Guitars with Floating Bridge

getuhgrip

getuhgrip

Bring Back Transfat!
Well, that's how I'll refer to it until I know the correct terminology. Imagine my surprise when I cut the stock strings off my new ES-175, and da friggin' bridge comes off in my hand! :D

Okay, so I go to stick new strings on it, and I get ta thinkin'.....where exactly do I want to position the bridge?

What is the popular wisdom on this? :cool:
 
I'm sure that more experienced people will be able to answer your question more accurately, but I did a little reading on that tailpiece of the ES-175. Looks like it uses a combination of a trapeze tailpiece and a Tune-O-Matic bridge. Or at least that's what they came equipped with at some point, not sure about the current reissues since there are several incarnations of the ES-175 from Gibson and Epiphone. So the bridge attaches to a block of wood and the whole thing is held in place by the tension of the strings.

It's definitely a good idea to only change one string at a time anyways, especially with guitars that have these types of tailpieces.

As far as where to position it, I'm going to have to defer to the experts on that one. I can't find anything online that has any suggestions about how to set up such a bridge. Even Gibson's own website only wants to talk about the bridge and not how to set it up.
 
Start by placing it so the saddle is lined up between the two "nicks" on the f holes. Tune up and adjust for best intonation. You can move the bridge forward and back with the strings up to tension with care. You might hear a few creaks this is normal. Be wary of the bridge tipping forward as you bring it up to tune. You will probably find you need to bring it up to tune a few times as archtops can take longer to settle in than other guitars. If you take a close look you can probably see where the bridge has printed or left a shading shadow where it needs to go.

Floating bridge is the correct term and change strings one at a time if you want to avoid this again. It doesn't bother me but I'm an archtop guitar maker..;)
 
Respectfully submitted, the "two 'nicks' on the f holes" is a bit vague- and I have no idea what "nicks" are.

More precise, and perhaps more useful: The distance from the nut to the 12th fret should be the same as that from the 12th fret to the bridge, as a starting point for intonation adjustment.
 
getuhgrip said:
Well, that's how I'll refer to it until I know the correct terminology. Imagine my surprise when I cut the stock strings off my new ES-175, and da friggin' bridge comes off in my hand!
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when you get it back on where it needs to be, do a string at a time next time around.

look to see if there's an impression on the laquer/paint.
 
stevieb said:
Respectfully submitted, the "two 'nicks' on the f holes" is a bit vague- and I have no idea what "nicks" are.

More precise, and perhaps more useful: The distance from the nut to the 12th fret should be the same as that from the 12th fret to the bridge, as a starting point for intonation adjustment.
Click to expand...

Traditionally, those two "nicks" are supposed to be the end of the scale length, i.e. the center of the bridge.
 
stevieb said:
Respectfully submitted, the "two 'nicks' on the f holes" is a bit vague- and I have no idea what "nicks" are.

More precise, and perhaps more useful: The distance from the nut to the 12th fret should be the same as that from the 12th fret to the bridge, as a starting point for intonation adjustment.
Click to expand...

..and that distance is where you will find the two "nicks" in the f holes. Not all f holes have the nicks these days, the 175 does. If you look at a 175 f hole you will soon work out what they are. If you can't take it to a guitar tech.:rolleyes:
 
stevieb said:
Respectfully submitted, the "two 'nicks' on the f holes" is a bit vague- and I have no idea what "nicks" are.

More precise, and perhaps more useful: The distance from the nut to the 12th fret should be the same as that from the 12th fret to the bridge, as a starting point for intonation adjustment.
Click to expand...

Just in case you are still unsure The "nicks" are taken to be here. You can just about see the edge of the bridge. Setting the f holes in this position has been convention since strads day with the violins. As I say not all f holes have them these days but those that do are just about always lined up that way. The 175 always has been done that way.
 

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ez_willis said:
how about on this guit?
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You kaliforicators are always fuckin' stuff up! Went a little nutts with the sawzall, and wiped out your nicks! :eek:

All is not lost, though. I saw Bob Villa repair a guitar by cutting new nicks with a sabre saw. Makes me proud to be an American! We can do shit! :cool:
 
ez_willis said:
how about on this guit?
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Let me see if I covered that?

muttley600 said:
..and that distance is where you will find the two "nicks" in the f holes. Not all f holes have the nicks these days, the 175 does. If you look at a 175 f hole you will soon work out what they are. If you can't take it to a guitar tech.:rolleyes:
Click to expand...

muttley600 said:
Just in case you are still unsure The "nicks" are taken to be here. You can just about see the edge of the bridge. Setting the f holes in this position has been convention since strads day with the violins. As I say not all f holes have them these days but those that do are just about always lined up that way. The 175 always has been done that way.
Click to expand...

Yep I was pretty sure I did. Would you like me to go over it a third time?
 
They all float down here!


itremake.jpg
 
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