MIMF

I'm in the final stages of making my first scratch-built solid body, and I've hit a problem during the setup. The bass-side of my tune-o-matic style bridge is about 2mm too far forward. I've been able to correctly set intonation on all strings except the low E. The E saddle is all the way back and it's still not hitting correct intonation. So, I have three options that I see, and I'm looking for a recommendation (or more options!).

• Should I leave it like it is? When I fret the low E, it plays 6-8 cents sharp. I have no idea if that's a meaningful distance from in-tune. I can hear it when I'm standing there with my tuner playing harmonics and fretting notes, but if I pick it up and play, I'm not so sure.
  
  Can I remove and reverse the saddle? It's a Gotoh tune-o-matic. the saddle ramps upwards from the bridge-end, dropping at a right angle for the vibrating length of the string (It's an EBTSLC I got from LMI, if that's at all helpful). Reversing it would probably give me enough string length to get the intonation right, but I'd have to futz with the factory string slot, which would not be ideal. It might be hard to maintain the same radius as the other strings, and I'm worried about buzz at the bridge, since the factory slot is v-shaped and would then have the open end toward the vibrating length of the string.
  
  Should I bite the bullet and move the bridge? I really don't want to do that. The studs on which the bridge mounts are big, and I have a tru-oil finish showing off the wood underneath. I could probably manage to cut a plug, fill the hole, re-carve, re-drill, and re-finish, but I'd see it every time I looked down. I also really like the look of the guitar and would rather not paint to cover up my mistake.

Thanks for your help. I'm excited about this one. I'll have a post with the full build as soon as it's done.

Rich

Before you do anything drastic, check your nut and make sure that it supports the string right at the inside edge. If your slot angle supports it too far toward the tuners, it will really screw up your intonation.

To Bob's point, compensating the nut end for that string (fashioning a nut where the E string surface is forward by a bit from it's regular position may save you from having to alter the bridge (but I may have that backwards, I only half understand the compensated nut). You could try to put a small/thin shim of something hard under the E string right at the nut to see if it has a influence in the right direction.

Flip the saddle.

I had a similar problem and I fixed it...twice.

The nut making proper contact at the low E, so I don't think that's affecting things.

Edgar, that's a nice looking repair, concealed well by the thumb wheel. I doubt I'd pull it off that well and with the height of my bridge the stud is a lot more exposed, but I'll keep the option in my back pocket.

Sounds like I'm going to try to get the saddle off and flipped. Thanks everyone.

Rich

I had to make some saddles once that overhung the back of the bridge on a Les Paul that had the bridge in the wrong place.

As a repairman, I have seen many (maybe most) electric guitars where I could not move the bass E string saddle back far enough to get complete compensation. So you are not alone. 6-8 cents sharp is not that bad. I would probably live with it.

Thanks for the perspective on it, Barry. I let it sit for a couple of days while I worked on other steps/issues. By the time I resolved my electronics problem (two tones, no volume instead of one of each, due to incorrectly connected pickups), I wasn't sure I could hear the issue when playing. I may be I've gotten accustomed to it, but if it only took two days, that's OK. I'm going to let it be for now, flip the saddle if it starts to bug me.

Rich

Fliiping the saddle is the fastest way to gain about 5 - 7 cents.
After doing that, you should be close.
I would next consider a different bridge with more adjustment. There are some nice ones out there.
If you're still off, then and only then would I consider moving a bridge post.

The eccentric cam bridge post described in a Stewmac tips/tricks video is also an option.

This might be too easy, but try lowering the bass side of the pick-up(s). If you're lucky, maybe the string is being pulled sharp (most common with Fender style pick-ups)