-
I recently purchased an Ibanez AF171F with a floating tuneomatic bridge. It does not have a retaining bar like on Epiphone tuneomatics. I noticed rattling when I played it. This went away if I put one finger over the intonation screws on the bridge. What can I do to fix this? Doing a quick Google search, it looks like people have had success with applying Loctite threadlocker or candle wax on the screws. I have never used Loctite threadlocker before. It looks like it comes in a number of different strengths. Would I need to remove the screws before applying it? I would prefer not to have to intonate the entire bridge again if that's the case. Candle wax just sounds messy.
Would there be any other solutions?
-
05-21-2025 09:21 PM
-
My solution is to swap to a wooden saddle. I much prefer the tone and the intonation is still okay.
-
I was considering getting a GraphTech Resomax Archtop bridge, but I'm trying to find out what it's made out of, and whether or not it contains PTFEs.
Originally Posted by entresz
Do you know if they sell just the saddles? I have only seem complete bridges. There's also no guarantee the saddle will fit in this base.
I am not sure if I want to buy a complete wooden bridge because I might have to sand it to fit to the top of the guitar. I don't think I'm very good at that kind of work, and I'm a bit too cheap to take it to the shop.
-
Locktite blue, I think is the lightest grade. Comes in a little tube. Just put a drop on the screw thread, it's penetrating and the seal is easily broken when you want to adjust. I use a drop on a toothpick and touch the screw head gap. It will run right in.
-
An old trick is to use a drop of clear nail polish on each screw.
I replaced mine with a Tone Pros bridge, no rattles!
-
Clear nail polish.
-
Like others have said, nail polish or blue Loctite. You will likely need to adjust the saddles someday, so you want to be able to turn the screws then. You don't need a strong adhesive.
The Tusq bridge comes with a base which will conform to the top well enough. It's uncommon to find just a saddle for sale, they all come with a base. As I said in your other thread, the saddle can be one piece, or individual small ones. The terms are used interchangeably, but not exactly correctly.
-
Tune-O-Matics come without a base all day long. Plenty of Gibson electrics use them, most with metal posts on the guitar instead of a wood base like on the jazz boxes. Originally Posted by sgosnell
-
Can you adjust the intonation after applying Loctite and letting it cure, or would you have to reapply every time to want to adjust the intonation screws? Originally Posted by Jimmy blue note
-
You have to reapply it after moving the screw. Originally Posted by Wrogsprit
I had a similar problem recently with a Tune-o-matic. A retainer spring not well seated and rattled when I played on the specific string. It took a bit of detective work to find what was really making the noise.
Good luck.
-
For about 70 years, ever since the ABR-1 bridge was invented, players are still struggling. Every player has to go through the same trouble shooting process, left alone, guided by myth and hearsay.
"It's the retention wire", we were told.... (false).
"A dab of glue will keep the saddles in place", we were told....(not a good solution for obvious reasons. Glue, loctite, lacquer, wax or whatever creates other problems)
The hard fact is that you have to learn how to setup and operate an ABR-1 bridge. That's the truth and chances are you'll need a set of nut files:
1. Make sure that the saddle slots match your string gauge. (Pay attention to the witness points and orientation of the saddles.)
2. Address your tailpiece setup, check the string break angle. (there has to be enough string break to create sufficient saddle pressure, but not too much causing saddle lift)
3. Intonate and re-confirm the effective bridge radius
4. Lock the saddles in place: Push the saddles towards the nut (use a flat screw driver and push from behind). Re-intonate and repeat as necessary. Note: when you play, the strings pull the saddles towards the nut, that's why you need to make sure saddles cannot slide forward)
-
1. How important is it to have the saddle slots match the string gauge? I have a cheap Epiphone LP 100 that was set up for 11s at a local shop. I now have 9s on it and it has no issues with buzzing or going out of tune. Originally Posted by JCat
One thing I noticed when I loosened all the strings and took the bridge out was that the notches for the lower E, A, and D strings were U shaped and fit the strings perfectly. The higher G, B, and high e notches looked V shaped. There was also some flash sticking out of the notches. I was worried that could cause strings to break so I scraped it off with a hobby knife.
I don't have any nut slot files, but I do have torch tip cleaners that a lot of people use as makeshift nut slot files. The smallest one is about 13 gauge. I used that on the D, G, and high e TOM bridge notches to widen the notches a bit and to change the profile from V shaped to U shaped.
2. I noticed the tailpiece is lopsided. On the treble side it looks like it's almost touching the top of the guitar. On the bass side there's a lot of clearance.
I ended up melting some beeswax into the TOM bridge and it fixed some of the buzzing. It turns out it's one of those cheap ones that use those halfmoon washers. This fixed buzzing on almost every string except for the G string. I got some really weird loud metallic buzzing after doing that. It went away after I fiddled with the tailpiece, but it still shows up occasionally. Now the G string buzzes all over, but not when it's played open. It's especially bad starting at the 5th to 12th fret.
-
I'm telling you, just buy a TonePros and be done with it. They perfected the ABR-1/TOM.
-
When changing string gauge Originally Posted by Wrogsprit
*Moving to lighter strings is less of a problem, as it could be expected that the existing slots are wide enough. (just make sure slots are not too wide...)
*But when going to heavier strings the slots must be addressed (widened), making sure that strings don't bind (the number one reason saddles become loose and rattling)
Use a magnifier lens to examine each slot and pay attention to the witness point (The string should have solid contact at the saddle edge facing the nut.
(Torch tip cleaners are not appropriate. Only proper nut files are good enough for metal saddles)
If the tailpiece was set lower on the treble side, this was probably a deliberate decision, an attempt to match a sloping bridge. What matters is that you adjust the bridge system so that the guitar plays the way you like.
-
The radius of the bridge has to match the radius of the fretboard, to some degree. If the center strings buzz when the action of the outer strings is acceptable, the bridge is probably too flat. To fix this, it's possible to deepen the saddle slots of the outer strings. This has to be done judiciously, a little at a time. It's much easier on a wooden saddle, but it can be done on an ABR with the use of sufficient elbow grease. Set the bridge height to get the desired action on the D and G strings (or maybe just the lowest, depending on the depth of the slots) then work your way along the saddles to get the same action on each string. It's a tedious process, but worth doing.
A relatively cheap way to get nut files is to use a set of feeler gauges. Use the corner of a file, or a thin cutoff wheel on a Dremel-style tool to cut teeth into one side of the gauges, and you can cut any width you like by matching the appropriate gauges. It's not ideal, but it works for small jobs and it's a lot cheaper than a set of proper nut files.
-
The bridge I had trouble with was a TonePro. Originally Posted by ruger9
-
It was rattling, or what? I'm in Gretsch Forums (we use alot of ABR-1s and TOMs), and I've never seen one complaints about TonePros... they are the SOLUTION to the problem of OEM ABR-1s and TOMs. Originally Posted by SoftwareGuy
-
The retainer had lifted up and was rattling against the low E (and some times the A) strings. It didn't sound like the normal bad action, where the string was buzzing against the frets. Originally Posted by ruger9
At first I thought it was a microphonic tube. Once I looked closely at the bridge,it was obvious.
BTW, I wasn't complaining, just commenting. The TonePro stuff seems high quality to me.
Reply With Quote
A very special NGD: a custom build that brought my ideas to life.
Today, 06:11 PM in Guitar, Amps & Gizmos