Electric Guitar Bridge Setup

These are the basic steps to setting the action on various styled electric guitar bridges.

Electric guitar bridge setup.

A guitar s action can also be adjust at the bridge. The bridge elongates or shortens the length of your strings. With the guitar on its side look down the fingerboard edge for overall straightness back bow relief forward bow and humps as well as high or uneven frets. For more information about how to set up a floating or floyd rose bridge please go to the floating or floyd rose bridge page.

A gibson style bridge has two bridge posts that allow you to adjust only the bass and treble side of the bridge. Most guitars have either a fender or gibson style bridge. Look down the profile of the fretboard on both the bass and treble sides of the neck is the neck straight or is there a curve. Tools a machinist rule a screwdriver or hex key electric guitar calipers a shim stock or stationary belt sander acoustic guitar.

Set the relief capo the first fret and press the 15th fret with your finger then use your feeler gauge on the 8th fret to measure the height. A playable guitar that sounds amazing requires a setting up process only then will your guitar play well. Turn the guitar on its side close one eye and look down the neck from the headstock towards the bridge left. Sight the neck please read the beginning of this article for thorough instruction on sighting your guitar s neck.

Strum the top string next to the tuner and adjust the tuning knobs until it s an e. First sight the neck just to see what condition it s in. Adjusting your guitar action and bridge height is one of the most common guitar setup tips that you will learn with this easy and simple guitar setup guide for gibson fender and floyd rose style guitar bridges. Use a straightedge for added assurance pictured.

The most well known bridge is the vintage style synchronized tremolo. Setting up a guitar involves working with the bridge nut and neck adjustments to dial in the playing action to suit the player. The fender style bridge allows you to adjust each saddle height individually. The non tremolo hardtail bridge.

Put the rest of the guitar in standard e a d g b e tuning. I ve been blown away by the improvements in playability and sound clarity that come from minor adjustments to the guitar s setup. Because the truss rod will affect the middle of the neck most be sure to pay. The other three are the american series bridge which is a modern day two pivot bridge.

Tune the guitar to desired pitch. Sight a guitar neck. Stratocaster guitars can have four distinctive types of bridges. Please visit the individual guitar bridge pages for more detailed information about the anatomy of the bridges themselves.

And a locking tremolo such as the american deluxe or floyd rose locking tremolos. When adjusting these it s up to you to maintain or adjust them to the proper radius. Below you will find all the information you need to setup your guitar the right way. On an electric guitar this is a matter of twisting the appropriate screws.

Tune the guitar to pitch. Remove the truss rod cover. This guide serves only if you want a quick action adjustment and presumes your truss rod and nut are set up correctly.