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Bridge over troubled frets

Posted by Larry Ratliff on December 28, 2018 at 10:03am in Building Secrets, Tips, Advice, Discussion

Now that I've working out the correct tuning another problem has reared its ugly head. Fretting! When playing one finger chords the large G string  (.044) frets really well its those pesky D (.034) and G (.026) strings that won't lay down. 

Sooooooo...... since I have an adjustable bridge I brought the .044 string down low, lifted the .034 string just a smidgen above the .044 string and then lifted the .026 string just a smidgen above .034 string. 

Now when I fret my finger frets the .026 then the .034 they lay down in succession with the .044.

Is this the correct way to set up the strings on an adjustable bridge?

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Replies

  • Larry Ratliff December 28, 2018 at 5:18pm

    I fixed it with my adjustable bridge. Lowered the large G string and raised the D and G string slightly now they all fret at the same time for a clear sounding strum.

    • Taffy Evans > Larry Ratliff December 28, 2018 at 8:04pm

      Thanks for letting us know.

  • BrianQ. December 28, 2018 at 3:37pm

    A few videos 

    one on string height at nut

    https://youtu.be/GiQPwDE-0U8

    one on hardtail bridges

    https://youtu.be/FB4b1X00vXQ

    Good luck :D

    • Taffy Evans > BrianQ. December 28, 2018 at 4:24pm

      Hi Larry, if as mentioned above you are not getting clean sounding bar chords this is a fix I have implemented for players with this problem.

      Often not all the strings fall under a fleshy part of the finger, some can sit in the crease under the knuckle or forefinger, so will not get the same downward pressure. If this is the problem I simply respace the strings to clear the crease/creases. 

      My last customer had the issue on one of his CBGs  but not his other. Fixed as above.

      Taff

  • Tom T December 28, 2018 at 3:36pm

    If I understand correctly, you're saying that when you "bar" the three strings behind a fret, the largest string touches the fret correctly, but the two smaller strings do not?

    If that is an accurate description, then I would think that as your finger continues to press down, the two smaller strings would make contact with the fret micro-seconds behind the larger string and you would have all three strings ringing out. Apparently, that is not the case.

    Regardless, if you adjusted the three strings to individual action heights where they bar correctly, then I would take it as a victory and move on to making music.

  • John Sawyer December 28, 2018 at 11:09am

    Pics?  I'm not quite understanding the issue...

This reply was deleted.