Bridge Mount Question - Casino

[winterland]

Hi all -

 

Quick question ... I recently traded for a used Epiphone Casino. I am having some trouble getting the intonation setup correctly and I noticed that the bridge (the part with the saddles for each string) is mounted upside down compared to my DOT - On the DOT the screws point northward toward the neck, where the Casino the screws point south toward the trapeze. So, which one is correct - Or does it really matter ?

 

Thanks in advance

[NightTimeConcealmentX91]

deleted comment

[SNick]

I believe you should face the screws towards the head. This is something that happens all the time when someone charges strings and forgets which way it goes.

[flyingarmadillo]

Flipping the bridge is one of the things that's done for intonation problems. Flipping the bridge may give you more room if you've run out of adjustment for the saddles.

[Lefty Bill]

The orientation of the tuneOmatic bridge is mostly a matter of preference, as it may be easier to get a screwdriver on the screw heads from one direction or the other, so which direction is your choice.. but the majority of new models that I've only seen pictures of, have the screws facing the neck.

 

As TheLudNuts suggests, there may be some difference in the saddle notches. I've seen a couple of factory stock T-O-M bridges which have had 3 saddles with small notches for the plain strings, and the other 3 saddles had considerably larger notches for the wound strings.. but I'm not sure how prevalent the differently sized notches are.

 

The T-O-M saddle adjustments don't allow a great range of movement and the individual saddles can be turned around on the screws if needed change the contact point at the notch a little more, allowing the string length between the nut and saddle to be just a bit longer or shorter.

The wedge shaped top of the saddles can provide an offset of about 1/16" when turned around.

 

If your bridge utilizes the wire screw retainer, it's fairly easy to pop one end of the wire out of the bridge (plastic tool or wooden dowel recommended to prevent scratches or gouges in case of oops! it slipped.. then the individual screws and saddles can be lifted out so the saddles can be removed from the screws and reversed.

 

Several aftermarket replacement bridges have a greater range of movement for intonation adjustments, so those may be worthwhile considerations. You'll need to have an accurate measurement of the distance between the bridge posts to select a replacement bridge which fits properly, if you choose that option.

 

Bill

 

 

Hi all -

Quick question ... I recently traded for a used Epiphone Casino. I am having some trouble getting the intonation setup correctly and I noticed that the bridge (the part with the saddles for each string) is mounted upside down compared to my DOT - On the DOT the screws point northward toward the neck, where the Casino the screws point south toward the trapeze. So, which one is correct - Or does it really matter ?

Thanks in advance