Greg Curtis Posted December 20, 2009 Share Posted December 20, 2009 I've got a Casino Elitist that had the bridge taken off the guitar by my grandson. Now I'm not a guitar tech so I don't think I got it back on just right because the guitar sounds horrible. The Tune o Matic doesn't have screws on the ends on top for adjustment it has thumbwheels underneath for adjusting. Would one of you guys be so kind as to walk me thru adjusting this damn thing & how to set intonation (whatever is meant by that) on it. Not technical please I enjoy playing the guitar but haven't a clue on how to set them up. Thanks in advance. BTW it has new strings on it already so I know it isn't that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron G Posted December 20, 2009 Share Posted December 20, 2009 Let's not reinvent the wheel, as there's a lot of info about this on the web, such as: http://www.fretnotguitarrepair.com/Electric_Guitar_Intonation.htm I found this by Googling "adjusting intonation" As far as height is concerned, I suggest starting with the Epi factory spec, which is 4/64 and 6/64 for the high E and the low E respctively, measured at the 12th fret, top of fret to bottom of string. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg Curtis Posted December 20, 2009 Author Share Posted December 20, 2009 Thanks much Ron I'll check it out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brianh Posted December 20, 2009 Share Posted December 20, 2009 It's possible that the bridge was put back on backwards. That would screw up your intonation for sure. From the factory, the saddle screws on the long side of the bridge (not the thumbwheels) should be facing the pickups. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg Curtis Posted December 20, 2009 Author Share Posted December 20, 2009 No Brian the screwheads are facing the pickups but thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cosmitron Posted December 20, 2009 Share Posted December 20, 2009 Just wondering... How your grandson did manage to take off the bridge? The way he did it may be crucial to know how to fix it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brianh Posted December 20, 2009 Share Posted December 20, 2009 No Brian the screwheads are facing the pickups but thanks. It's also possible that the bridge was on backwards before, and now it is on "rightways". It's not a big deal which way it was, but if it's been reversed, your intonation would be out. Theoretically, unless someone has changed the saddle positions, it should go right back on and sound almost exactly the same. I would always check the intonation anyway, but it shouldn't sound awful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron G Posted December 20, 2009 Share Posted December 20, 2009 I've gotten new guitars with the T-O-M facing either way, so there's a 50/50 chance you have it right. De-tune, flip it around, tune it up and see what happens. If you understand the concepts, straightening things out will not be a big deal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cosmitron Posted December 20, 2009 Share Posted December 20, 2009 I've gotten new guitars with the T-O-M facing either way' date=' so there's a 50/50 chance you have it right. De-tune, flip it around, tune it up and see what happens. If you understand the concepts, straightening things out will not be a big deal.[/quote'] Except if Grandson cut the strings all of a sudden to take the bridge off. This may cause unwanted neck bow. (I'm still wondering why someone would do that) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron G Posted December 20, 2009 Share Posted December 20, 2009 Except if Grandson cut the strings all of a sudden to take the bridge off. This may cause unwanted neck bow. (I'm still wondering why someone would do that) Guitar necks aren't that sensitive, AFAIK. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peeper Posted December 20, 2009 Share Posted December 20, 2009 Except if Grandson cut the strings all of a sudden to take the bridge off. This may cause unwanted neck bow. (I'm still wondering why someone would do that) I do this every day, and have never caused the neck to do anything weird. It may back bow while the strings are off, but soon as you put the neck back under tension, taadaa, straight neck, The whole "one string at a time" thing developed along with floating trems, as restringing that way helps keep the trem balanced and makes it easier to re-tune when you are done. If removing the strings from your guitar long enough to change them causes any problems with your neck, throw that P.O.S. guitar out. Now, if you are removing the strings for an extended period of time, or shipping the guitar, then loosening the truss rod is a good idea. But I remove strings for days while doing frets, refurbs, etc. and NEVER had an issue with the neck after re-stringing. Sometimes it needs a tweak, but it needs that anyways no matter what you do to the thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cosmitron Posted December 20, 2009 Share Posted December 20, 2009 It is good to know. Honestly, I've never experienced those kind of annoyance myself (though I happened to have POS guitars). I'm just trying to understand what actually happened. Did grandson cut the whole piece of wood under the bridge to take it off? (and re stick the piece of wood after his mischief so noone could see what he did) :D etc... I'm no expert but I'm still thinking that knowing a little more about the circumstances could help to figure out how just removing the bridge and reinstalling it could make a guitar sound horrible. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brianh Posted December 20, 2009 Share Posted December 20, 2009 There's no wood under the bridge on a Casino like a jazz archtop, it sits on brass posts that screw into studs set into the body. I'm thinking the grandson got peanut butter and jelly on the bridge and took it off to wash it in the sink. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strumbone Posted December 20, 2009 Share Posted December 20, 2009 I do this every day' date=' and have never caused the neck to do anything weird. It may back bow while the strings are off, but soon as you put the neck back under tension, taadaa, straight neck, The whole "one string at a time" thing developed along with floating trems, as restringing that way helps keep the trem balanced and makes it easier to re-tune when you are done. If removing the strings from your guitar long enough to change them causes any problems with your neck, throw that P.O.S. guitar out. Now, if you are removing the strings for an extended period of time, or shipping the guitar, then loosening the truss rod is a good idea. But I remove strings for days while doing frets, refurbs, etc. and NEVER had an issue with the neck after re-stringing. Sometimes it needs a tweak, but it needs that anyways no matter what you do to the thing.[/quote'] Thanks Ron, I always wondered how that "one string at a time" got started. I've been playing and changing strings since the 60's, and have always done it "in bulk". :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bender 4 Life Posted December 20, 2009 Share Posted December 20, 2009 If you've not set one up before, one that might be screwed up is NOT the one you want to start with............ Take it to a pro for a set up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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