Electric Guitar Bridge Setup

The fender style bridge allows you to adjust each saddle height individually.

Electric guitar bridge setup.

Turn the guitar on its side close one eye and look down the neck from the headstock towards the bridge left. Below you will find all the information you need to setup your guitar the right way. Adjusting your guitar action and bridge height is one of the most common guitar setup tips that you will learn with this easy and simple guitar setup guide for gibson fender and floyd rose style guitar bridges. I ve been blown away by the improvements in playability and sound clarity that come from minor adjustments to the guitar s setup.

A playable guitar that sounds amazing requires a setting up process only then will your guitar play well. Sight a guitar neck. Please visit the individual guitar bridge pages for more detailed information about the anatomy of the bridges themselves. Sight the neck please read the beginning of this article for thorough instruction on sighting your guitar s neck.

If it s not adjusted correctly notes down the neck of the guitar will be flat or sharp. Because the truss rod will affect the middle of the neck most be sure to pay. The bridge elongates or shortens the length of your strings. On an electric guitar this is a matter of twisting the appropriate screws.

The non tremolo hardtail bridge. These are the basic steps to setting the action on various styled electric guitar bridges. Setting up a guitar involves working with the bridge nut and neck adjustments to dial in the playing action to suit the player. Most guitars have either a fender or gibson style bridge.

A gibson style bridge has two bridge posts that allow you to adjust only the bass and treble side of the bridge. And a locking tremolo such as the american deluxe or floyd rose locking tremolos. Tools a machinist rule a screwdriver or hex key electric guitar calipers a shim stock or stationary belt sander acoustic guitar. Remove the truss rod cover.

For more information about how to set up a floating or floyd rose bridge please go to the floating or floyd rose bridge page. On an acoustic guitar you may have to shim or sand the bridge saddle. Strum the top string next to the tuner and adjust the tuning knobs until it s an e. Set the relief capo the first fret and press the 15th fret with your finger then use your feeler gauge on the 8th fret to measure the height.

Stratocaster guitars can have four distinctive types of bridges. A guitar s action can also be adjust at the bridge. Put the rest of the guitar in standard e a d g b e tuning. Use a straightedge for added assurance pictured.

First sight the neck just to see what condition it s in. Tune your guitar with an electric tuner. When adjusting these it s up to you to maintain or adjust them to the proper radius. Tune the guitar to pitch.

Look down the profile of the fretboard on both the bass and treble sides of the neck is the neck straight or is there a curve. Tune the guitar to desired pitch. The other three are the american series bridge which is a modern day two pivot bridge.