A good way to go about it, is not to glue the bridge down, or at least not until after you get it strung up and follow the steps I typed below. Even with a one piece bridge you can set it fairly well by adjusting the top of the bridge to the top string and bottom of the bridge to the bottom string. It may end up straight, it may end up canted one way or the other, but at least it will be playable.
i am putting a bridge on the box, nut to 12th fret x 2, as i've read on here, so it should be ok, i think,
i am new to all this, and dont play, yet,
thanks for all the information,
yes, your strings will tune when open, but will be out of tune when you play up the neck (worse the further you play) Saddles need to be adjustable to get it exactly right unless you understand the complicated relationship between string gauge, string height, string length, fret size, and scale length.
The reason you see some bridges that are at an angle, and some that arent, is because that its what it takes to intonate THAT guitar properly.
To set intonation, you follow these steps.
1) tune the open string to the proper pitch
2) fret the string at the 12th fret and see whether the note sounded is sharp or flat
3-a) If it is sharp, then you must pull the saddle back fractionally and repeat steps 1-3 until correct pitch is reached at the 12th fret.
3-b) If it is flat, then you must push the saddle fractionally forward and repeat steps 1-3 until correct pitch is reached at the 12th fret.
Your starting point for the saddles (distance from nut to saddle) should be 2x the distance between the nut and the 12th fret.
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glad to help.
i am new to all this, and dont play, yet,
thanks for all the information,
The reason you see some bridges that are at an angle, and some that arent, is because that its what it takes to intonate THAT guitar properly.
To set intonation, you follow these steps.
1) tune the open string to the proper pitch
2) fret the string at the 12th fret and see whether the note sounded is sharp or flat
3-a) If it is sharp, then you must pull the saddle back fractionally and repeat steps 1-3 until correct pitch is reached at the 12th fret.
3-b) If it is flat, then you must push the saddle fractionally forward and repeat steps 1-3 until correct pitch is reached at the 12th fret.
Your starting point for the saddles (distance from nut to saddle) should be 2x the distance between the nut and the 12th fret.
Hope this helps