Lefty Bridge Position

[bontempo]

Ok... new here and my first post.

While not "scratch" building a guitar, I'm completing a L/H SG type.

I bought the body and neck from an ebay supplier.

The only documentation were the basics, 24 3/4 scale, Neck pocket is 2 1/4 in. wide.

Nut is 1 5/8 in. wide and 2 1/4 in. at the base. Body is 1 1/4 thick.

All of the routing had been done for the neck (set) and pups.

That left me with the staining and finishing, which I've completed with great results and satisfaction.

(green flame maple..killer!)

I bought a tune-o-matic and stop bar style bridge. I had to dis-assemble the bridge and reverse the saddles for lefty use.

I bought and attached a L/H graphtec nut. I've attached the neck using Titebond hide glue.

Now here is my challenge. How do I center and position the bridge.

Everything I've read so far addresses only the distance based on the scale, (24.801, as stewmac suggests) etc.

I got one chance to drill and get this right .

[killemall8]

i dont see why you had to take the bridge apart, it doesnt make a difference which way the saddles face.

the reason everyone addresses it on scale length is because thats the only thing that matters on positioning a bridge. you just tilt the bridge a bit to the bass side.

[bontempo]

i dont see why you had to take the bridge apart, it doesnt make a difference which way the saddles face.

the reason everyone addresses it on scale length is because thats the only thing that matters on positioning a bridge. you just tilt the bridge a bit to the bass side.

thanks, but the bridge saddles are notched according to the thickness of the strings and the angles of the saddles are opposite for the three lower vs the three upper strings.

that said, I'm still unsure on the Centering of the bridge relative to the neck and fingerboard.

any suggestions?

[killemall8]

what exactly do you mean my centering it? you mean making the strings evenly spaced on the fretboard? just put a straight edge along each side of the neck, and draw lines all the way down to where you are going to mount it.

[bontempo]

what exactly do you mean my centering it? you mean making the strings evenly spaced on the fretboard? just put a straight edge along each side of the neck, and draw lines all the way down to where you are going to mount it.

So, what you're saying is use a straight edge from the "E" cuts in the nut to the saddles on the bridge?

or just the sides or it doesn't matter.

forgive my ignorance, I just don't want to blow this.

[killemall8]

no no. like this:

make sure the straitedge is right up against the fretboard the whole length. the just draw a line up against it in the inside, and center the bridge inbetween those lines. you can tell if the lines are straight if you look at the lines at the pickup cavity. if they are equally spaced at the pickup cavities, you should be good. and the reason i said it diddnt matter about the bridge being lefty or not is because all of the bridges i use are equally notched, and are not notched for specific sizes.

[borge]

the reason i said it diddnt matter about the bridge being lefty or not is because all of the bridges i use are equally notched, and are not notched for specific sizes.

the saddles are still the wrong way around though, you can adjust the placement to account for it or just swap them round.

[killemall8]

i dont see how they are the wrong way around. when you turn the bridge around both ways, the saddles are still facing the same way because on each side, they are opposite, so when you flip it, it stays the same.

[borge]

maybe have a look in a mirror......

you want the treble strings to have the most forward (towards nut) adjustment and the opposite for the bass strings, the slanted side of saddles are round the wrong way for a lefty....

[killemall8]

i understand the angle, but thats not what i thought he was talking about. he was saying he had to take it appart because one side of the bridge had bigger saddle notches than the other. you dont have to take the bridge appart to move the saddles back and forward.

[borge]

the e B G saddles are the opposite way round to the D A E for intonation reasons........you need to take off the saddles and turn them round to suit a lefty, so it becomes the mirror image of a standard (RH) TOM..........

[bontempo]

thanks, guys, and yes, that's why I had to remove the saddles.

one other question, how far backk from the bridge do you recommend the stop bar be positioned, and is this as critical as the bridge?

[Bygde]

I don't have measurements at all for the stopbar, but since it doesn't alter the intonation in any way, I can't see why the position would be relevant. If it looks good, it is good. Look at different instruments with a TOM setup (mostly Gibson), and try to position it close to the position of that instrument. The one thing I can see the stopbar altering (besides looks of course), is the angle the string gets behind the bridge. The strings are less floppy with a sharper angle (I think. Someone who possesses greater knowledge, please chime in). Just a short summary: Put it where it looks best.

[PTModIT]

Hi, I build only lefty guitars.I measure 2 1/2" from the lower bridge pickup cavity.