Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Ben, do you have the capability for taking some good close-up pictures of the bridge for us? If so, front, back, top , maybe even side(s) would be good. I personally can't figure out why the strings would keep on breaking after the deburring/smoothing work you did on the saddles.

Hi Gary

Thanks for your help with this. I have taken some pics of the bridge and nut (for good measure!).















I've just been looking it over again and I can't for the life of me work it out! I was reading the RIc manual again yesterday and I have the bridge plate as close the neck end as possible...could the problem lay here? I am using 10-52 guage strings.

Cheers!

Thanks for the pictures, Ben. I hope that one or more of the expert luthiers will look at the pictures and comment. In the meantime, here is my take on them.

Without looking back in the thread for details, I would hazard a guess here that the strings that are breaking are all or some of the four 'bottom strings', i.e. the high E, B, G, and maybe the D. I would base this guess on what I consider to be a possible culprit: those four strings, in my opinion, are sitting too low in the saddle (lol). The slots in the saddles IMO are too deep, and this results in the strings binding in the saddles, so that every time the string is bent, it becomes weaker at the saddle, and eventually it gets weak enough to break it.

I will try to get some pictures taken of one of my newer Rickenbacker guitars with an original factory bridge to show how the saddles are cut from the factory. In the meantime, here is the bridge on my 1997PT:
Note how high all the strings ride on the saddles and how very shallow the slots are.

Hi Gary


It is in fact the low e, a and d that I break the most! a and d mostly. It is quite odd. I got the files out yet again earlier and went over them again. I have a gig tonight so I hope it all holds up!

Well, two gigs and no string breaks = good. Still not convinced though!! I bought the two lowest grade sandpapers (wet and dry papers) from local hardware store and I carefully sanded each saddle down again - maybe this did the trick...