Official Luthiers Forum!

I'm sorry if this has been covered before. I may not have searched correctly, and I know the information must be out there. My first completely from scratch bridge is for a 30" scale 6 string instrument. Let's call it a bass, for argument's sake. So far, my bridge is structurally similar to a Martin bridge, though about 10% bigger, and will utilize a thick bridge plate. I'm concerned that with the larger scale length, the saddle slot should probably have a more severe angle than what you'd find on a Martin bridge. Can anyone give me some advice, or point me in the direction of something I ought to read, even if it's very basic? I'm open to unorthodox solutions, too.

Thanks in advance for your help, and again, I'm sorry if this is an old question being rehashed.

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David Morris

Are you talking about the compensation? If so, it's not too hard to rig up a test bed. Put a tuner on one end and a wide saddle on the other. Use a short piece of g-string as a movable break point on the top of the saddle. You'd probably need a zero fret and a 12th fret too. Set it up for your estimated scale and string it with the string you're wondering about. When you've got the intonation where you want it, measure to the break point. That ought to get you close enough to intonate on the body.

Mike

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Mike Lindstrom

Thanks Mike. That would certainly work. To clarify my question, I assume somebody's built an acoustic bass at some point. Is the saddle angled like on a guitar, or is it a more severe angle? I'd think it would be more...angled. For some reason, I can't seem to find the information.

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David Morris