Bridges...why up to down, up to down?

[StompBoxBlues]

Probably a cryptic subject header, but...

Two questions here...

1) I have a LP and an Epiphone LP. The Gibson has the bridge piece
with the intonation screws facing back (away from the strings) and the Epi has the bridge (and the bridges look about the same) with screws facing the neck. Is one way right and not the other? Both guitars are intonated okay.

2) Looking at them...both of them, I notice that from high-E string,
the second string is set "longer" (i.e. down slightly from the first), 3rd longer than second, but fourth string is slightly UP again, and from there it steps down again. Sorr of like two sets of stairs.
I ought to know this, but I can't figure out why it isn't (because of string thicknesses?) prett much longer and longer going from high-E to low-E.
Does it have to do with string thickness ratio to how much tension each string has? I have set intonation on all my guitars, and they are fine, but never really looked at the "big picture" and on closer look, I see that my strat also is doing this, it just isn't as noticeable because of the style of the bridge pieces.

Just very curious about this...thanks!

[lemonman]

The LP with the screws facing back is the Nashville bridge, facing forward is the ABR-1. This is normal.

The positioning of your saddles is normal, the plain G string requires the saddle to be set very far back to intonate. If you switched to a wound G, you'd have to move the saddle forward quite a bit.

[RvChevron]

Probably a cryptic subject header, but...

Two questions here...

1) I have a LP and an Epiphone LP. The Gibson has the bridge piece
with the intonation screws facing back (away from the strings) and the Epi has the bridge (and the bridges look about the same) with screws facing the neck. Is one way right and not the other? Both guitars are intonated okay.

2) Looking at them...both of them, I notice that from high-E string,
the second string is set "longer" (i.e. down slightly from the first), 3rd longer than second, but fourth string is slightly UP again, and from there it steps down again. Sorr of like two sets of stairs.
I ought to know this, but I can't figure out why it isn't (because of string thicknesses?) prett much longer and longer going from high-E to low-E.
Does it have to do with string thickness ratio to how much tension each string has? I have set intonation on all my guitars, and they are fine, but never really looked at the "big picture" and on closer look, I see that my strat also is doing this, it just isn't as noticeable because of the style of the bridge pieces.

Just very curious about this...thanks!


Go google "guitar intonation" or "string instrument intonation".

[StompBoxBlues]

Go google "guitar intonation" or "string instrument intonation".

Thanks, but mainly the pages on intonation talk about the need for it, what it is, how to do it, not WHY the strings end up as they do.

Maybe some do, but there is a LOT to read through, and I already know why, and how, just not why it turns out the way it does.
Harmony Centrals' FAQ was great, when the question was "why are the strings different lengths" (though I think I understand why...I am wondering about the Heigh-E, down, down, up again, down, down configutation that they always end up in.

lemonman, thank you for the info, that was helpful!

[Joe F]

>Is one way right and not the other? Both guitars are intonated okay.

they are both perfectly correct.

>Does it have to do with string thickness ratio to how much tension each string has?
Yes, and the fact that the scale is fixed. The scale and the fret points are fixed. String tension (which not you tune to and in some ways, the particular make of string) as well as guage are variable to the guitar. Hence the adjustment. As for the pattern you are seeing - there's a bit of a drop from wound string to plain. The pattern is based on another fixed piece - what th bridge manufacture chose to give you in terms of available intonation settings. Dont over think that part and just be glad you have a guitar that is easy to adjust :)

[Kingbeegtrs]

Thanks, but mainly the pages on intonation talk about the need for it, what it is, how to do it, not WHY the strings end up as they do.

Maybe some do, but there is a LOT to read through, and I already know why, and how, just not why it turns out the way it does.
Harmony Centrals' FAQ was great, when the question was "why are the strings different lengths" (though I think I understand why...I am wondering about the Heigh-E, down, down, up again, down, down configutation that they always end up in.

lemonman, thank you for the info, that was helpful!

This set-up guide comes from Fender's website: http://www.fender.com/support/telecaster.php

You can preset the basic intonation of your guitar by taking a tape measure and measuring from the inside of the nut to the center of the 12th fret (the fret wire itself; not the fingerboard). Double that measurement to find the scale length of your guitar.


For the six-section bridge, you will make adjustments for each individual string. Adjust the first-string bridge saddle to the scale length, measuring from the inside of the nut to the center of the bridge saddle. Now adjust the distance of the second-string saddle back from the first saddle, using the gauge of the second string as a measurement. For example, If the second string is .011" (0.3 mm), you would move the second-string saddle back .011" (0.3 mm) from the first saddle. Move the third saddle back from the second saddle using the gauge of the third string as a measurement. The fourth-string saddle should be set parallel with the second-string saddle. Proceed with the fifth and sixth saddles with the same method used for strings two and three.

[StompBoxBlues]

Very cool, thanks for the info guys!

[walterw]

yep, the "zig-zag" is always at the transition from the biggest plain string (more stretchy) to the smallest wound string (much tighter).

look at an acoustic with a compensated saddle and you'll see that zig-zag between the B and the G.