Pr3Va1L Posted July 5, 2005 Report Share Posted July 5, 2005 Hey everyone... I decided to ask a question about the thing that worries me the most with my guitar: Placement of the Tune-O-Matic I kinda realise that this is the only thing on the guitar body that could make the guitar play wrong and be pretty much useless... What i'm asking for is how do you make sure everything is at exactly your scale lenght and at th right angle and everything? Just tips and stuff... thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Alex Posted July 6, 2005 Report Share Posted July 6, 2005 Go to the stewmac free info pages, and use the fret calculator. It will then tell you where to put the screw/posts for many common bridges, relative to that scale length. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
!!METAL MATT!! Posted July 6, 2005 Report Share Posted July 6, 2005 http://www.stewmac.com/FretCalculator/ !!METAL MATT!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GuitarGuy Posted July 6, 2005 Report Share Posted July 6, 2005 (edited) http://www.stewmac.com/FretCalculator/ !!METAL MATT!! ← I think we're skirting around the question. For any bridge with adjustable saddles the high e should be adjusted 75% toward the neck and that should give enough play to properly intonate the rest. Then the scale length will be the distance from the neut to the High e saddle. As far as a TOM goes it is skewed on an angle back toward the Low E. Anyone have this angle? (Cant be bothered to look it up) Edited July 6, 2005 by GuitarGuy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thegarehanman Posted July 6, 2005 Report Share Posted July 6, 2005 if memory serves me correctly, it's 2 degrees for a 24 3/4 scale length. keep in mind the compensation ratio changes with the scale length so the angle will not always be the same. however, for all intents and purposes 2 degrees will suit you fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devon Headen Posted July 6, 2005 Report Share Posted July 6, 2005 I set my TOM with about a 1/8" skew between the studs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GregP Posted July 6, 2005 Report Share Posted July 6, 2005 75% forward, really? For any string, including the high E, the saddle NEVER needs to be adjusted forward. It's compensating for pressing down on a string and pulling it sharp; so you only intonate backward from the 'scale length' (ie. 24.75" on an LP). In theory, your high E could be all the way forward; however, someone mentioned once giving a bit of wiggle room for innacurate drilling, so a millimetre or two of wiggle isn't a horrible idea; however, I'd think 75% is excessive (ie. an excessive amount of wiggle room), no? By giving your high E less wiggle room forward, you're giving your low E MORE wiggle room backward, in combination with a carefully chosen skew. On the other hand, nothing at all wrong with doing it exactly the way StewMac and other diagrams recommend. Tried and true, after all! Not sure how much wiggle room the StewMac gives you. Greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GuitarGuy Posted July 6, 2005 Report Share Posted July 6, 2005 75% forward, really? For any string, including the high E, the saddle NEVER needs to be adjusted forward. It's compensating for pressing down on a string and pulling it sharp; so you only intonate backward from the 'scale length' (ie. 24.75" on an LP). In theory, your high E could be all the way forward; however, someone mentioned once giving a bit of wiggle room for innacurate drilling, so a millimetre or two of wiggle isn't a horrible idea; however, I'd think 75% is excessive (ie. an excessive amount of wiggle room), no? By giving your high E less wiggle room forward, you're giving your low E MORE wiggle room backward, in combination with a carefully chosen skew. On the other hand, nothing at all wrong with doing it exactly the way StewMac and other diagrams recommend. Tried and true, after all! Not sure how much wiggle room the StewMac gives you. Greg ← You can probably tell by my post I'm not a big TOM guy. I just don't like em. 75% is my rule for "e" on fender style trems and hardtails. For just like you said, "wiggle" room. But with a TOM were talking millimeters difference if we say 75% or 85%. I just think its splitting hairs a bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GregP Posted July 6, 2005 Report Share Posted July 6, 2005 I'll give you that. To split it even finer, though-- on a strat/hardtail style bridge, I'd find 75% to be particularly generous, considering the amount of play. I'd rather not give it that much wiggle room on a strat-style, because it's fairly often that I have my low E saddle jacked back on strat-type guitars as it is. I'm *this* close to getting a hardtail strat-type bridge for my project, too, though. I'm not convinced I'm a fan of TOM, either. The main reason I went with it was to continue with the tip of the hat to Lucille, but at the end of the day, the guitar is so different that it doesn't matter anyhow. Can't afford the Hipshot one, which leaves Mighty Mite, and I haven't found a Canadian eBayer for MM stuff yet. Greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pr3Va1L Posted July 6, 2005 Author Report Share Posted July 6, 2005 (edited) ehrm... i don't understand that 75% thingie : / I'm just wondering how can I make sure that I make my holes at the right place so i'm not screwed... My scale lenght is 25" btw... thanks Edited July 6, 2005 by Pr3Va1L Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thedoctor Posted July 6, 2005 Report Share Posted July 6, 2005 I think a couple of things got confused on this thread. The high E saddle at 75% of it's toward-the-nut travel is a good place to start in any case involving a hardtail or massively-adjustable, straight-across the strings bridge. Problem with TOMs is that the angle they are put in is approximately the correct intonation angle. In the real world you need to adjust both forward and backward from that angle and a high E setting of 75% toward the nut limits the available ajustment on the rest of the saddles to 25% further forward. Probly best to use 50% on a TOM and the fret/scale/post calculator previously mentioned. This high-brow, know-everything reply is coming from a guy who has NEVER got a hardtail on right the first time. Take it with as much salt as you can stand. I am so bad at it that I quit drilling the through the body holes until I have temporarily strung it up and intonated it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pr3Va1L Posted July 6, 2005 Author Report Share Posted July 6, 2005 Also, i was thinking... If i take my treble post and angle the bass one, won't my strings be closer to the treble side than the bass side? like... not centered?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thedoctor Posted July 6, 2005 Report Share Posted July 6, 2005 Yeah, but do the math. The low E (in the case of a six string, with a 2 to 2 1/2 degree angle from center-line and a outside string spacing of about 2" comes out to a whopping .01097" closer to the centerline. I wouldn't worry. Course, not worrying is probly why I can't get a bridge right the first time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GuitarGuy Posted July 6, 2005 Report Share Posted July 6, 2005 (edited) The reason I said 75% is that at full scale length the high e is almost perfectly intonated. And The only string that comes farther forward then the "high e" is the G. And its not much farther. A search may yield some more concrete answers for you. Edited July 6, 2005 by GuitarGuy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pr3Va1L Posted July 6, 2005 Author Report Share Posted July 6, 2005 (edited) I guess i'll use the stew mac thingie and hope for the best OH NOES!!! 0.01" !!! AHHRG i'm gonna die. (sarcasm) Just like this... how much error in measuring can I do with a tom? If i follow these measures but make an error of 1-2 mm will it still be enoughly adjustable? Edited July 6, 2005 by Pr3Va1L Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thedoctor Posted July 6, 2005 Report Share Posted July 6, 2005 No, it is closer to .011. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pr3Va1L Posted July 6, 2005 Author Report Share Posted July 6, 2005 aight, SORRY!!! I made a HUGE mistake. enough kidding around now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thedoctor Posted July 6, 2005 Report Share Posted July 6, 2005 Devon, you couldn't have been more right. The calculations come out to .124" of skew for a TOM with the assumed scale length of 25". Nice one! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devon Headen Posted July 6, 2005 Report Share Posted July 6, 2005 I said 'about' 1/8". I really meant .124" I just didn't want to sound cocky Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pr3Va1L Posted July 6, 2005 Author Report Share Posted July 6, 2005 meh the only problem i can see now is being able to measure THAT precisely! If i measure from a fret, should i do it from the top of it or what? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thedoctor Posted July 6, 2005 Report Share Posted July 6, 2005 Yeah, you measure from the zero-fret, if you have one, or the front (towards body) edge of the nut. Create a centerline for the neck all the way down the body with soapstone, chalk, pencil, kitty litter (seriously) and generate a perpendicular line at the measurement provided by the fret calculator. Then, divide your post-to-post TOM spacing by half and mark that distance each way from the centerline across the perp. line and set the bass side .12407793" (just kidding) 1/8" further away from the neck than the high E side. Remember, this advice comes from a guy who can't install a hardtail right the first time but I can read installation instructions with all but the best of them. Sorry, my stupid humor is lost on quite a few but this should work fine. My batting average on TOMs is .987. Not too shabby! A lot better than my hardtail average. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pr3Va1L Posted July 6, 2005 Author Report Share Posted July 6, 2005 loll nice average there and for the hardtail, what would it be? anyways, thanks man! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thedoctor Posted July 7, 2005 Report Share Posted July 7, 2005 I am very sorry to say that my average on hardtails HAS to be .187 or less. I know, pretty pathetic but at least I am honest about it. "Hello, my name is thedoctor and I am a poor bridge installer". Group: "Hi, thedoctor". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pr3Va1L Posted July 7, 2005 Author Report Share Posted July 7, 2005 (edited) "Guitar maker group therapy" ? loll Would be good to tame Drak's WOD envys Edited July 7, 2005 by Pr3Va1L Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pr3Va1L Posted September 8, 2005 Author Report Share Posted September 8, 2005 Again, a probably dumb question... I'm not sure to be able to get the exact right spacing for the inserts... I mean, I don't wanna end up not being able to put the bridge on! And i'm not really good with measurements... and the thing that says to place the holes then move the bass hole 1/8" seems to completely disregard that necessery distance too... Anyways, thanks for your help so far! And my guitar is STARTING to take shape (headstock done, i'm gonna glue the wings soon...) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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