How to Position and Install Your Guitar Bridge

[@Fez4ever]

Old machinist tip for centering screws: Once you mark the position of the screw hole, use a center punch with a small light hammer to put an indent on it. This helps get the drill bit exactly on center. Then drill as normal.

[@Ceremyjohen]

A little lube on the bridge mounting screws (soap, wax, etc,) will work wonders.

[@hball6695]

"I'm so far behind I might as well be in government"...love it!

[@BradAngove]

Haha couldn’t resist

[@parachuteman4]

Ha!!

[@freeelectron8261]

Really useful bridge install tutorial. Lots of important tips and detail. Thanks Brad!

[@BradAngove]

Thank you

[@daniel5927]

If the screw doesn't go in easily, you can rub the screw on a candle and the wax will make it easier to drive in. Soap also works.

[@TheSeanCreagh]

Newcastle Brown? Great choice, man! :) If you get the chance, try Smitherwicks and/or Frydenlund. Both are fantastic! :)

[@vincentmorelli1013]

Just picked up a 12 pack myself

[@derikfenstermacher1073]

Second this, although I would still take a nuky brown if I could still drink beer.

[@BradAngove]

I’ve got plenty of Swithwicks in the fridge haha.

[@TheSeanCreagh]

@@BradAngove It's my poison! Hahaha!

[@Metalbass10000]

Those of us in Wisconsin know about New Glarus Fat Squirrel Nut Brown Ale. Delicious, perfectly balanced. Also HIGHLY recommend everything made my Founder's Brewery in Michigan. Among the best, if not the best, in every style of beverage they brew. Particularly a fan of their stouts, porter, Scotch (or Scottish, if you prefer) ale, and the Centennial IPA is my absolute favorite IPA, and often my default year-round ale.

[@clarkbabin9799]

Would love to see how a set in neck is matched with a body especially on a Les Paul. Also placement of stop bar and tunomatic bridges.

[@lyndelguitars9478]

I learned this somewhere awhile back, but what I do is I bought a cheap trapeze tailpiece and mounted it to a block of wood that is curved to match the bottom of a guitar pretty closely. Put the block up against the guitar body on the bottom.Then I string the high and low E strings with the trapeze and place the tunomatic bridge on the body and move it and the trapeze block to where it needs to be and mark it. Works great!

[@BradAngove]

I measure scale first and position the bridge. The I put the stop tail in straight behind it. Positioning matters less with those. As long as its not so close that the string will contact the back edge of the bridge on the way to the stoptail. If you put it crazy far away it can add string tension though. Then I use a string or meter stick to figure out the angle by running it from the nut to the bridge and adjusting the angle to get the action right. That adjustment is done by shimming or sanding the heal.

[@cyberbilly1]

Thank you so much for this. I've got a body waiting to go, but I was putting it off for fear of screwing up the bridge. Perfectly timed!

[@6xcchamber971]

Should a ground wire be run under the bridge? if so how would you do this??? Thanks!

[@BradAngove]

Yes. You just drill a small hole from under the bridge to either the pickup cavity or the control cavity.

[@Mikem-mq2hh]

Nicely done....I'm doing my first FrankenTeleStrat...I'm gonna look at the rest of your tutorials. Thanks

[@BradAngove]

Cheers

[@thomascperez]

Perfect timing! I'm just about to drill the bridge on a guitar body I'm building, and I happen to be using the same exact Hipshot bridge! Looking forward to the string-through hole drilling video, I'm a little nervous about that part.

[@darinplott5186]

Brad your timing is great. Just bought a Wilkinson trem for an odd strat import Euro has anyone ever heard of that brand? Going to convert from six point to two point.

[@BradAngove]

I use lots of Wilkinson hardware. It’s good stuff.

[@TJEvans98]

one additional tip for everyone that I learned from experience....if you get a kit, or even just a body that already has a route for a trem block (strat style) or the string through holes (tele style) DO NOT just assume that the measurements were correct when those were routed or drilled. I've had a few prefab bodies, that I assumed (DOH) were done correctly, only to find out when assembly was complete, that the bridge position was too forward (it's ALWAYS too forward) I couldn't adjust the saddles back enough to intonate correctly. My tip, if you trust yourself enough, is to get a body like Brad's here, where nothing is done for the bridge...that way you can measure it yourself to make sure it's correct...

[@normbarrows]

Had that issue with both the steinberger freedom type and the burled tele type kits on ebay. My steinberger sprit type ebay kit might have that problem too. Looks like true saddle distances for a 648mm (25.5") scale length should be about 650mm to 655mm. this is based on a late 90's LTD M2 with low action and correct intonation. On the steinbereger freedom kit, the saddles would only move back to 650mm with the bridge in the pre-routed position. True correct intonation length for low E on that guitar is 656mm. I moved the entire bridge down by 13mm.

[@davidmurray9193]

Totally agree bought a jem body and there was not enough space to fit the post for the trem in the body, so I've adlibbed and filled trem holes front and back and I am fitting a hard tail bridge on it now, it's not a problem as I have guitars with Floyd roses so not a total disaster, also finding out that companies lie about neck pocket and neck widths, have two guitars I'm going to have to shim at the side of the neck pockets with vaneers as I have ordered from abroad and invested in too much to return the parts so making do

[@ArturBrzozowski444]

I know good use for that lip balm Stick the tip of every screw before driving it in. It's a lot easier that way and in few years someone will be really thankful during disassembly! Mine screw tips have tropical fruits flavour This is the series I've been waiting for. I may or may not be planning something similar

[@lyndelguitars9478]

I do the exact same thing only with wax. This is especially effective on those tiny little tuner screws. They will snap off very easily if you don't wax (or lip balm) them.

[@natgrant1364]

Awesome. Now I just have to make the freaking neck so I have an idea of what the scale length will be! Anyway, thanks. This will actually help out immensely.

[@adamstein9333]

Guitar build looks spectacular! Please lmk when You get ahead… and thank You for helping Me save My Washburn Parallaxe! I bought a “Kaish” bridge which looks pretty similar to the hip shot and following along step by step!

[@BradAngove]

Thanks; glad I could help.

[@robertyasumura]

Good video. Sorry to be critical, but I really would've appreciated a top-down camera set-up.

[@BradAngove]

That makes sense. I just don’t really have one.

[@funkyfender1]

Nothing like a ‘Newkie Brown’ for hydration ! Thanks for your very detailed and simple demonstration of positioning the bridge! (Where’s the confounded bridge!)

[@peterquailman2460]

Yep, no mistake about it. I have seen that guitar kit hanging in its place for like, forever! So yes, you really need to finish that one up, please! Haha. . . Also, the real reason I would like to see it finished is that I am pretty excited about how it would look done. And of course, with all the technique incorporated in the build, which I believe, would be shown as well. Keep it up Brad, looking forward to more of your videos.

[@BradAngove]

Thanks Peter

[@goodvibes4260]

Great tips. Took awhile for me to disassociate alcohol from guitar but i know thats a personal problem. Wouldve rather just got into the guitar build from the very start. This was very informative.

[@BradAngove]

Glad you liked it

[@billsmith5054]

Great video. I am rebuilding an old strat. that needs a new neck and bridge.

[@BradAngove]

I hope it goes well.

[@hurdygurdyguy1]

13:52 ... best tip I ever found was using a bit of beeswax (just a tiny bit to coat the threads) to help lubricate the threads as they cut into the hardwood. Have you ever tried it?

[@BradAngove]

Yes, I just use a bit of paste finishing wax. Works great.

[@georgemcmillan9172]

Hey Brad, excellent instructional video about a very important step in building guitars. Here in the U.S, I only have access to a "yard stick". I guess I'll have to order a Canadian "meter stick"! 😆 Nice choice for the "shop lubricant"!!!

[@GreyMatterStew]

Hey, George. Good news! They're not hard to find, seeing that most of the planet uses the metric system. Mostly, because learn they're not advanced enough to understand fractions. 🙊 shhh! Don't tell them I said that. 😉

[@georgemcmillan9172]

@@GreyMatterStew, 😆😆😆 I was just joking. I may be American, but I'm also a Master Craftsman Carpenter of over 40+ years. I've used the metric system for well over 29 uears with Europian style cabinets. I actually have a " meter stick". 😆😆😆

[@tonysansom]

@@georgemcmillan9172 It's 'metre' 😉

[@GreyMatterStew]

@@georgemcmillan9172 Oh, yeah. I thought you were. I was kidding, also. Irony was my intention. The metric system is much simpler, and is so widely accepted. We (The US) are just being stubborn. Just think, instead of going a mere 70 (mph), we could be going over 112 (kph). It just sounds faster. 👍 😁

[@GreyMatterStew]

@@tonysansom You say metre, I say bowling shoe... Meter must be the imperial spelling. 😂😂😂😂

[@derekriddle7605]

Great video - just what I was looking for. Thank you!

[@BradAngove]

Glad I could help.

[@billsmith5054]

Very informative. I am doing my first guitar build.

[@davidmurray9193]

I have been putting off fitting my bridge I am now going to fit it, that was the clearest bridge set up I have seen Thank you very much, if you write how you explain you need to write a book on guitar building from start to finish, I'd buy it

[@BradAngove]

That would be an interesting little exercise. Publishing a short ebook perhaps? Intriguing.

[@Thomas-xs2kq]

Thank you so much. That was exactly the information I needed for my Tele project!

[@BradAngove]

Glad I could help.

[@billsaltz4220]

Always enjoy your videos Brad . I'm converting a "small scale " Solo kit I made last year into a hardtail. I'm tired of fighting intonation and tuning this little guy! (Strat). Seems, small scale guitars are really hard to tune! I'm putting on a full size neck. I've done 6 builds this last year, with a few trial and error bumps. Anyway, I've been using bees wax on all of my screws on all builds. I just thought it was a "given" in woodworking. Thanks for being there when we need you ! God bless!

[@BradAngove]

Putting wax on your screws for this sort of thing is always a good idea.

[@markmilligan8773]

Thats was a fantastic video and a great help for novice builders. 😎👍 last video was smithwicks (pronounced correctly) and now a bottle of newky brown. Ireland England are you drinking your way through Europe. Sadly only wine and cheese in France 🇫🇷 😢

[@BradAngove]

Good wine though. I may have to opt for a scotch for the next one haha.

[@markmilligan8773]

@@BradAngove Scotch...!!! you know there's a rivary between us Irish and them over the whiskey. Firstly they can't spell it LOL

[@BradAngove]

Haha yeah I did a little tour of the whiskey museum in Ireland and the amount of ire toward Scottish whiskey was quite funny.

[@daro9582]

The beer thing is indeed very common in Germany, it’s like an unwritten law: a beer must be opened with literally anything but a bottle opener

[@russwilloughby501]

This is a perfect explanation as to how to do this.....it all makes total sense. Many thanks!

[@BradAngove]

Glad I could help

[@chriswhite6784]

I'm very excited for this to be complete! It's already looking great, very sleek.

[@BradAngove]

Glad you like how it’s coming together in the early stages Chris!

[@chriswhite6784]

@@BradAngove I literally stopped everything in the house and made everybody watch :). It's good to be the king!

[@chriswhite6784]

My wife pointed out that it looks like there is figuring in fretboard. It may be a lighting affect, but hope its real because it looks fantastic

[@BradAngove]

I’ll give a closer look when I do the fretwork.

[@johnjgibson6807]

More Awesome info For Builds 👍👍🎶🎶🎸Thanks Brad.

[@BradAngove]

Cheers John

[@chrisfit]

Needed this 2 months ago! Thanks good vid.

[@BradAngove]

Hopefully it helps for the next one.

[@guyfromnj]

Really good video on this subject. Really straight forward. Looking forward to the video when you add the string through holes.

[@BradAngove]

Thanks Carmen

[@41663]

Thank you and the humor is appreciated in an all too serios world

[@BradAngove]

Glad you enjoyed it.

[@michaelstephen5827]

awesome as always Brad - this was the exact lesson I needed today....going to grab a "refreshment" and get to work on my bridge!

[@BradAngove]

Have fun!

[@landofahhs_1]

Much simpler than I expected, but then you've done it a few times too! :)

[@BradAngove]

Haha yes I have.

[@ashkariuk]

You could also use a compass to bisect the scale length line to find the center, which might be helpful if the top isn't flat :)

[@BradAngove]

Ya, that would work. In that case you may want to use a couple strings and just center it on the neck.

[@markgordon4368]

Sounds like that dog gave you indigestion lol good video all the same, loved the dig at bureaucracy 😂😂😂

[@stu-j]

They are fantastic bridges for sure! And the best tip as always is measure loads to get it spot on. And drink a bottle of Dog! ( I've never seen a bottle that small its almost always a pint bottle.) Great job mate as always..

[@BradAngove]

Thanks Stu

[@M5guitar1]

Cool. I'm building Rickenbacker 350 style flattop with a Les Paul scale neck from Solo and a Wilkinson Tele bridge. One of a kind deal (Ricken-Tele-Paul) and I find your videos helpful.

[@BradAngove]

Sounds like a cool one.

[@marksmith-hs9li]

Hi Brad,I going to do the same ie humbuckers. I would like to put a les Paul style bridge on a tele ,but have no idea on how to do it. I'm a beginner at this .

[@BradAngove]

You’d mostly just need to shim the neck and make sure the bridge width is small enough to work with that neck.

[@briankientz2926]

I like the humor in this one Brad, and Mrs Toast lives in my head too! Keep up the good work...

[@MikeCindyWhite]

An LP Jr. style body with a Tele style neck! That's gonna be a cool build... You don't see many 25.5 inch LP guitars, Gonna be sweet when down tuning!! Great video as always my friend, The only things I do different than you are I use my drill press (my eyes are terrible after being a machinist all my life and staring at tolerances of .001 to .002 over the years) So my holes would never be straight without my drill press, Lol! And I always dip my screws in wax before driving them in. Thanks for the video bro!

[@BradAngove]

Cheers man

[@adronerbert5987]

Doing a hardtail strat right now. Good info

[@zinhosalaverry8294]

Really nice video Brad. I have a 7 string guitar with 27 inch neck scale. I realize that the holes of hipshot 7 string bridge are slanted. How should I measure that bridge?

[@BradAngove]

You would do the same thing. The seven string should just have one more string on the low end, so the saddle for that one should sit slightly further back. It’s not a multi-scale guitar is it?

[@zinhosalaverry8294]

@@BradAngove no, it's not a multiscale but the high e string don't have a good intonation with the current bridge (hipshot single saddle bridge) so I was thinking about placing the fixed bridge 7 string one. That guitar has the 7 single saddle bridges align and the high e string just don't intonate well. How can I reubicate those bridges? O should I go for the fixed bridge and just forget about placing 7 single bridges?

[@BradAngove]

You should be able to do it fine with a hard tail bridge from the or single saddle. What’s going on with the high e? Are you just out of space to move it where it needs to ?

[@zinhosalaverry8294]

@@BradAngove exactly, I'm out of space to move the saddle forward (close to the neck) and can't intonate well.

[@BradAngove]

Ok, that’s a bit odd. Where does it sit now compared to your scale length?

[@tonysansom]

Good video Brad. I'm working towards my first build so can't get enough of this sort of thing 👍

[@BradAngove]

Good timing

[@icvisions6150]

Which part saddle will be my basis for installing my bridge to have a correct intonation? I copied what you have done for my measurement sir , I am using a schaller bridge 3D-6NI , thank you very much for the response

[@BradAngove]

Your contact point for the string is the important part. Right at the top of the saddle. The last thing your string touches before it stretches out over the fretboard to the nut.

[@bgm2465]

if I want a longer scale.. Can i adjust the bridge to 27" scale?.. instead of 25.5"?..thank You

[@BradAngove]

Only if you have a 27” scale neck. The position of each of the frets is determined by the scale length.

[@bgm2465]

@@BradAngove I see, thank you very much..

[@natureandmeditationsounds4935]

Hey - was there a build video on this or was this a kit upgrade? Keen to do a LP JR type guitar. Thanks!

[@BradAngove]

This one is in progress. It’s getting the paint job now.

[@MrStorm029029]

This is great. I'm converting a broken Chinese Kahler style bridge to a hipshot style on a Dean Z strat style. I'm filling the bridge slot finishing and using your technique. Any extra suggestions on a project like this?

[@BradAngove]

Dan Erlewine has a tutorial on filling holes/damage that you may want to have a look at just for some extra info.

[@MrStorm029029]

@@BradAngove Thanks for the referral. Love your vids great stuff.

[@alexbatman4407]

From where you have that bridge

[@anima60]

hi, thank you for that video. that helped a lot. I do a complete handbuilt guitar. my center line of the neck is a bit off the center line of the body (like 1-1,5 millimeter on the bridge position) so thanks to you i could adapt. Does that happen often ? i built a bolt on neck. Do you recommand screwing the neck in before positionning the bridge ?

[@BradAngove]

I’m sure it happens occasionally. Yes, screwing the neck in is advisable.

[@Valentin-kz3he]

Exelent job... and l like that color. Can u send me what color it's that and where l can buy... thanks

[@BradAngove]

The color of the bridge?

[@paoloborgno1550]

Hi Brad, 2 very basic questions here from a newbie. 1. When measuring the scale from the nut, since it is not installed yet, do you take it from the edge of the fretboard or do you add the few extra millimeters where strings should rest? How to take that extra into account when measuring? 2. Is there a specific minimum string angle both to reach the bridge and from the nut to the tuners? Thank you Brad and all your followers for the help. Great videos and tutorials. By the way as an Italian I would recommend a glass of Japigo Tuscan red wine.... Cheers Brad!

[@BradAngove]

Hi Paola. You would measure right from the edge of the board where the nut would start. There is no angle on this setup. On a normal LP setup there would be, but there’s no specific minimum.

[@paoloborgno1550]

@@BradAngove thank you Brad I really appreciate!!

[@ryanmccabe7821]

Great video, thanks spreading the knowledge. I have one queation. Im about to commence a guitar build and want to use this exact same bridge. This bridge comes in 2 different floor height sizes being 0.125" and 0.175". How do I know which one to buy? The guitar im building will be a PRS CE bolt on neck type build basically a Dustie Waring hardtail type guitar.

[@BradAngove]

It just depends on how far out of the neck pocket your neck/fretboard protrude. I’d usually err on the side of the smaller one.

[@ryanmccabe7821]

@@BradAngove Thanks man. Understood. Love ya work🤘

[@BradAngove]

Thanks Ryan

[@raymondruiz1843]

Hi! There, good job, you should have a Top View over the Bridge to see see better the guide lines.

[@Randy-ul5hy]

Hey Brad : Does the bridge need to be grounded? If so could you explain that process? I noticed you did not drill any pilot hole under the bridge to accommodate a grounding wire so just wondering. I am doing a similar project so curious. My bridge is top loading so no need to drill string holes... only the bridge mounting holes and grounding if required. Thanks!

[@BradAngove]

Yes, the bridge needs to be grounded. You just run a grounding wire from underneath it (don’t need to solder it, you can just in down an exposed section with the bridge) and you connect that to ground on one of your pots. I put a grounding hole through one of the string holes when I did this one.

[@hardrockindaddy]

Thank you Thank You Thank You....I'm getting ready to place a compensated bridge for `54 Gold Top & `54 Junior builds, I was not quite sure about the placements. Have a great summer, keep the cold brews coming

[@BradAngove]

Cheers Jerry

[@hardrockindaddy]

@@BradAngove Hey Brad, I thought I was misreading my scale length..12. 1/4” on 12th fret??? Then I found out Paul Reed Smith said that Gibson scale lengths could be 24.5? That’s where I set my compensated bridge? Thanks again

[@BradAngove]

If that’s double the distance to 12 then yes. They are more often 24.75 I think, but my memory could be incorrect on that.

[@kgcjrsatx1]

Question: Shouldn't the High-E and Low-E bridge saddles be adjusted to the center or middle of their full travel, so that you can set and get the maximum available saddle adjustment on each of all the saddles? I looked to me on the video, that the Hipshot saddles were pre-adjusted to their full forward position, which would probably work ok for the Low-E saddle. But that might not be enough adjustment for the High-E saddle. Your thoughts? Great video and explanation BTW!

[@BradAngove]

Typically more adjustment is needed in one direction than the other. The low e side gets set back a bit from the high side as well. But yes, adjusting for the middle saddles at least to be in the “middle” of their range is a good idea when you are figuring out where to put the bridge.

[@Furtheronmusic]

Brad could you show how to locate a tunamatic particularly the slope treble to bass. This was great but doing a tunamatic too would be useful

[@BradAngove]

Next time I’m doing one I will make a video.

[@KevinfromNewfoundland]

Do you have any video's for tune o matic bridge and for filling in bridge posts that are slightly off

[@BradAngove]

I did that in my series on the ultimate SG kit build.

[@KevinfromNewfoundland]

Thx brother

[@brianbercich7098]

How did you know where to carve out the pickup cavity?

[@BradAngove]

You just need to make sure it’s in line with the neck and doesn’t impede the bridge.

[@j-mo2453]

Good one. That was explained well. Is it just me or does the Tele neck look better on an lp? Lol

[@j-mo2453]

It’s nice looking. I like it.

[@BradAngove]

Glad you like it

[@jimm8594]

Awesome, id love to see more like this. Tuneomatic, wraparound and tele ashtray would be great. Thanks Brad!

[@BradAngove]

Good idea Jim. The tele is the same setup.

[@darcyboyer2998]

Good video. Looking forward to seeing the next though on drilling the string through holes. You should give the Babicz bridges a try. Solo music sells them as well. I’ve put Babicz on my last two builds and I’m not sure that I would try anything else at this point.

[@BradAngove]

I’ve heard the Babicz are awesome. I’d love to give them a shot one of these days.

[@darcyboyer2998]

@@BradAngove When I look back and see “last two builds” it might sound like I’ve got a lot of builds behind me. My last 2 builds are in fact my first 2 builds.

[@BradAngove]

Haha fair enough

[@Terry3Gs]

Nice video as always brad !! I know there isnt too many of them out there covering this.

[@BradAngove]

Thanks Terry

[@thaynes1963]

Working on my first build. I have a Squire body, matched with an aftermarket neck and bridge. The neck is spot on 12.75 at the 12th fret. For the bridge to be spot on at 25.5, the bridge sits too far forward so that the pickup hole in the bridge plate does not line up with the bridge pickup cavity. It appears that I need about 1/8 or 0.125 of an inch. Should I sand the base of the neck to ensure the scale length is correct? Or, would I enlarge the bridge pickup cavity? Love the channel...going to use dupli-color and the 2K clear... Thanks, Tom.

[@BradAngove]

Does the bridge not have enough adjustability to cover the range of where the saddles should go?

[@thaynes1963]

@@BradAngove correct. This is a squire body that originally was a top loading bridge. I am converting it to a string through bridge. The bridge cavity us the house shape. To move the bridge closer to the nut will require cutting out a chimney in the house cavity to fit the pick up. Any thoughts on this?

[@BradAngove]

It would be easier to bring the neck pocket down a bit or take a hair off the end of the neck. But make sure you’re using the right type or bridge. Modern vs vintage have different springs and bolts. You could also just change those two parts to give longer range for the saddles.

[@thaynes1963]

@@BradAngove I took the easy way out. I bought a different bridge that allows greater range for the saddles. This will allow bridge placement without modifying the body and/or the neck. thanks for your help!

[@nate-orito7990]

What if I’m installing one on a tele and the pickup cavity of the bridge isn’t straight? How do I make it straight?

[@BradAngove]

Measure the scale length down each side of the neck and connect the dots.

[@nate-orito7990]

@@BradAngove thankss

[@garybrady9531]

My guitar doesn't have pickup holes,they are like P90s and flat mounted what do I do now at this point

[@BradAngove]

What do you mean flat mounted? Like they’re mounted on top of the face of the guitar? I’m not sure I understand.

[@ms1726-t2z]

Very helpful 👍

[@tommymeade8459]

Can I use this bridge on a strat but have a stop bar instead of the string holes

[@BradAngove]

I’m not sure what you mean about the stop bar. Is there another name for it?

[@tommymeade8459]

@@BradAngove thanks for your response I’m referencing the bar used to hold string in place on a les Paul but am trying to make it work for a strat

[@BradAngove]

Ok. That’s called a stop tail. The problem is a Les Paul has a raised bridge because it has an angled neck. A strat doesn’t. You still may be able to make it work, but it might be too high for the angle to work and the string to contact the saddles properly; unless you route it into the body I suppose.

[@cyb3r3vil30]

Really good information Thanks for taking the time to

[@BradAngove]

Thanks for watching.

[@villavileo]

Muchas gracias por el video, la explicación es clara y la demostración muy precisa. (thanks for the video)

[@BradAngove]

I’m glad you found the explanation helpful. Gracias y de nada.

[@Jon-d1l]

Brown ale,,excellent choice

[@thomashall2418]

Nice job Brad

[@BradAngove]

Thanks Thomas

[@ELWISoooYAKUZA94]

@brad angove hi dude, i did paint my wooden keyboard with blackest black 3.0 paint and i am using plastikote clear sealer matt finish, i have a question / if i want to add another layer of coat do i have to slightly tarnish top coat , thx in advance dude .

[@BradAngove]

I don’t know much about plastikote, but generally you should sand lightly if you’re going back in for another round of clear.

[@mustardviking5943]

Nice, I'm doing this tomorrow on a bass. The general principles should be the same, right?

[@BradAngove]

Indeed

[@mustardviking5943]

@@BradAngove Worked great, thanks. New bridge is awesome!

[@BradAngove]

Glad to hear it!

[@mrdyvig]

I inherited a Mastercraft laser level and distance finder. Kinda old and something too "gimmicky" for me to consider buying for myself. But damn if that isn't the handsiet thing! Thanks for the video!

[@BradAngove]

Good for finding center?

[@RecipeForMayhem]

So you cant use a Tune-O-Matic bridge with a flat neck huh. That's disappointing. I didn't want to drill string holes. Any other options?

[@BradAngove]

There are lots of top-loading bridges. Those would be your better options. The other alternatively is to route down into your guitar top to recess a tunomatic bridge, but it’s a bit of an extreme option.

[@RecipeForMayhem]

@@BradAngove Top loading bridge it is. Thanks a lot.

[@BradAngove]

Glad I could help

[@r.llynch4124]

Where could I get a LP body that's flat, mahogany 2 humbuckers and a neck pocket to fit Warmoth neck?

[@BradAngove]

Maybe from warmoth?

[@r.llynch4124]

@@BradAngove They do not build a flat lp body but thanks.

[@BradAngove]

Have you asked them to?

[@r.llynch4124]

@@BradAngove yep guess they don't like to deviate from the norm. Do you know where I could get a gotoh 510t fe1 2 point tremolo template?

[@BradAngove]

I would think Steve from maximum guitar works could make you one.

[@الشمسالحمراء-ع8ظ]

My guitar saddles need to go back further than i can, what can i do?

[@BradAngove]

What kind of bridge is it?

[@الشمسالحمراء-ع8ظ]

@@BradAngove Telecaster, i have a Squier Telecaster Custom 72

[@BradAngove]

I bought the wrong tele bridge for one of mine once and couldn’t get them far enough back. I replaced the bolts that hold the saddles with shorter ones. That fixed it.

[@b.cguitarcovers2347]

That's gonna be a cool looking guitar I think man

[@BradAngove]

Thanks Blake

[@seanjoynt2605]

Do you do much with a floating trem system? I know, all the haters out there won't like this question. But I am building a guitar and putting a floyd on it. Still a little ways away from that step but just looking ahead always keeps my interest.

[@BradAngove]

I have very little experience with them. If you want it to be truly floating you have to route a cavity for it to pull back into.

[@petedazer3381]

Brad with all of the stuff you have, why no drill press?

[@BradAngove]

I’ve got a drill press Pete. I don’t keep it on my little guitar setup work bench though.

[@tomwoods7120]

Ah Newcastle Brown good choice .....was my drink of choice while going through my RAF Trade Training

[@Farcewipe]

thanks for your content Brad its super helpful. Do you place all the saddles in the middle position then put then place the bridge with the sadles directly on the intonation line?

[@BradAngove]

I place the saddles in the middle and then I aim to have a relatively even amount of adjustment space in either direction, but usually favoring adjustment toward a longer scale length slightly.

[@amazingthingsfromaroundthe2057]

So the bridge is supposed to be exactly half way over your 25.5 mark?

[@BradAngove]

I usually put it so that I have 1/8” of adjustability on the short side of the mark.

[@theother526]

Hi Brad! What if I want to install a Vintage Fender Tremolo (6 screws) BUT, I will use the bridge flush to the body. Do I really need a drill press or a special tool? Can I try it by hand with my drill?

[@BradAngove]

Ya, those are just short screws and you just need pilot holes for them anyway. I don’t think you need to worry.

[@markdaltonvanisland]

Silly question, but if the saddles are all staggered, and assuming you take the scale length from the edge of the nut to the saddle, do you take the 25 1/2 from the middle of the bridge? Thanks Brad.

[@BradAngove]

I aim for the middle. Sometimes the bridge should be ever so slightly behind that, but the saddles adjust far enough that middle has never been a problem.

[@BradAngove]

I was in Banff three weeks ago. Drinking and eating pizza half the day at the bear street tavern.

[@markdaltonvanisland]

@@BradAngove that's fantastic. Tried to go there that weekend and it was an hour wait!

[@BradAngove]

Yikes.

[@metalhed6t7]

what about the ground wire to the bridge?

[@BradAngove]

You just drill a hole for that either to the control cavity or the pickup cavity.

[@dave25311]

Ahh, Newcastle Broon. My home town brew. Can't beat a bottle of dog !

[@acemilesdomain]

Thanks for sharing this video 👍

[@BradAngove]

Thanks for watching.

[@markhennigar748]

Great video!

[@BradAngove]

Cheers!

[@fieldsage1476]

Can we get a video for floyd roses? I’m making a guitar from a blank, and that’s the main thing worrying me

[@BradAngove]

I don’t really work with Floyd’s enough to do a video on them, but if that changes I will.

[@symbolicacts6056]

Ive heard that you should place the bridge with the high e saddle at its furthest forward adjustment. Is this necessary or should you typically have enough space to adjust it back if you just place it in the middle of the adjustability range?

[@BradAngove]

I prefer to have some adjustability in either direction just in case.

[@born2wrench]

brad any idea where i can buy copper foil tape

[@BradAngove]

I just get mine from amazon these days.

[@BradAngove]

I probably have some in the amazon link in the description. Likely under guitar hardware.

[@dave25311]

Ash, Newcastle Broon. My home town brew. Can't beat a bottle of dog !

[@richardhinton4232]

Thanks bud that's the one I needed lol