4003 Bridge Saddle Springs

[jhill0129]

Just wondering if these are really necessary to the operation of the saddles. My A and G strings will not go any farther back (toward the butt of the bass) than halfway. Since the saddles have screws running through them which allow you to adjust them and keep them in place, what function do the springs serve? Sorry if this is a stupid question.

[rickaddict]

Just wondering if these are really necessary to the operation of the saddles. My A and G strings will not go any farther back (toward the butt of the bass) than halfway. Since the saddles have screws running through them which allow you to adjust them and keep them in place, what function do the springs serve? Sorry if this is a stupid question.

They aren't necessary to the operation of the saddles. RIC didn't even put springs in their bridges until the early 2000's and many (!) bridges made before then work fine.

I actually started putting springs in my Rick bridges before RIC did, but I use a much weaker spring that is a bit longer. Mine have a lower stack height that allows the saddle to travel the full range of the bridge slot.

I would recommend finding a weaker spring with a shorter stack height or removing the spring all together if you can't get your bass to intonate.

And to answer your question (it isn't stupid, BTW!) the spring returns the saddle forward as you back the adjuster screw off. If there were no spring, the screw would just turn out and the saddle would stay in the same place...unless you were to slide the saddle forward with your finger as you back the screw out, or put pressure on the screw head as you back it off.

[jhill0129]

Thanks for the response, Jeff. I took the bridge off and looking at the A and G saddles springs, they seem to be a bit longer than the E and D. Do you think snipping the springs a little might solve my problem? And if so, what would be the best tool for the job? Thanks.

[rickaddict]

Thanks for the response, Jeff. I took the bridge off and looking at the A and G saddles springs, they seem to be a bit longer than the E and D. Do you think snipping the springs a little might solve my problem? And if so, what would be the best tool for the job? Thanks.

That would also be an option. I'd just use a good strong wire cutter.

[cassius987]

Jeff, where do you get those springs? Back when I tried to MacGuyver my 2007's bridge, before getting very tight-fitting replacement saddles, I messed around with springs a lot--"harvesting" them from unsuspecting pens. But I didn't get great results with most of them.

[rickenbrother]

I've taken springs out of click pens for a few good uses in guitars. You just need to cut them down to the right size if necessary.

[cassius987]

What I found was that the quality of the springs was highly variable. What I wanted was very, very tough springs, actually, because I wanted the spring to force my wobbly saddles to stay in place. That did actually work for one saddle, but I was never able to find any other springs that good. Like I said though I got replacement saddles that fit very tight, and that was the real cure.

[stevebasshead]

...RIC didn't even put springs in their bridges until the early 2000's and many (!) bridges made before then work fine...

That's a nicely timed answer to a question I hadn't even thought to ask, my newly acquired '74 4001 has no springs and I'd assumed they'd gone AWOL at some point. I was about to go down the pen-harvesting route but you've saved me the trouble and extended my knowledge of Ric's in the process - cheers!

[rickaddict]

Jeff, where do you get those springs? Back when I tried to MacGuyver my 2007's bridge, before getting very tight-fitting replacement saddles, I messed around with springs a lot--"harvesting" them from unsuspecting pens. But I didn't get great results with most of them.

I scavenged the spring drawers at a few local hardware stores until I found something that I thought would work well. The ones I found were old, at an old hardware store, and I wouldn't know how to tell you where to find them or what their size is. It seems there are a million different types and sizes of springs! Once I knew they would be right, I cleaned the place out of them! The ones I found are about the size of a pen spring, but more delicate. Strong enough to return the saddle, but so thin when they're compressed that the saddle can still adjust it's full range. I experimented with pen springs, but they were too tall when compressed.

Good luck!

...RIC didn't even put springs in their bridges until the early 2000's and many (!) bridges made before then work fine...

That's a nicely timed answer to a question I hadn't even thought to ask, my newly acquired '74 4001 has no springs and I'd assumed they'd gone AWOL at some point. I was about to go down the pen-harvesting route but you've saved me the trouble and extended my knowledge of Ric's in the process - cheers!

You're welcome. Glad I could be useful!