• From: North Carolina
  • Registered: 2008-10-26
  • Posts: 2,926

Topic: More Nashville Bridge questions

Ok so I've got a Traditional pro Gibson LP.  The guitar sounds good plugged in, but when playing it acoustically the bass notes sound horrible.  We are talking nylon string toy guitar muted sounding.  Its not reverse wrapped strings over the stop tail piece (its strung traditionally) and the tail piece is not too low causing the string break angle to touch the Nashville tom bridge at all.  I have adjusted everything I can remotely think of.  Any thought on why the E string sounds like this?  A string does it too but not nearly as bad and D string sound right.  Originally I thought it was the nut but if you fret down the neck it still sounds like a thud rather then a ring.  And before anybody asks its not a rattle or a buzz from the fret board.

AD3THREE's Website

  • Registered: 2009-02-10
  • Posts: 470

Re: More Nashville Bridge questions

How old are the strings? What brand and what gauge?
Try getting the Dunlop string conditioner and putting that on every now and then, does wonders of bringing life back to strings.
Other than that, the only other option is to upgrade the hardware, which is costly. But faber do great hardware for a half decent price. I got their ABR-1 for my les paul classic, changed the tone quite a bit.

  • From: Detroit
  • Registered: 2006-06-02
  • Posts: 5,807

Re: More Nashville Bridge questions

If intonation is good, I'd put on new strings.
After that, a good test could be to try the guitar tuned down 1/2 step flat, and if it still has problems (or problem more amplified) tune 1/2 step higher... try it in drop D and see again.... it could be a string tension thing.

If it's recent, it could be a changing of the seasons. Whenever the weather gets all weird between summer/fall or winter/spring my guitars end up needing a setup.

- Nic from Detroit... posting on JB's Forum since 6-2-2006
Ask me about my handwound Great Lakes Guitar Pickups
Since 2010, Bonamassa fans have taken advantage of my JB friend discount = my cost + shipping. cool
  • From: North Carolina
  • Registered: 2008-10-26
  • Posts: 2,926

Re: More Nashville Bridge questions

After playing another guitar today (my friends 07' standard with a nashville bridge) and his guitar was doing it too.  Not to the degree my guitar was but it was there. Taking measurements on my ABR-1 on my SG I decided the saddles are too thick and the pre notched saddles are not notched to properly seat the string.  I took the saddles off the Nashville bridge and put them on the mill.  We first took them down down 300 microns which is almost a third of the depth of the notches.  Then we changed to a 45º end mill which is pretty close to the back side of the saddles angle.  We basically made it so it was 500 microns thick.  The end result was the string has less mass on the sides of it so can has more room to move.  Also it seats better in the notch which I never touched.  It made the strings sound more free.  BTW it help with problem but it didn't fix the problem completely.  BUT what I've learned is the saddles on a Nashville Bridge are not like the ABR-1!  They are not brass like the stock bridge on my SG.  If I had to guess I'd say Aluminum because they milled very easy.  This makes me think Callaham looks better and better because they offer Brass or Steel saddles.

And it wasn't the strings, I changed them regularly with GHS Boomers.

AD3THREE's Website