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Bridge tilt-back
Posted: Sat Sep 10, 2005 5:43 am
by kcole4001
Here's a problem I haven't seen discussed yet. I have a 1977 4001 & the bridge keeps tilting back toward the tail after a few moments of aggressive playing thus messing up the intonation while you're playing. It's simple to fix by just pulling the bridge back into an upright position, but it only stays until you play hard again, or if the bass is bumped. Anyone else have a fix for this?
Posted: Sat Sep 10, 2005 6:06 am
by jps
I think some folks drill a deeper hole for the height adjustment screws to go into and use longer screws if neccesary then.
Posted: Sat Sep 10, 2005 7:59 am
by ken_j
I fixed the one on my former V63. It always leaned toward the nut. What I did was turn down (on a lathe) the outer diameter of two nuts that fit the height adjustment screws. This is necessary for clearance in the tailpiece. Then I used a permanent strength Loctite and secured the nut to the height adjusting screw so that when the screw was bottomed in the hole of the tailpiece the nut bottomed in the bridge pocket of the tailpiece. Each screw should be kept in their respective location. The Loctite should cure before reassembly. The nut prevents the bridge from leaning. This is totally reversible by replacing the 2 screws. If you have problems with these directions I will make a sketch and post it, if interested.
Posted: Sat Sep 10, 2005 1:35 pm
by kcole4001
If I use a small enough nut I should be able to file down the sides a bit as I don't have access to a lathe. It's funny but I haven't had this problem on my 4000, just the 4001. The action isn't very high at all.
Posted: Mon Sep 12, 2005 3:13 am
by ken_j
Lock the nuts on a screw, chuck the screw in a drill motor then spin it against a file or sanding board.
Posted: Mon Sep 12, 2005 3:15 am
by jwr2
this is one area where the allparts bridge/tailpiece is better than the Ric bridge/tailpiece ... the allparts has bigger allen screws that give it a real positive connection ...
Posted: Mon Sep 12, 2005 7:10 am
by aceonbass
I tap my bridges for the next size larger screw and drill out the hole in the tailpice so that the screw goes all the way through it down to the body. This means you'll need to use longer screws and since the top of the allen screw was tearing up my little finger, I use cap screws instead which have a larger but rounded head. The hole needs to be as tight a fit as possible to prevent lateral movement.