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Thoughts on Saddle and Bridge Heights During a Reset?
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Thoughts on Saddle and Bridge Heights During a Reset?
Hey all,
I’m curious to know people’s general thoughts on the appropriate or ideal saddle height after a reset. And, when to replace a bridge that’s been shaved down. I know there are a lot of factors (for me anyhow) and this question could open a whole can of worms when it comes to the specifics of the guitar, its age, style of bridge and desired sound. I’m providing an example I encountered recently, but would also like to know people’s general way that they go about determining saddle heights and minimum bridge heights.
Pics show: Just finishing up a reset on a 78 Dove Custom. It started as a pretty weird one with a very twisted neck and a bridge that had been shaved on an angle/slope towards the treble side— likely to account for said twist. The ebony bridge measured 7/32”, 5.5mm in front of the high e, and about 5/16”, 8mm in front of the low E.
And although I did heat press the twist outta the neck first, this angled bridge made choosing a desired saddle height tricky. Like usual on an old guitar, I set the neck for a 3.5mm saddle (in the centre) and ended up with a pretty much buried and low 1mm saddle height on the low E. Had I pitched the neck back further for more saddle, I’d then be looking at about 4-4.5mm on the treble side where the bridge had been shaved low, and about 5mm in the centre.
My solution in the end was to shave/flatten out the taller part of the bridge down to about 1/4”, exposing more of the saddle. I didn’t feel too weird about this given that it’s a big bridge on beefy double x braced gibson. Plus, the guitar sounds pretty good now with strings sitting about 8.5mm above the soundboard—(although maybe this is a bit low?)
Is this now 1/4”(ish) bridge height too low for this guitar? Would a 4-5mm saddle in a taller angled bridge have been ok, or maybe even better? This guitar’s top is so flat but also heavily braced that it’s hard to tell what’s best for it.
Curious to know how people go about evaluating this kind of thing. Any thoughts appreciated! 🙏🤘❤️
-Alex
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^*Pics are after*^ in case it was unclear.
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