As usual I’ve jumped in probably over my safe depth… and didn’t stop to take photos to show the offensive string height.
I’ve now removed the bridge and neck to investigate.
Here’s the bridge removed.
And then separated. It has thumbwheels to raise or lower the steel part.
I wound the thumbwheels as low as possible and even removed them so the steel part sat on the wooden part and I could still easily slide a finger between the fretboard and strings.
The lever part on the end of the bridge is a built in mute. Really good idea and very simple, surprised no one has continued with that design, it isn’t something I’d seen before.
Onto the neck now. It looks as though it may have been removed in its past.
The heel end has a square hole, no idea if the factory did this or someone after. Not sure what it’s purpose is as the adjuster is at the headstock end.
The neck pocket is already shimmed, it’s at least twice the thickness of a business card and is plastic or
aluminium.
So as the string height around the 15/17th fret is about a centimetre, would another shim resolve that?