Please help me work this out

[Pat]

I'm installing a new bridge on my guitar, a Wilkinson. It has 10.8mm string spacing same as my old one (have measured both), but when I put the high and low e on to measure, they are both closer to the edge of the fretboard than my old bridge?


Old bridge gave 2mm clearance on the high and 1mm on the low. The new one gives 1.5mm on the high and 2mm on the low. Is it just a case of shifting the bridge along slightly towards the bass side? This is fine it will just need some filling, drilling and sanding of the trem cavity.


I'm just confused why the distances are different if the string spacing is the same and wondering if I'm being dumb?!

 

[MaxOfMetal]

Are the saddles just as far back or forward as your previous bridge?

The further forward (towards the headstock) the saddles the closer the strings will be.

Remember, the strings aren't perfectly parallel to the direction of the neck, they create a trapezoid between the wider bridge and narrower nut.

 

[Pat]

Are the saddles just as far back or forward as your previous bridge?

The further forward (towards the headstock) the saddles the closer the strings will be.

Remember, the strings aren't perfectly parallel to the direction of the neck, they create a trapezoid between the wider bridge and narrower nut.

Good point I'd not checked that, will have another look, thank you

 

[ChAoZ]

Have you tuned it so it has full string tension, and can you push the saddles toward the centre???

 

[Pat]

Have you tuned it so it has full string tension, and can you push the saddles toward the centre???

I've not tuned it yet because it's not screwed in as it needs 2 holes filling and drilling, just trying to line it up before i do it. The saddles can't move laterally because they're housed by the bridge:

I have however put the low and high e strings on to check alignment, that's when I spotted to discrepancies in distance to the fretboard edge. Have put the old bridge back on with just the high and low e and the distance is fine, so don't think it's an issue with not being fully stringed and tuned. I'm stumped??

 

[Pat]

The only thing I can think of is it looks like the original bridge string holes were slightly off centre - they seem a bit wonky here so maybe why the distance from the fretboard edge was different?