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Raising the ABR-1 for the G B and top E strings

goldtop0

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Aug 19, 2003
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8,931
I get my LPs and 335 set up by my luthier buddy and he does a good job, but I've found since having this done recently on my 2 x LPs that they're(G B E) just a little too close to the fretboard doing bends at the 5th fret with the top E and B strings and I get slippage.......this is not a problem with the 335 at all thank goodness.
If I were to try to remedy this myself and rotate the treble side of the ABR-1 just a tad higher I guess I'd have intonation problems ?
 

rick c

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May 28, 2016
Messages
282
What is "slippage"? If by "rotate" you mean lift the treble end of your bridge just a little, then the impact on intonation will be minimal. Why do you take your guitars to a luthier for set-up? It's not rocket science, it's easy to learn and if your guitars are fundamentally in great shape then you should have no worries. I don't understand this.
 

garywright

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Aug 17, 2002
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15,583
I get my LPs and 335 set up by my luthier buddy and he does a good job, but I've found since having this done recently on my 2 x LPs that they're(G B E) just a little too close to the fretboard doing bends at the 5th fret with the top E and B strings and I get slippage.......this is not a problem with the 335 at all thank goodness.
If I were to try to remedy this myself and rotate the treble side of the ABR-1 just a tad higher I guess I'd have intonation problems ?

sounds to me like you have to raise your bridge/action a little ..you can do this easily yourself by loosening the strings and turning the adjustment wheels ..if by slippage you’re meaning that the strings aren’t staying in place on the saddles ..that may correct itself when you raise the abr1 as that will create more down pressure ..lowering the stop tail could help with that as well
 

goldtop0

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Joined
Aug 19, 2003
Messages
8,931
What is "slippage"? If by "rotate" you mean lift the treble end of your bridge just a little, then the impact on intonation will be minimal. Why do you take your guitars to a luthier for set-up? It's not rocket science, it's easy to learn and if your guitars are fundamentally in great shape then you should have no worries. I don't understand this.

When I got my LPs in '13 and '14 they weren't set up properly at all and that's why they went to my guitar tech(luthier) for the job, and agreed, once this was done(trussrod adjustment, fret dress and the rest) it is easier for me to do myself.
Rotate means moving the thumbwheel(s) up or down.
Slippage is the string(usually top E) slipping out of a bend at the 5th.
 

goldtop0

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Joined
Aug 19, 2003
Messages
8,931
sounds to me like you have to raise your bridge/action a little ..you can do this easily yourself by loosening the strings and turning the adjustment wheels ..if by slippage you’re meaning that the strings aren’t staying in place on the saddles ..that may correct itself when you raise the abr1 as that will create more down pressure ..lowering the stop tail could help with that as well

Thanks Gary, yep adjusted up on the treble side thumbwheel and no problem with intonation, now I don't get that slip at the 5th.
I always put the stopbar flat to the body on my Gibsons for that very reason.
 

rick c

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May 28, 2016
Messages
282
Hi Goldtop: I still don't understand what you mean by "slipping" out of a bend. What is slipping and where? I just re-read my post; I hope you were not offended; it was a little blunt. Dropping the tailpiece all the way to the body simply makes the angle across the saddles more extreme and can result in strings touching the back edge of the bridge. Many players top wrap and have only a minimal angle across the saddle with no problems of strings jumping saddles if that's what you mean by slippage. Are your saddles notched?
 

goldtop0

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Aug 19, 2003
Messages
8,931
Hi Goldtop: I still don't understand what you mean by "slipping" out of a bend. What is slipping and where? I just re-read my post; I hope you were not offended; it was a little blunt. Dropping the tailpiece all the way to the body simply makes the angle across the saddles more extreme and can result in strings touching the back edge of the bridge. Many players top wrap and have only a minimal angle across the saddle with no problems of strings jumping saddles if that's what you mean by slippage. Are your saddles notched?


Hi rick, no it's not to do with the saddles at all, it's to do with my ring finger(usually) when I bend the top E at the 5th fret and it 'slips' out of the bend/vibrato........twang.
It's caused by not having enough string height above the fretboard/fret and it's annoying.............it's solved now though.
And I do top wrap.
 
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