this post was submitted on 16 Jun 2023
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Bridge is jacked after string change (lemmy.ca)
submitted 2 years ago by eezeebee@lemmy.ca to c/guitars@lemmy.world
26 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

I changed the strings on my Jackson Dinky JS11. Normally I use light gauge, but this time I went with medium. After tuning it and noticing the difference in thickness, the bridge is on a sharp angle, and the whammy bar couldn't even swivel past the volume knob.

I tried loosening the two bridge screws which helped a bit and raised it to be less sharp of an angle, but it also raised the action considerably. At least the whammy bar can swivel freely. But the amount I can "wham" seems less than before, too. (Pictures are after this adjustment)

Is there a way to get the back end of the bridge downward so it is more "even"? That would reduce some of the action and give me more whammy room?

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[–] wreel 5 points 2 years ago (1 children)

You need to rebalance your spring tension in the rear recess. Or just go back to the same gauge you had before.

[–] eezeebee@lemmy.ca 1 points 2 years ago (2 children)

I've just tried opening it up and tightening the screws attached to the spring mechanism to get it to pull back more. I don't see a noticeable difference on the bridge angle, though.

Sounds like this JS11 might not be designed to handle the higher gauge?

[–] wreel 3 points 2 years ago (1 children)

I'd recommend going back to the previous gauge or getting it set up at a shop then. I don't feel comfortable recommending you cranking on the string retainer screws any more if you're not comfortable with it.

[–] eezeebee@lemmy.ca 2 points 2 years ago (1 children)

I've tightened them to the point they're practically flush so I can't go further. And yeah, tight springs are scary to begin with.

[–] DarkInspiration@lemmy.world 2 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Did you loose the tension on the strings as you were tightening the screws? Because that also matters in order to balance the tension

[–] eezeebee@lemmy.ca 1 points 2 years ago

I have now, after the fact. Still not much difference on the bridge angle.

[–] DarkInspiration@lemmy.world 2 points 2 years ago (1 children)

How many turns? You'll probably have to crank them quite a bit. And don't forget to loosen the strings!

[–] eezeebee@lemmy.ca 1 points 2 years ago

All the turns. They're as tight as they can go without stripping.

[–] DarkInspiration@lemmy.world 3 points 2 years ago (2 children)

Thicker strings mean higher tension, so you actually want to tighten the claw screws on the guitar's back in order to pull the bridge back down.

What do you mean by "I tried loosening the two bridge screws"? Could you clarify?

[–] eezeebee@lemmy.ca 1 points 2 years ago (3 children)

I figured it was the strings causing it. Here's a pic of the bridge screws I'm referring to. Thanks

[–] HamsterRage@lemmy.ca 3 points 2 years ago (2 children)

What gauge did you put on there? A wound G string!

[–] DarkInspiration@lemmy.world 2 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (1 children)

Shit that's right! I didn't even notice that!

@eezeebee you bought electric guitar strings, right?

[–] eezeebee@lemmy.ca 1 points 2 years ago

Honestly I've had these laying around for over a year. It's quite possible they were meant for my acoustic, but I don't remember. I seem to recall acoustic string packs saying so in the past. Also possible I'm an idiot (the evidence is mounting)

[–] eezeebee@lemmy.ca 1 points 2 years ago (1 children)

These. And yeah I found that odd, too. If this is medium I would hate to try heavy.

[–] DarkInspiration@lemmy.world 4 points 2 years ago (1 children)

It's medium, for jazz

13s on your dinky might be a little too much if you want to play on E standard.

Pretty decent if you want to play in C ou D Standard, though

[–] eezeebee@lemmy.ca 1 points 2 years ago (1 children)

I'm trying to play some death/doom metal type stuff. Should have mentioned this is tuned to D standard. Maybe I can get away with tuning lower to compensate though. Thank you

[–] DarkInspiration@lemmy.world 2 points 2 years ago

No problem!

[–] DarkInspiration@lemmy.world 2 points 2 years ago (1 children)

So.. Those are not the right screws to turn in that situation.. And that's why your action is super high.

I'd recommend you screw them down as they were before, not all the way down! Else the bridge won't be able to pivot.

[–] eezeebee@lemmy.ca 1 points 2 years ago

I'll try setting them back. Thanks so much for your help

[–] kiwifoxtrot@lemmy.world 2 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Those aren't the screws you need to tighten! You need to flip the guitar over, take the back plate off, and adjust the screws in the cavity. You should only adjust those with the string tension off. Send us a picture before you do anything.

[–] eezeebee@lemmy.ca 2 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (1 children)

Youtube told me they were, but yeah I agree they aren't correct for my problem. PS I loosened them because after putting on the new strings and tuning, the bridge was sharply pointed downward toward the pickups, almost digging into the body.

I did take off the back plate and tightened the two screws attached to the spring mechanism, as tight as they would go without stripping. That didn't make too much of a difference unfortunately.

[–] kiwifoxtrot@lemmy.world 2 points 2 years ago (1 children)

I'd change the gauge of the strings then.

[–] eezeebee@lemmy.ca 1 points 2 years ago

That seems like the root cause of this issue. I'll try downtuning and see if I can live with it that way before resorting to changing strings again. Thanks for your help

[–] eezeebee@lemmy.ca 1 points 2 years ago

I’ve just tried opening up the back panel and tightening the screws attached to the spring mechanism to get it to pull back more. I don’t see a noticeable difference on the bridge angle, though.

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