few days ago, I bought a new J-45 1960s J45 Ebony VOS (black, white pickguard) because I have long been seeking a black/white Gibson that struck my eye. Love it! Looks great, sounds great! Now, it has an adjustable bridge; I assume it's because it's supposed to be they are duplicating how the J45 was built then or something like that. Anyway, I have no idea how to adjust. It has a screw on both sides of the saddle. Is this to raise/lower the action? Say I want to lower it a tad, just loosed strings screw the screws in or out or what! I can take this guitar in to get it fully set up, just wondering if I can lower action a bit with these screws. Google didn't provide an answer.

 

Seems I have read some people don't favor an adjustable bridge. This guitar sounds great! It doesn't have a Gibson thump like my J45 Standard, I dunno, it's more balanced or something, maybe a little brighter. Whatever it is, it sounds great! Of course, I need to put new strings on it and see how it sounds then.

That's right. You can raise or lower the saddle, and hence the string action, by turning the screws on the adjustable bridge. It doesn't get more convenient than that. In that sense it mimics the adjustable bridge of an electric guitar.

[j45nick]

You don't need to loosen the strings, but de-tuning a bit will make it easier to raise/lower the saddle.

[bobouz]

Seems I have read some people don't favor an adjustable bridge. This guitar sounds great!

A lot of folks poo-poo the adjustable bridge, often based on a perceived ideal of how a flat-top bridge should be made.

 

The adjustable bridge creates a different transfer of string vibrations to the body, more along the lines of a mini archtop bridge with metal posts.

 

In reality, some people love the slightly metallic overtones often produced by this bridge arrangement (count me as one).

 

It's all a matter of whether or not the sound produced by a particular guitar appeals to you. I have two instruments with an adjustable saddle/bridge, and find them very satisfying.

[Pingouin08]

As far as I am concerned, I will never get rid of my adjustable bridge. I own a Gibson heritage, dated 66 with this device and since 50 years, it help me to control the action of my guitar, shifting from medium to light gauges when I wanted. if the truss rod is well adjusted, no need to worry. In addition, I never notice this adjustable bridge creating sound problems.

[OldCowboy]

3 of my 1960's Gibsons - Hummingbird, J-50, Dove - have the adj bridge, and they make me happy. I'm a believer that if they work (for you) and haven't malfunctioned, they should be left alone. Experimenting with different saddles can be fun, and offers a variety of sounds.

[Jinder]

I really like the Adj bridge Gibsons. They sound DIFFERENT to a fixed bridge instrument, but not worse, or at least to my ears.

 

I spent a lot of time and effort converting my 1967 J45 from Adj to fixed bridge, and in many ways I wish I hadn't bothered, it sounded great before and still does, it just lost a bit of the brightness and chime that Adj guitars have.

 

Re adjustments, just slacken the strings and turn the screws clockwise to lower the action and counterclockwise to raise it. Small increments are the way to go here-less than two full turns can take you from "unplayably high" to "unplayably low", so go steady...enjoy your guitar, those Ebony '60s reissues are beautiful!

[zombywoof]

I have never been able to really figure out how the ADJ saddle translates into sound. I have only ever owned two ADJ bridge Gibsons - a 1963 and 1961 B45-12. My general inclination is that while the ADJ saddle increases the attack, the oversized stiff laminate bridge plate needed to support those monsters stifles vibration. With my 12 strings though what I have figured out is I prefer the original wood saddle to tusq or bone (I have never tried a ceramic saddle). To me the wood ADJ saddle does for a 12 string flattop what an archtop does for a six string. I did not get near that effect with saddles made from other material. When it comes to six strings though based on the Gibsons I have played, my Kay K-24 with its wood saddle ADJ bridge comes off more like a cosmic love child of a flattop and an archtop than the Gibsons. I have to assume it is the Kay's ladder bracing coming into play here.

Edited January 6, 2019 by zombywoof

[livemusic]

I did the adjustment and it could not have been easier... I mean, who can't turn a screw?

 

I am curious, now that I see (hear) that this provides a brighter sound... do people ever "do" anything if they want to take some of the zing out? It's cool in its own way and with some playing styles, outstanding, but I'd like to know, you guys seem to know a lot about this type of thing.

 

Also, how can I tell what type of saddle it has? I have read everything I can find and the saddle material is not mentioned. The color light, kind of cream colored. It does say the nut is bone. I also see a new guitar offered on another website that looks to be identical to this guitar except it has a pickup in it and it does say it has a bone nut AND saddle. FWIW, I saw another guitar from 2016 on the official Gibson site and it had a tusq (black) saddle.

 

The SN dates this to a Dec. 6, 2017 manufacture date, so, does that mean it is a 2017 or 2018 model?

Edited January 7, 2019 by livemusic

[E-minor7]

A huge fan of the adjustable sounds here - I regard it as a key-example of the 'modern acoustic Gibson voice'.

Kalamazoo knew what they doin' when they introduced it - as a matter of fact it was brilliant though daring envelope-pushing experimentation.

This goes for the ceramics as well as the rosewood inserts.

The latter has taken the worst flak of the 2 for bein' tone-stealers , , , dear world :

Please understand that some recordings need a quiet mellow acoustic steel-string sound to get the atmosphere of the track right.

 

But talking material, yours is probably tusq - and tusq is something third.

If it sings like a dream for you, great. Just remember the early waves were porcelain and had that certain cliing, which some people really dig, others dismiss.

 

Nowadays they come in bone too btw. And bone may transfer stronger than ceramic - certainly do in my 1963 (plastic bridge) J-45.

Still I choose the original white clay there. It simply hits the right timbre so wonderfully - the overall balance between the components of the guitar.

(Keep in mind volume ain't god.)

Would never rate the adjustable over the conventional straight slim bone in wood, but there are no strict rules.

Your privilege is the possibility to experiment. Actually in the spirit of the whole concept. Enjoy

 

 

[E-minor7]

Ouh, , , one extra detail : Does your 45 have the rectangular metal spring under the saddle ?

[livemusic]

Ouh, , , one extra detail : Does your 45 have the rectangular metal spring under the saddle ?

 

If you mean mine (OP), I don't know what you mean. Something I can see?

 

I think it looks like this except my saddle is cream colored, not dark like this one's tusq saddle...

 

[zombywoof]

A huge fan of the adjustable sounds here - I regard it as a key-example of the 'modern acoustic Gibson voice'.

Kalamazoo knew what they doin' when they introduced it - as a matter of fact it was brilliant though daring envelope-pushing experimentation.

This goes for the ceramics as well as the rosewood inserts.

The latter has taken the worst flak of the 2 for bein' tone-stealers , , , dear world :

Please understand that some recordings need a quiet mellow acoustic steel-string sound to get the atmosphere of the track right.

 

But talking material, yours is probably tusq - and tusq is something third.

If it sings like a dream for you, great. Just remember the early waves were porcelain and had that certain cliing, which some people really dig, others dismiss.

 

Nowadays they come in bone too btw. And bone may transfer stronger than ceramic - certainly do in my 1963 (plastic bridge) J-45.

Still I choose the original white clay there. It simply hits the right timbre so wonderfully - the overall balance between the components of the guitar.

(Keep in mind volume ain't god.)

Would never rate the adjustable over the conventional straight slim bone in wood, but there are no strict rules.

Your privilege is the possibility to experiment. Actually in the spirit of the whole concept. Enjoy

 

 

 

Kalamazoo came up with the ADJ saddle bridge because they wanted their acoustics to be more like electrics and therefore more marketable. They had already gone in that direction with the skimpy neck carves. But what is your source for bone adj saddles? The only place I found them was at LMI which imports them from Japan. They tend to come and go from stock. As I said, I slapped one on my B45-12 but quickly went back to the rosewood saddle. I am in the minority here though as most of the folks I know preferred the sound with the bone saddle. But I really like the archtop vibe the wood saddle gives me. On a fixed bridge guitar though I cannot get wood or bar fret saddles off quick enough.

[j45nick]

If you mean mine (OP), I don't know what you mean. Something I can see?

 

 

 

You can't see it without cranking the saddle all the way up. It's a slightly curved piece of thin spring steel with the same shape as the footprint of the saddle. It fits into the saddle slot underneath the saddle.

 

Check it out the next time you change the strings.

 

Don't ask what its purpose is/was. None of us seems to know with certainty. It may not even be there in modern versions of this bridge and saddle.

Edited January 7, 2019 by j45nick

[E-minor7]

If you mean mine (OP), I don't know what you mean. Something I can see?

 

I think it looks like this except my saddle is cream colored, not dark like this one's tusq saddle...

 

Here is the original (double) set in aprox. 1 : 1 -

 

60's ~

 

The plate or spring as some call it, works as a lift under the somewhat fragile clay/wood.

Your saddle/insert is probably the light version of tusq.

But livem, check previous Board-pages - they present every detail there is to know about this topic including pics, , , and we had it up in the late fall.

 

Kalamazoo came up with the ADJ saddle bridge because they wanted their acoustics to be more like electrics and therefore more marketable. They had already gone in that direction with the skimpy neck carves.

 

 

But what is your source for bone adj saddles? The only place I found them was at LMI which imports them from Japan. They tend to come and go from stock.

Well, the while the ceramic version might have leaned a bit toward a pseudo-electric voice, the rosewood alternative certainly didn't.

I never saw bone-inserts from Gibson itself - if you say they produced them on and off it's new to me, , , and great - from the very beginning !?!

My knowledge comes from the Bay where I bought a contemporary ex a couple a years ago (which btw. cracked)

- and from the one that was in my 1963 J-45 when it flew in from Manchester.

Note that I carefully asked seller to guarantee that the ceramic was there as well.

As said I wanted the creature all original and the deal wouldn't have gone down without it.

Edited January 7, 2019 by E-minor7

[Boyd]

It took me awhile to realize that I could experiement with different strings heights on my 1965 J-50 ADJ. A capo never worked well on that guitar, and one day it was like.... "wow... that's what an adjustable bridge is for!" :) I also leaned that I don't mind a higher action as much as I thought I would. Anyway, it's nice to be able to play with different settings so easily, as opposed to replacing/filing down saddles on fixed bridges.

 

I will say, however, my 1965 ADJ doesn't have the volume of my 2008 J-50. I have to bump the mic level up by 3 to 6 db when I record the '65.. I have the original rosewood saddle, I suppose one of the other saddle materials might make a difference. But I like keeping the guitar as it originally was.

Edited January 7, 2019 by Boyd

[GLE]

I realize that this is an old post - just hoping that with all of the knowledge available here perhaps someone could help me. I have a 70's vintage Penco Model A330 (a Hummingbird knock off in good detail). It has a rosewood bridge with a metal "carrier". The "carrier" has threaded holes on each end and provides a channel or slot for a plastic saddle. Because the metal carrier seems to be "fixed" in the bridge I am just not sure what to do to restore the whole thing to its original condition. The slot (in the bridge) for the metal carrier is 79 mm long and 5.8 mm wide. The plastic saddle is 2.88 mm thick and 59 mm long.

I need the adjustment screws and a replacement saddle - preferably bone but possible TUSQ, unless someone has a better suggestion.

[zombywoof]

33 minutes ago, GLE said:

I realize that this is an old post - just hoping that with all of the knowledge available here perhaps someone could help me. I have a 70's vintage Penco Model A330 (a Hummingbird knock off in good detail). It has a rosewood bridge with a metal "carrier". The "carrier" has threaded holes on each end and provides a channel or slot for a plastic saddle. Because the metal carrier seems to be "fixed" in the bridge I am just not sure what to do to restore the whole thing to its original condition. The slot (in the bridge) for the metal carrier is 79 mm long and 5.8 mm wide. The plastic saddle is 2.88 mm thick and 59 mm long.

I need the adjustment screws and a replacement saddle - preferably bone but possible TUSQ, unless someone has a better suggestion.

 

I am not sure what you mean by the metal plate or whatever you call it is  "fixed".    On Gibson's first version the  plate mated with a slotted rosewood saddle.  On later guitars the bottom of the saddle was not slotted but flat.

Not sure about parts other than maybe eBay, but LMI in Philly carries bone saddles for Gibson ADJ bridge guitars.  

Here is the bottom of the saddle and metal plate that is on my '61 B45-12.  On later versions the saddle has a flat bottom.

Edited December 28, 2020 by zombywoof

[Salfromchatham]

On 1/7/2019 at 10:25 AM, j45nick said:

 

 

You can't see it without cranking the saddle all the way up. It's a slightly curved piece of thin spring steel with the same shape as the footprint of the saddle. It fits into the saddle slot underneath the saddle.

 

Check it out the next time you change the strings.

 

Don't ask what its purpose is/was. None of us seems to know with certainty. It may not even be there in modern versions of this bridge and saddle.

That metal spring is still on the modern ones.   I think I bought some type of Hummingbird with the adjustable saddle a few years ago, and it did have it.