Bridge installation

[Marc Lavertu]

Hi!
I'm working on a new tele project. I have a hardtail bridge to install. The neck is at is place. I mark the center line and the outside lines too. I mesure the scale length and trace the line.

The only thing i'm not sure, Where do I place the saddle on the bridge to put it correctly on the line? I search but I can't find the answer.

Can you help me!

Thank's

Marc Lavertu

[Peter Wilcox]

I place the high E string saddle (or E and D if it's a 2 string saddle) with the screw almost fully extended (toward the nut) on the line. That will give you the maximum compensation distance (toward the tail) for the low E saddle which will need the most compensation. You will never need to compensate any string from the line toward the nut, if you've measured the scale length correctly.

[Brian Evans]

I use a scale length calculator (this one: https://www.liutaiomottola.com/formulae ... sation.htm ) to determine exactly where I want each saddle for the scale length and string gauges I plan to use (unless I already know because I've done it before and wrote it down). I set the saddles in the bridge adjusted for the true compensation length, with the most extreme saddles (low and high E usually) in a not-extreme position on their screws, so I know I can achieve that compensation plus a little more each way, and use that to mark out the bridge location. You really only have to preset the high and low E saddles, but I tend to over-do things so I do them all. I make archtop bridge toppers the same way, fwiw, calculating offset from a median point.

[Freeman Keller]

If you run the StewMac fret calculator for your neck configuration it will give you a mounting measurement for any bridge they sell that can be used with that configuration

https://www.stewmac.com/SiteSearch/?sea ... calculator

The measurement is frequently to a convenient mounting hole. I use it but I double check using both the mottolo wizard and Peter's method - I know that I will never want to be closer to the nut from the scale length so if I start with that as being the shortest measurement I'm usually OK.

[Peter Wilcox]

(or E and D if it's a 2 string saddle)

Oops! - that should be E and B.

[Marc Lavertu]

Thank Guys for your Help!!