Slightly collapsed Nashville Bridge - a problem?

Hello,

I've recently bought a 1990 Custom in Black/Ebony.

Currently checking the guitar over and cleaning up some of the corrosion underneath the gold plating before I get it set up. I took the bridge off (looks original) and checked it with a straight edge - it does have a bit of bend/collapse on the top edge - the gap measures about 0.33mm (0.013")

Most of the threads/pics I've seen on this subject don't mention how much theirs was bent by (although some pics clearly show a large amount of bend)
So for those who have lots of experience with this - will 0.013" adversely affect having a low action? would you get it straightened? or maybe leave it and keep an eye on it?

I noticed that the stop bar was wound fully down to the body, so the strings were leaning on the back of the bridge, I had to raise the stop bar quite a lot (0.25") to get the strings to clear. Looks like this guitar has not been used much in 30 years, the stop bar screws almost seized in, everything original, frets very high and flat, first fret oddly high, never had a fret dress/crown. Quite bad green pitting to he pickup covers and bridge. Looking forward to getting it set up nicely and a bit slicker to play.

Thanks

I've always wondered how a bridge can bend. Mine's an 87 LPC that I bought new and the bridge still pretty much looks new and is completely flat. This stated, I've used nothing heavier than 0.010" to 0.046" and usually much lighter strings; 0.008" to 0.038" and, I also set my tailpiece height so that the strings don't touch the back edge of the bridge.

The answer to the question is really a function of preferred action. I set mine at 3/64" and 5/64". If I understand correctly, the middle of the collapsed bridge has dropped by 0.013". 1/64" = 0.016" so if the top and bottom E strings' action is set like my guitar, the D and G strings may be too low and buzzy, especially with light strings. If the guitar plays OK as-is then really, there's no issue. What is the current action set at? What gauge strings do you use?

rick c said:

I've always wondered how a bridge can bend. Mine's an 87 LPC that I bought new and the bridge still pretty much looks new and is completely flat. This stated, I've used nothing heavier than 0.010" to 0.046" and usually much lighter strings; 0.008" to 0.038" and, I also set my tailpiece height so that the strings don't touch the back edge of the bridge.

The answer to the question is really a function of preferred action. I set mine at 3/64" and 5/64". If I understand correctly, the middle of the collapsed bridge has dropped by 0.013". 1/64" = 0.016" so if the top and bottom E strings' action is set like my guitar, the D and G strings may be too low and buzzy, especially with light strings. If the guitar plays OK as-is then really, there's no issue. What is the current action set at? What gauge strings do you use?

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Nice that you've owned yours since new. Some metals can 'creep' under load, guess over time the tension on the bridge distorts the material. Sounds like you've saved your bridge by having the tailpiece height set correctly.

I will be using 0.010-0.046 strings, and will want the action low, probably similar to your 3/64" or a tad lower - I think you are right, that 0.013" drop in the middle might cause some buzz or choke. I'll have a chat with the guitar tech, and see if he has straightened any that are only slightly out. Suppose failing that, the saddle notches could filed out to give a true 12" radius?

Is your hardware gold or chrome? that's good going if your bridge still looks like new if its gold.
The plating on my bridge is badly bubbled, I don't think the saddles would even move smoothly if the intonation was adjusted, so think I will remove the saddles and clean up the faces they sit on before getting a setup done.

Gold but old. No bubbling just wear on the pups only. The bridge and tailpiece still look almost new. I keep it clean; the bubbling comes from allowing the hardware to get dirty and leaving it like that too long. Some people have more acidic sweat and this makes things much worse.

A very timely YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8GHkouWD0U

rick c said:

A very timely YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8GHkouWD0U

Click to expand...

Thanks for the link, that's a good video, I like how they've made the effort to do a animated graphic showing the radius of the bridge saddles and how it relates to the fretboard radius, and how it changes when the bridge bends.

I left my custom with a very good guitar tech over the weekend, he says he should able to straighten the bridge.

This is often caused in shipping, or even gigging transport, in the guitar case. The guitar may look well padded but Newton’s law:

F(force)=M(weight(mass really) of your Les Paul) x Acceleration (the shock it was subjected to)

Is enough to give you that bend. Bear this in mind when transporting.

I should add that I have straightened a number of old and new style bridges after transport and they never bent again.

Had the guitar setup, the tech said he was able to straighten it. He thinks it might bend again over time though.

The tailpiece is now raised about 1/4"or more so the strings just clear the bridge. Hopefully this will reduce the pressure on the bridge.

I can't check if its perfectly straight with the strings on, but next time I do a string change I will check the bridge for straightness and keep an eye on it.

Andy79 said:

Nice that you've owned yours since new. Some metals can 'creep' under load, guess over time the tension on the bridge distorts the material. Sounds like you've saved your bridge by having the tailpiece height set correctly.

I will be using 0.010-0.046 strings, and will want the action low, probably similar to your 3/64" or a tad lower - I think you are right, that 0.013" drop in the middle might cause some buzz or choke. I'll have a chat with the guitar tech, and see if he has straightened any that are only slightly out. Suppose failing that, the saddle notches could filed out to give a true 12" radius?

Is your hardware gold or chrome? that's good going if your bridge still looks like new if its gold.
The plating on my bridge is badly bubbled, I don't think the saddles would even move smoothly if the intonation was adjusted, so think I will remove the saddles and clean up the faces they sit on before getting a setup done.

Click to expand...

Just a thought to consider would be if the bridge is bent , why not replace it with another Nashville Bridge ? Easy enough to get and relatively inexpensive . Thus you will have the bridge set up for your specs ! This is what I would do instead of messing with a broken/defective part . Also you wont lose any value on the instrument ,you will make it appreciate !