Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

I had the 12-saddle bridge on my 360/12 CW reslotted this week. At first I thought the problem lay in the string spacing at the nut, but after sitting down with a local luthier it was explained that the problem was caused by the way the strings lined up at the bridge. I finally plugged it in today and it plays like a dream. No more damping notes due to crowded fingers.

On playing "A" chords, I usually just bar the three strings with one finger.

Chrome Aardvark wrote:I had the 12-saddle bridge on my 360/12 CW reslotted this week. At first I thought the problem lay in the string spacing at the nut, but after sitting down with a local luthier it was explained that the problem was caused by the way the strings lined up at the bridge. I finally plugged it in today and it plays like a dream. No more damping notes due to crowded fingers.

On playing "A" chords, I usually just bar the three strings with one finger.

Hi Rod,

When you say you had your 12-saddle bridge reslotted, I assume this means you didn't have to replace it. That would mean that it's possible to renotch a bridge to adjust string-spacing, without starting from scratch. Did you leave the nut as is?

Robert

i gave up and sold mine . . .

Weren't there four white 12 strings made for the UK recently with the 660 neck?

admin wrote:Weren't there four white 12 strings made for the UK recently with the 660 neck?

I think that one was specifically for 'The Edge' of U2. I could be wrong though.

IvanMunoz wrote:I think that one was specifically for 'The Edge' of U2. I could be wrong though.

That's right, Ivan!

There was only one and it was that one.

Hi,
I am just so happy with my 660/12, though I prefer more the shape of a 350/325 maybe i can get it to a luthier to reshape it for this body size.

Peter

Medicus1963 wrote:Hi,
I am just so happy with my 660/12, though I prefer more the shape of a 350/325 maybe i can get it to a luthier to reshape it for this body size.

Peter

There have been some examples of this idea under discussion here in the past. One came up on ebay not too long ago. It was very interesting, as I recall.

Folkie wrote:

Chrome Aardvark wrote:I had the 12-saddle bridge on my 360/12 CW reslotted this week. At first I thought the problem lay in the string spacing at the nut, but after sitting down with a local luthier it was explained that the problem was caused by the way the strings lined up at the bridge. I finally plugged it in today and it plays like a dream. No more damping notes due to crowded fingers.

On playing "A" chords, I usually just bar the three strings with one finger.

Hi Rod,

When you say you had your 12-saddle bridge reslotted, I assume this means you didn't have to replace it. That would mean that it's possible to renotch a bridge to adjust string-spacing, without starting from scratch. Did you leave the nut as is?

Robert

Hi Robert,

My luthier ground the existing bridge saddles down and renotched them. He also noted there was just enough metal there to grind it down just the once. I didn't swap out the nut, though it may have provided a bit more playability. Just adjusting the string course from the nut through to the bridge has made the guitar a lot easier to play. Sometimes it's the less obvious approach that gets the results you want.

Chrome Aardvark wrote:Sometimes it's the less obvious approach that gets the results you want.

Indeed. On my 6-saddle bridge, because low E is two wound strings, I ordered an extra saddle and filed it so the octave string intonates off the front edge of the saddle and the unison low E string intonates off the back edge of the saddle, and that, with proper string selection, solved all my intonation issues.

Chrome Aardvark wrote:

Folkie wrote:

Chrome Aardvark wrote:I had the 12-saddle bridge on my 360/12 CW reslotted this week. At first I thought the problem lay in the string spacing at the nut, but after sitting down with a local luthier it was explained that the problem was caused by the way the strings lined up at the bridge. I finally plugged it in today and it plays like a dream. No more damping notes due to crowded fingers.

On playing "A" chords, I usually just bar the three strings with one finger.

Hi Rod,

When you say you had your 12-saddle bridge reslotted, I assume this means you didn't have to replace it. That would mean that it's possible to renotch a bridge to adjust string-spacing, without starting from scratch. Did you leave the nut as is?

Robert

Hi Robert,

My luthier ground the existing bridge saddles down and renotched them. He also noted there was just enough metal there to grind it down just the once. I didn't swap out the nut, though it may have provided a bit more playability. Just adjusting the string course from the nut through to the bridge has made the guitar a lot easier to play. Sometimes it's the less obvious approach that gets the results you want.

Will this approach be appropriate for installation of a new 12-saddle bridge on a C63?

I purchased a 12-saddle bridge for my C63 since it comes stock with the pairs each sharing a single saddle....hence I got the new bridge. I guess it will be important/critical for the saddles to be appropriately notched when the thing is installed.

Fred

Fred,

That approach will work fine on your guitar.

What is the factory spacing between the octave strings? Iv heard is was 90thousands. Thanks Gary

I figured it out. The thinner neck is because the fretboard has a sharper radius.