A couple of set up questions

baldy

I have recently completely rebuilt a "V" I was given.
I have changed all the parts on the guitar for parts from Axetec (except the tuners which are Wilkinson EZ-Loks).
My 2 questions are 
1. I can"t get the action down quite as low as I would like. The Axetec roller bridge is down as far as it will go but the treble E is still 2mm above the 12th fret (same as the Bass E is) & generally I like it about 1.5mm.
2. I fitted Irongear Hot Slag & Rolling Mill pickups using the existing pickup rings (the only things left from the original hardware).
I have set the neck pickup to my required height (about 2.5mm bass E & 1.5mm treble E when fretted on the last fret) but the bridge pickup is way to far from the strings when adjusted up as far as it will go.
The Hot Slag is only available in one leg length as far as I am aware so is the remedy a thicker pickup ring or is there something else I can do to raise the bridge pickup up closer to the strings ?

richardhomer

Are you saying you have run out of height adjustment at the bridge? 

If so, is the neck relief correctly set? If there’s too much bow, the action will be higher than necessary.

Other than that (assuming it’s a set-neck guitar) a lower bridge is your only option.

bloodandtears

richardhomer said:

Other than that (assuming it’s a set-neck guitar) a lower bridge is your only option.

Or a shim in the neck pocket?

baldy

Yes the bridge is tight against the body but the treble E is still a little higher than I would like.
I cannot seem to find a bridge on line that is lower than the one I have fitted, which is the same dimensions as the one it replaced.
There is not to much bow the neck is pretty flat.
It is a bolt on neck.

MLten80

add a 1mm shim at the back of the neck pocket & you should get the movement to get action down to 1.5 ish 

ICBM

1mm is *way* too much for a shim. Try a piece of a business card or something similar, about 1/10 to 1/4mm.

Most humbucker height springs are parallel wound, so the spring will become solid when the coils are all touching. You can raise the pickup higher by using shorter springs, or cutting the ones you have in half.

baldy

Will that, shimming the neck, mean the relief will have to be done again ?
Thanks for the tip on the springs ICBM & that is exactly what is happening ie the springs on the bridge pickup are solid before the pup is high enough.
I will cut the springs down.

Funkfingers

Bridge too high and a bridge/Treble position pickup that cannot be adjusted close enough to the strings both indicate a major neck pitch angle issue.

baldy

Possibly Funkfingers but as I have changed the bridge & pickups my guess is that either the pickup legs or springs are a  different length to the originals & that the bridge is slightly thicker than the original.
The string height & pickup height were fine with the original hardware prior to me swapping them with the bridge pup at 2.5mm bass side & 1.6mm treble side away from the strings & bass E string at 2.00mm & treble E string at 1.5mm from the strings on the 12th fret.
I do remember that there was no more adjustment on the bridge on the treble E side with the original bridge so the new bridge, despite me thinking from the specs that it was the same size, may be .5mm thicker ?
I did have a fret level, crown & polish done when the old hardware was still in place & the luthier said the neck relief was fine.
I had the guitar set up to my tastes as above so do think the problems are because I have swapped pickups & bridge.
I can cut down the springs on the bridge pickup & assume that that will give me the necessary adjustment easy enough.

baldy

Just cut the pickup height springs down by about 40% & the bridge pickup is now adjusted to my desired height, thanks again ICBM.
The guitar plays great, no fret buzzing or choking I would just like the action slightly lower on the treble side than I can get with the new bridge that I have fitted.
The Irongear Hot slag/Rolling Mill combo are brilliant.

Groke

File a bit off the bottom of the bridge

baldy

That is actually what I am thinking of doing but I always tend to overthink things when it comes to guitars & think you can"t do something as basic & crude as that as it is a guitar, a musical instrument, we are talking about.
However filing the underside of the bridge would be the answer.
I recently wanted to make some sort of quick connect wiring to be able to swap pickups easily without de-soldering/re-soldering.
Chocolate block connectors were the obvious answer but I thought being a guitar it couldn"t be that simple could it ?
I asked on here & ICBM confirmed that in fact it was as simple as using chocolate blocks but without confirmation I didn"t want to go ahead with my first thought.

FelineGuitars

A slim shim at the body end of the neck pocket will tilt the neck and let the bridge have more range to get the action where you want it .

Groke

I filed the bottom of a roller bridge on a set neck guitar. Worked a treat. Just make sure the filed area is totally flat and be aware that the top of the bridge post will stick out of the bridge top a little.  Small price to pay to get the action you require. 

baldy

Is there actually anything wrong with filing a little from underneath the bridge, there is plenty of meat there  & surely it would have the required effect without having to maybe play about with the relief ?
Genuine question as you know far more than me. 

Blaendulais

baldy said:

Is there actually anything wrong with filing a little from underneath the bridge, there is plenty of meat there  & surely it would have the required effect without having to maybe play about with the relief ?
Genuine question as you know far more than me. 

A shim would be a damn site easier!

Groke

No problem at all that I can think of other than the bridge post sticking up a bit. 

baldy

@Baendulais forgive my ignorance but doesn"t shimming the neck give rise to the possibility that the the relief will need altering where as lowering the bridge doesn"t affect anything other than the string height ?
I had the frets & relief done with the old bridge in place which in hindsight was a mistake, but if I just lower the new bridge 0.5mm then that will have no effect on the previous work will it ?
Am I reading to much in to the possible effects of shimming the neck ?
Again a genuine question & obviously I would like to do what ever is easiest & quickest to get the result I want.

Maynehead

Shim is the way to go. The neck angle is less than ideal at the moment, so filing the bridge is just a band aid for the real underlying problem.

baldy

@Maynehead, again a genuine question.
Why is the neck angle less than ideal when with the old bridge it was fine ? 
Surely the neck angle is the same now as before & it is the new bridge that has thrown things out ?
Again forgive my ignorance.

Maynehead

baldy said:

@Maynehead, again a genuine question.
Why is the neck angle less than ideal when with the old bridge it was fine ? 
Surely the neck angle is the same now as before & it is the new bridge that has thrown things out ?
Again forgive my ignorance.

Looking at the measurements, the roller bridge saddles are 1.7mm higher than the standard bridge saddles, so a standard bridge would give you 0.85mm lower action at the 12th fret when both are dropped to the deck.

This means that on your guitar, a standard bridge can only give you a minimum 12th fret action of 1.15mm on the treble E. With an ideal neck angle, when the bridge is dropped to the deck, your strings should be just resting on the frets, not over 1mm off them. It’s not massively out, but a thin shim should get your neck closer to the ideal angle.