eric cash - Posted - 02/10/2013:  09:18:01

hello guys  my bridge is about a inch off (on the tailpiece side) if i use a ruler to determine is location. i was wandering why it could be so off but the harmonic are matching and its pretty much in tune all over the neck. is it normal and what would be the cause ?

cheers

mbanza - Posted - 02/10/2013:  09:47:13

Would you describe precisely how you determined that the bridge is misloacted?

jduke - Posted - 02/10/2013:  09:53:23

I suspect you are measuring incorrectly.  Do you know what the scale length of your banjo is?   Measure from the edge of the nut to the twelfth fret.  Double that amount and you will have the scale length.  You can use the scale length measurement to measure from the nut to the bridge or you can use the nut to 12th fret figure to measure from the 12th fret to the bridge.  In theory, this should be accurate, but because of the string gauges, action height, etc. it will be a little off when the bridge is set properly.  Not as much as an inch though!

Jeff

Edited by - jduke on 02/10/2013 09:54:53

eric cash - Posted - 02/10/2013:  09:55:18

am matching the harmonics at the twelve fret  and today i watch this video youtube.com/watch?v=Q_xO_wHnAz8 . and folowed is method and yes my banjo sounded better all over the neck.the bridge look to close from the bridge ,If i mesure from the tailpiece to the bridge its 1 inch and a half.

rudy - Posted - 02/10/2013:  09:56:20

Eric, Doublecheck your set-up using the information here:

bluestemstrings.com/pageBanjoC...ips2.html

Something doesn't jive with the figures.

mbanza - Posted - 02/10/2013:  10:18:04

This youtube is more clear on determining bridge location:  youtube.com/watch?v=o3GPARmX0C0

eric cash - Posted - 02/10/2013:  10:21:21

I just double checked and its off by 1/8 . I was taking the mesure in the middle of the 12frets

gshall - Posted - 02/10/2013:  10:54:48

If the 3rd string is centered and you can play the harmonics properly, I don't think you're off.

banjonz - Posted - 02/10/2013:  10:59:44

Eric, you haven't advised what type of banjo you have. Some real old ones do have the bridge sitting right back towards the TP. It all depends on the scale length. If it is a modern banjo then the same applies. The final arbiter of where the bridge correctly sits is the harmonic and freting at the 12th.

Roll Player - Posted - 02/10/2013:  11:45:40

Your bridge location isn't off. You misunderstand where it should be located. If you double the distance from the nut to the 12th fret, you do not have the correct location of the bridge.

The physics of the string stretching and other factors will cause the notes to be increasingly sharp the farther up the neck you go as you press the strings to the frets. That's why you need an extra 1/8" or so towards the tailpiece -- to correct for that. Thicker strings need a little extra compensation, which is why the 3rd string often presents difficulties with going sharp when fretted.

kmwaters - Posted - 02/11/2013:  08:07:55

Roll player has good advice for you Eric. Don't forget also that you have to stretch (pull up a few times once they are on the banjo - about 2 inches then release. I do this about 5-10 times) and then retune, and then maybe even let it sit for a few minutes and re-tune again.

Also, I have found that will all the tweaking sometimes the bridge loses its footing and gets tilted. You want the bridge on solid footing and the normal slant toward the tailpiece.

Hankon5 - Posted - 02/11/2013:  11:44:53

Warren Yates has a great video on setting bridges..you will learn a lot. Put in Warren Yates bridge video in the upper right and you will get to it...Good luck!

John Gribble - Posted - 02/11/2013:  15:43:39

If it plays in tune, its fine. Now go play.