Jondeeman Posted September 15, 2011 Share Posted September 15, 2011 Hope that someone out there can help me with my little issue... I'm building a bass at the mo. It's a lovely '51 P slab body, and I'm trying to fit a Hipshot "A" bridge to it. The 3 screws supplied by Hipshot are too small for the guide holes drilled in the body!?!? I bought the body here: [url="http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Custom-Guitar-Bodies-And-More?_rdc=1"]Tim's page[/url] So here's the thing... should I upsize the screws (and if so, where do I get them from?) or do I try and fill the holes and redrill? Obviously keen not to bugger the body, but I want to get the best tone from the thing I can. I'm worried that if I get this wrong, the bridge will either work loose, or that a decent contact with the body won't be made. Any comments or thoughts are appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassBod Posted September 15, 2011 Share Posted September 15, 2011 Plugging should work fine..get dowel of a similar size and use Titebond. I'm guessing the Hipshot supplied screws are significantly smaller than normal "fender size" - but that is odd, as the Fender ones aren't exactly big. Maybe go for a standard finder style bridge instead? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ou7shined Posted September 15, 2011 Share Posted September 15, 2011 I'll bet that "Tim's" screw-holes won't even line up with where you want your bridge anyway. How close to the set-up stage are you? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jondeeman Posted September 15, 2011 Author Share Posted September 15, 2011 [quote name='Ou7shined' post='1374626' date='Sep 15 2011, 04:31 PM']I'll bet that "Tim's" screw-holes won't even line up with where you want your bridge anyway. How close to the set-up stage are you?[/quote] Good point. The hole positioning looks okay to me, but I haven't bothered measuring anything out yet. Progress? Well, I've finished staining and oiling... could do without having to start that again... Doh! have I messed up? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jondeeman Posted September 15, 2011 Author Share Posted September 15, 2011 I'll get some photo's tonight and post them up... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ou7shined Posted September 15, 2011 Share Posted September 15, 2011 [quote name='Jondeeman' post='1374637' date='Sep 15 2011, 04:37 PM']Good point. The hole positioning looks okay to me, but I haven't bothered measuring anything out yet. Progress? Well, I've finished staining and oiling... could do without having to start that again... Doh! have I messed up?[/quote] Have you got your neck, nut and pups fixed in place? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jondeeman Posted September 15, 2011 Author Share Posted September 15, 2011 Not yet, no. I have a the neck and the pick-up, but neither are fitted. Wouldn't take too long though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ou7shined Posted September 15, 2011 Share Posted September 15, 2011 [quote name='Jondeeman' post='1374688' date='Sep 15 2011, 05:31 PM']Not yet, no. I have a the neck and the pick-up, but neither are fitted. Wouldn't take too long though.[/quote] Don't set your bridge until you have the above fixed in place then. This allows you a lot of latitude regards placing and you'll be able to set your bridge extremely accurately. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jondeeman Posted September 16, 2011 Author Share Posted September 16, 2011 [quote name='Ou7shined' post='1374749' date='Sep 15 2011, 06:54 PM']Don't set your bridge until you have the above fixed in place then. This allows you a lot of latitude regards placing and you'll be able to set your bridge extremely accurately. [/quote] Thank-you. I wouldn't have done it that way round without your input. This is only the second bass I've assembled - the first one came out okay, but I want to raise the bar as I move forward. The neck I've been testing on the bass is a beauty I bought from Beedster. I love it, but it doesn't suit this bass and I need to find the neck I want first. I guess I'd better get shopping!!! Pics uploaded tonight... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ou7shined Posted September 16, 2011 Share Posted September 16, 2011 No probs. Looking forward to seeing the results. I really shouldn't be dishing out these tips of the trade.... losing myself money here. Yep fit it with the neck you want to use first. This is why mass produced basses (Fender for example) have issues with bad bridge alignment - you can't simply pick a body and a neck out of a pile, bang them together and expect them to magically align like the CNC controls do and have everything millimetre perfect like a hand built bass. Wood is unpredictable and the interaction between the neck and pocket rout is the decider of where your bridge ends up, not Tim... or as we say around here TIM. Once you've got your neck and pups in place attach some thread to your G and E bridge saddles and project them up through your nut and fix with tape etc.. Keeping the threads taught at ~34" move the bridge sideways back and forth until you find the optimum position for your bass regarding pole alignment (sometimes it's quite prudent to only just test the water with your pup screw holes, in case you have to move them) and string position on the neck as it sits in it most comfortable unforced position. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jondeeman Posted September 16, 2011 Author Share Posted September 16, 2011 [quote name='Ou7shined' post='1375222' date='Sep 16 2011, 10:04 AM']No probs. Looking forward to seeing the results. I really shouldn't be dishing out these tips of the trade.... losing myself money here. Yep fit it with the neck you want to use first. This is why mass produced basses (Fender for example) have issues with bad bridge alignment - you can't simply pick a body and a neck out of a pile, bang them together and expect them to magically align like the CNC controls do and have everything millimetre perfect like a hand built bass. Wood is unpredictable and the interaction between the neck and pocket rout is the decider of where your bridge ends up, not Tim... or as we say around here TIM. Once you've got your neck and pups in place attach some thread to your G and E bridge saddles and project them up through your nut and fix with tape etc.. Keeping the threads taught at ~34" move the bridge sideways back and forth until you find the optimum position for your bass regarding pole alignment (sometimes it's quite prudent to only just test the water with your pup screw holes, in case you have to move them) and string position on the neck as it sits in it most comfortable unforced position.[/quote] Thank-you. What wonderful advice; I really appreciate it. I have a neck to buy and align as a next step. I'll still post the pics later though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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