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Permalink Reply by Regan on August 7, 2016 at 9:30pm

That's a bottom load bridge, not a design flaw of any sort. You want to look for top loaded bridges.

The holes should be easy enough to drill, use a punch or even a nail to make a small pit where you want to drill, then take it slow and carefully with the drill bit. Or just use this bridge on a solid body.

Regan

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Permalink Reply by Dan Sleep on August 8, 2016 at 2:58am

To the best of my knowledge, nobody makes a top loading 4 string bridge. Your only other option might be to use a 6 string bridge, and just not use the 2 outside saddles.

This place also sells hard tail bridges, but it is kind of hard to tell if the 4 stringer is a top loading one or not. Regardless, they are almost 50 bucks, quite a bit more expensive than Gitty's.

http://moongazermusic.com/bridges.html

If you go with those wood reinforcing blocks like we were talking about yesterday, you won't need to use any tubes to feed the strings through. It would be a little extra work, but not too bad.

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Permalink Reply by Mark Jeghers on August 8, 2016 at 7:17am

So just run wood all the way to the bottom of the box?

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Permalink Reply by Dan Sleep on August 8, 2016 at 7:28am

Right, it should allow the bottom of the wood to touch the inside bottom of the box, and the top of the wood should touch the bottom of the lid, so when you screw the bridge in place, the screws go into the wood. This is similar to those pics I sent you.

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Permalink Reply by Ron "Oily" Sprague on August 8, 2016 at 2:21pm

Yes, they do - for basses. No reason you couldn't send em back for a trade out...

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Permalink Reply by Fomhorach on August 8, 2016 at 11:47pm

I've saw that before and I've saw that after a while the tension will strip the threads from the screws.

I had to repair a stratochina where the guy said "so THATS where the strings go! I thought they tied in the little feet things"

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Permalink Reply by darryl kernaghan on August 8, 2016 at 2:29pm

I'd just drill it,if that's a problem,and it shouldn't be,just make a new plate out of a bit of aluminium sheet,it's the way i do mine. 

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Permalink Reply by Cause the Blue rat on August 8, 2016 at 4:36pm

Really it's an easy fix. All you need is an electric drill, a good clamp, some oil and a drill bit designed to go threw metal. You can buy just one without having to get a set. 

Fist take the bridge apart by removing the saddles. Don't loose the springs. A plastic zip bag makes a safe storage place.

Clamp the flat bottom to something with the back of the bridge at the edge of a work surface.

Set your drill up and put oil on the bit.

Drill small holes to the right and bottom of each saddle adjustment screw hole.  

Re oil the bit between each hole. Then remember to clean the bit off. 

Reassemble the bridge.

Problem solved! 

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Permalink Reply by Fomhorach on August 8, 2016 at 11:41pm

Yup. Drill it out at the back of the plate. 

Remember to file off the sharp corners after drilling.

Pain in the ass, but the build must go on.

Edit.. Two holes to the right, two holes to the left so that string tension pulls the saddles together and not to one side.

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Permalink Reply by Cause the Blue rat on August 9, 2016 at 12:01am

Ya, I know it'll be a pain. But way better than back feeding strings. Or trying to get all this wood drilling to line up.

Mark, wouldn't worry about sloppy holes. Unless this is a git your building to sell. If it is then best to get a new bridge. Look for 'top load' bridges. 

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Permalink Reply by Mark Jeghers on August 9, 2016 at 8:40am

Been looking, but I cannot find any top-loading 4-string bridges.  Anyone know a source?

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Permalink Reply by Paul Craig on August 9, 2016 at 7:46am

The only problem with drilling through the back lip is getting the string break angle right over the saddles. The string going over the top of the saddles can make the saddle uneven and cause weird sounds too.

It's best to add a block under and drill holes through the block running the strings from underneath like it was designed. Which is something that needs to be done anyway for bridge mounting stability. Just mounting that bridge to a thin top is asking for trouble. It's not hard to do and it will probably add some sustain and good tone.

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