dajaphonics

I was getting help on another forum with my short scale ET-280 bass. At some point, someone installed a new bass bridge which I think had too wide of spacing. I was having issues with intonation, fret buzzing, and the e string had very low volume. I took out the bridge pickup, and He also didn't give the bass enough string length. I found the old bridge and put it back on. In the original bridge position, putting the saddles all the way back intonates now ok and was able to get it into a position where I can actually hear the E string. People at the other section were saying I should just try setting the bridge back. After the guy swapped the new pickup, he messed up the original hole so now the original pickup sort of lifts up as well (making it disconnect with the ground wire). So I'm looking for opinions if I should just move my original bridge back a little to give more string spacing. I would also like to add the string tension now seems really tight and kind of difficult to play. Alternatively I was wondering if a new short scale bridge would be preferable. The photos of the original bridge are below.

Yeah that seems right. I was just hoping that I could maybe make the original bridge work in the original position. In part I didn't want the holes to be exposed. I guess if it's for a better sounding bass this is the way to go. I'm thinking keeping this bridge is fine as is. I just posted the Fender bridge and Allparts mudbucker on Reverb. I'm done with these. @Dad3353 Yeah I was looking at the barrel heights when I was playing yesterday and thought the same thing. If I was a punk perhaps it could be a badge of honor but I think I'm good without any bass playing induced cuts.

@skankdelvar That's interesting about the original Telecasters. I didn't know that. I was able to move the pegs to practically the end of the bridge right over one of the screws. It seems odd that it's in the original position and it needs to go back this far to be intonated. The intonation is now I would say pretty decent without doing additional work. One thing I noticed is that the back part of the bridge is pulling two of the screws up. I noticed that the first time I tuned this up, I was no longer hearing the ground hum. When I had to move the pegs back the ground hum came back. I think this is because the bridge is now lifting up and the ground wire is no longer making contact with the bridge. I just ordered some copper shielding tape like some helpful forum members suggested earlier in this thread. You can see how far back I had to move the pegs to intonate the bass. Thanks again all for the help!

The original bridge is back on! I realized that the E and A side of the bridge spring wasn't installed so I had to take it off again to put it on. Then I realized that the spring only allows it to go back so far since the tension was too high so I removed it. Ok, so now that the neck pickup is out of the picture, it's a little uglier but more usable. The strings align over the strings much better. I have no idea why the first person who has a guitar business couldn't do something as simple as this. He soldered and installed the pickups but wow he failed to do something so basic. Then the second guy who I just met also had no clue. So a big lesson here, don't trust just anyone with your bass. I might try to get a second Allparts bridge pickup for the neck position unless someone has another pickup they'd recommend. I'm not sure if this is overkill but I like how it sounds plus they're only 27 USD. Does anyone have any ideas on how to cover the area around the bridge pickup to make it look a little better? I contacted Allparts and they said the ring came with the pickup (which I bought in like 2014). So the guy who installed it must've thrown it away. I made a little video so you can see the intonation is still off but maybe not terrible. There's no fret buzzing like there was before. Any ideas or a good video on where to look on trying to improve the intonation? Or is this close enough?

Funny you ask. So I just put it on and was stringing it up. The big neck mudbucker pickup is so bulky it kind of gets in the way. I decided to desolder it and remove it from the bass. I'm in the process of stringing it up now. I'll let you know how it goes. I'll probably need some pointers on getting the bass intonated. This is assuming it makes sound 🤣

Presuming I did this correctly (I measured from the center of one hole to the center of the next) the original bridge string spacing is 17.5mm. The replacement bridge I was using is 20mm. Another source of my issue.

@bertbass Thank you for that. I'll look for something similar in the US. Looks like a good option though. I just found the original bridge for this bass. The string spacing is much closer than the one I had on there most recently. The bottom one is the original.

I think this hipshot bridge with string spacing may be the best solution for my situation.

Thanks @Geek99 Please stay tuned for even more slow slow progress of trying to make an old bass usable again! My first mistake was just trying to copy someone else's bass mod without knowing the exact pickups and bridge that the originals were swapped for. Now at least I'm understanding some key elements of the bass even more. I'll take this as a great learning lesson almost 10 years after I originally bought this bass. It's just one of those things like an unfinished piece of art, it just hovers over your head and taunts me if it's not perfect to me. I realize this will never be "perfect" but I would like to at least like to get some satisfaction of better intonation and no longer having low volume on the e string. A fairly modest goal I feel. Also that nut was made by a luthier as the original was broken. I think this one is ok but I guess I wouldn't know for sure.

Hey everyone who's still listening. I just got back from a trip so started looking at my bass again. I really don't think the bridge is suitable for my short scale bass. I just measured the distance between the pole pickups and they're 16mm apart. The holes in the bridge look like they're about 19mm. I think someone on a previous forum years ago thought I had a 17.5mm spaced bridge. I've looked at other forums and it looks like some people used Schaler Roller Bridge which works for string spreads ranging from 2-3/32" to 2-1/2" (53.39mm to 63.50mm). You can check the Schaler out here. Here's my current bridge: Pure Vintage '58 Precision bass bridge On a positive note, I did my first successful solder today. Thank you again everyone for the help and guidance.

Sorry I don't quite understand. Should I only connect the wire to the underside of the bridge or so I also need to connect the other side to the tone control?

@Badscrew This is an Allparts Gibson style pickup - mudbucker. I just want it out of my life! It looks like there is no space inside the cavity to even really adjust it at all. It's a pretty tight fit.

Thanks @Geek99 I lifted the pickguard and was able to find the wire. It looked like it had fallen into the cavity and wasn't connected to the bridge or the tone controller casing or anything else for that matter, just lying there. Perhaps this is the reason why I get some feedback at times? Anyway, since this wire is sort of short, would I be able to solder it to the closest metal point which is the input jack? Also, I assume that I won't need to solder the ground to the bridge since the bridge's pressure would not allow the wire to move. Looking at the pickups, I noticed that not only was the E string not aligned over the pickup, the bridge pickup sloped downward away from the string. Now I was able to loosen the screw and pull the E side toward the strings so it's more level. Hopefully this will create more volume from the E string once I get everything installed. As for the bridge, the string holes do not line up with the poles at all. Is there a way to sort of angle the end of the string toward the saddle so it will align? I'm assuming once the strings get tuned, they will just become taut and straightened between the saddle and the string hole. Are there bridges that allow you to move the string spacing so you can better place it over the pickup pole? I was thinking something like this... Lastly, when I lifted up the neck pickup, I discovered the guy who installed it put a little foam underneath. I have no idea why this is there. Any ideas why and should I just remove the stryrofoam? I'm not getting along with this mudbucker sound anyway. Wow that seems like a lot! I'm very grateful for everyone who's helped me out!

Yeah both pickups aren't aligned either. When I bought them back in 2014 they were labeled as Gibson style pickups. I didn't know anything about measurements for the poles, I just thought they'd work. I think this is the reason the E string is pretty soft sounding compared to the rest. Thank you once again @Downunderwonder I forgot you give step by step instructions. They're all so detailed. I found the right bit and will probably do the drilling tomorrow. Wish me luck. One other question, I noticed there was no wire coming through the ground wire hole. Should I do anything about this when reinstalling the bridge?

Thanks for clarifying that about the ground point@Velarian My bridge was replaced but done by some random guy I found on craigslist (US). Maybe my bad. According to several people on this forum they said that the bridge is positioned too far forward.

I removed the bridge today. Looks like there is a weird slant drilled hole. I can't tell if it goes all the way to the pickups or not. Weird. Anyway, any suggestions on how far back I should move the bridge? Right now the halfway point is about 11 7/12". The second half was just a little under that. If I drill to where there are other holes it barely covers up the holes drilled for the original bridge. I'm actually thinking of making it a little more aesthetically pleasing as well. Maybe fill in some holes with putty. Any suggestions for a type of filler? Since the pickup poles don't align with the strings I was thinking about getting a new neck pickup. Any suggestions?

Hey Downunderwonder! Sorry for the long lapse for my reply. I just wanted to give you an update and my general feeling. So I found a cheap Squier Jaguar. It's nice. It plays well and all that, but for some reason or another I just like the sound of the Epiphone bridge pickup (smaller Gibson). However, I sort of regret installing the other Gibson clone (mudbucker style). It's just too deep and a little intrusive in a mix. Additionally, something I didn't mention before is that the electronics are a little dodgy in the Epiphone. It's hard to get the lead just right so there's no additional noise. I don't know if this would require a solder. So as of right now I'm game to take on some work for this bass. I don't know if I want to mess with the mudbucker but, I guess it would be nice if there was a more usable pickup in that spot. Otherwise, perhaps I'll just leave it in place. One thing is for sure, is that I think I'm ready to drill into the bass. If you're still willing to help me that would be cool. I was messing around with the poles as well for the E string and I could get some additional volume out of it but it was a little touchy. At some point when I raise it too high it just sort of completely cuts in and out.

@Burns-bass That's what I'm considering. If I put it up on Reverb would you just say it's playable but could use some work? I actually got it modified to mimic the exact bass and pickups LCD Soundystem uses. So perhaps there are others out there looking for this bass and have the know how to get this to sound like it should. It seems like the Squier Jauguar short scales have gone up considerably in price from when they were still making them. I've heard good things about them.

Ok friends, I just tried tightening the saddles to create a little more distance in the strings. I was able to get the G and B strings to intonate fairly well minus a couple higher frets wouldn't make a proper note (just sort of deadened out). Tightening these saddles made the E string way off. Anyway, clearly as you all have said I need to move the bridge. After calling a few techs, I'm convinced trying to drill the holes in my bass myself. I asked one tech how much to just drill the new holes, he said, "I'd have to see it before I can give you a quote." He then told me to bring it to the store and they'd hold it then he'd check it out. This exact same thing has happened to me before, when they give you a ridiculous price and then you have to make a terribly awkward to pick it up. I feel like this is a car repair model I've seen around here as well. So how much further back would you recommend I drill?

Yeah I have a drill but am concerned I'm going to mess up somehow and destroy the bass completely.

So I talked to a luthier in the area and this is what he said: Changing the bridge position would cost $75. He said that he would have to replace the holes that were already made from the previous drilling. Is this necessary? He thinks that the initial installation of my pickups may have placed the magnetic part too far away from the E string. However, both pickups don't pick up the E very well. Next, he thinks that it will need a shim that would cost $175. Lastly, he said it would cost $60 for a setup. So he wants USD 300 for all of this. I'm not sure if this bass is worth that much not even knowing that would even guarantee a completely playable and intonated bass at the end.

Playing in the higher register especially on the G string results in a lot of buzz against the frets. I'm more of a guitar player who's interested in bass so not sure but is this buzzing sound sort of sought out by some players? It makes it sound kind of raw and punk.

I may have to take it to a tech or luther for this.

@Downunderwonder Just measured the G string. It looks like from nut to 12th 15 1/8" and 12th fret to the saddle is just short of 15". So yeah, it looks like the saddle should be placed further back. Also it's not clear from my photos but the second one is from the nut to the 12th fret. Just as a side note the pickups are from All Parts. The one closer to the fretboard is really low and heavy. I sort of like the bridge one a little better.

@Phil Starr To me it looks like it's 15 1/8" from the nut to the 12th fret and only about 15" from the 12th to the begging of the sadde. My measurement isn't precise but I think you may be right @skankdelvarI'm not sure how accurate this is and frankly I don't completely trust the guy who did this bridge installation and tightening of the neck. I now remember him saying something like "I had to tighten the hell out of the truss rod to make it work" or something of that nature. I can't tell if there's a twist in the neck. To me it looks like the E string gets progressively further away from the neck the further up the fret board you travel compared to the D and G string. It looks like there could be a slight neck twist. Not certain though it's hard to tell for me.