Neck to bridge...

[Mr. C]

I'm putting together a telecaster and recently purchased a neck and a bridge for it. The body is routed for humbuckers. I read that the measurement from the nut to the 12th fret should be 12 3/4" and the same from the 12th fret to the bridge. I have two questions. The measurement on my neck is 13" from nut to 12th fret. The measurement from the 12th fret to the bridge appears to be the same; I say appears to be because I'm not sure what part of the bridge I'm supposed to measure to. It measures out at 13" in the middle of the saddles. Is this right or am I screwed up? Help!

 

[Ed Dixon]

Normally the 12th fret is half way between the nut and the bridge (where the strings either end or go over something (depending on type of bridge).

A measurement of 12 3/4 is a 25 1/2 inch scale. Your measurements seem to indicate a 26" scale length, which is a little unusual. Do you have the specs for the neck, and what scale length is it supposed to be?

Ed

 

[Mr. C]

Ooops! You're right Ed, it does measure out to 12 3/4". I don't have the nut in yet so I was probably measuring up a little to high. Also it seems to measure out right to the bridge. My main question was where that measurement should end up on the bridge, but I think I've got it now. Thanks.

 

[Light]

When the saddles are as far forward as they can go, the contact point of the saddle should be the same distance from the twelfth fret as the twelfth fret is from the nut.



Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi

 

[Ed Dixon]

Most professional electric guitars have the distance to the average saddle position about half way in saddle adjustment. This allows some adjust either way for intonation to allow for various string gauges, playing style and setup.

If the distance is set with the saddles all the way forward (or all the way back), and then more adjustment is needed for intonation, there wont be any left. That would not be a good thing.

Some guitar bridges have saddles with a lot of adjustment range. Others are fairly short. You want to be sure you have some range of movement left so that final setup will not encounter problems.

Ed

 

[WERNER 1]

Ed, this is what I've been told/learned as well....and it makes perfect sense to me.

But in light of uhm..Lights reply I am wondering why all the way forward?

Thanks,
Rick

 

[Ed Dixon]

Seems strange to me. I have guitars from Fender, Gibson, Line 6, PRS, Hofner, and Harmony. All came the same way with the saddle position (averate, as setup changes each string a little) about half way.

Ed

 

[Light]

Ed, this is what I've been told/learned as well....and it makes perfect sense to me.

But in light of uhm..Lights reply I am wondering why all the way forward?

Thanks,
Rick

Guitars NEVER intonate forward of the "theoretical" intonation point (the place where the saddle is exactly the same distance from the twelfth fret as the nut and the twelfth fret). That is just physics. You are going to be pushing on the strings, so you are going to need to lengthen the string.

With a Tele bridge this can be pretty imprecise (you can be off by as much as 1/16, which is unheard of in bridge placement, because they have such a wide range of intonation. With Tune-o-Matics you need to actually be just a bit behind the theoretical point as they do not have enough adjustment to make up for any mistakes or inaccuracies.


And by the way, do this with the saddles close to their final height (within a 1/16th or so).


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi

 

[Mr. C]

I'm not sure if all this is helping me, now I feel more confused. Actually Light, the bridge is not a standard Tele bridge, it is the Hot Rod Bridge by Custom Shop Parts. I don't have much choice as to placement of the bridge because the humbucker plate is attached to the bridge. I just wanted to make sure this bridge would work. It appears it will. When I measure it comes out to the right measurement (12 3/4") at the saddles, just about where the string would come across the saddles. The saddles have enough room to move about another 3/16" back.

 

[Light]

I'm not sure if all this is helping me, now I feel more confused. Actually Light, the bridge is not a standard Tele bridge, it is the Hot Rod Bridge by Custom Shop Parts. I don't have much choice as to placement of the bridge because the humbucker plate is attached to the bridge. I just wanted to make sure this bridge would work. It appears it will. When I measure it comes out to the right measurement (12 3/4") at the saddles, just about where the string would come across the saddles. The saddles have enough room to move about another 3/16" back.

Unless you use unconsionably heavy strings tuned to concert pitch, that will be fine.

To give some perspective, on an acoustic guitar with medium strings, the high E string is set back about 1/16th of an inch longer than the scale length, and the low E is about 3/16 of an inch longer than the scale length.

Unless you have a seventies Martin, in which case you just play out of tune.


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi