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When installing a Tune O Matic...

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  • When installing a Tune O Matic...

    ...should the bridge be at a slight downward angle on the bass side? Sometimes I see this and sometimes I don't. If I need to do this, then where should the scale end? I mean obviously it is going to be slightly longer on one side than the other if I slant it....
    "I would have banned you for taking part in hijacking and derailing a thread when you could have started your own thread about your own topic." - Unknown

  • #2
    Downward angle? Well, I think you're referring to it being slanted much like the bridge pup in a strat.

    The angling of the bridge is to aid the intonation. Thick strings need a longer distance to oscilate properly. This is why the bridges you see are angled. If you look closely at your TOM bridge, you may notice that the saddles themselves are at a slight angle. Many TOM bridges have this feature. Actually, that is the reason why you see so many fanned 8 strings.

    Basically, yeah, you need to angle it to get best results. Don't ask me how much though.
    Its all fun and games till you get yogurt in your eye.; -AK47
    Guitar is my first love, metal my second (wife...ehh she's in there somewhere). -Partial @ Marshall

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    • #3
      You don't need to, as the low E saddle should have enough room to intonate, but most companies do anyway. My 2002 Carvin SC90 doesn't have it angled, and it intonates just fine.


      Though, I've noticed Carvin has started angling the TOM in the past couple years on them, but the Allan Holdsworth model still has it straight.
      I feel my soul go cold... only the dead are smiling.

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      • #4
        I guess it also depends on how the guitar was built. Carvin uses 25" scale, correct? Also, Gibson has in recent years decreased the angle so trembuckers line up better. Older harmonica-style TOMs had plenty of range for the saddles to move, but the newer ABR/Nashville style obviously don't have that much range, so I'd say the scale should end between the 3rd and 4th saddle if you're using a narrow bridge.

        This would give you enough room for the others to move forward of backwards to intonate.
        I want to depart this world the same way I arrived; screaming and covered in someone else's blood

        The most human thing we can do is comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.

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        • #5
          Originally posted by Newc View Post
          I guess it also depends on how the guitar was built. Carvin uses 25" scale, correct?
          The SC90 is indeed 25" but the Holdsworth is 25.5"
          I feel my soul go cold... only the dead are smiling.

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          • #6
            Sweet, thanks for the comments. I did in fact angle it slightly. I tell ya what; if you have no woodworking or guitar building knowledge, building one is a royal pain in the butt. I can't tell you how many things have gone wrong between the lapsteel I just built and this one. Latest irritation--didn't research the bridge.... did not realize that tune o matics work best with angled necks. I had to dig down into my wood with a hammer and wood chisel in order to recess the bridge a bit. When I started this project 5 years ago, I drilled the holes for the tuners, but made them too high... which means I will have to install them upside down now (right ones on the left and vica versa)... that's why I stopped trying to build it in the first place. Oh well. hopefully it will sound good. Special olympics of lutherie going on at my house, lol.

            I guess if I ever build another one, everything I have learned will come in handy and it should go smoother. I hope, lol.

            Anyway, I seriously appreciate the help you all have given me regarding these two builds. If I didn't at least have that, I would have totally been screwed.
            "I would have banned you for taking part in hijacking and derailing a thread when you could have started your own thread about your own topic." - Unknown

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            • #7
              Yeah, TOM bridges usually sit higher off the body on guitars with steeper neck angles, like a Les Paul. The same neck angle is true for guitars with non-recessed Floyds. Though, my Carvin has a straight neck and the bridge is closer to the body like a Fender-type hardtail or any guitar with a recessed Floyd. Carvin actually has the option now of recessing the TOM into the body to get even lower action.
              I feel my soul go cold... only the dead are smiling.

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              • #8
                The correct neck angle for an LP with an ABR-1 bridge is between 3 and 4 degrees.

                When Gibson gets sloppy (neck angle > 4), the bridge and tailpiece have to sit high.

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