MIMF

by **Artie Adler** » Sat Feb 04, 2012 8:45 pm

I'm building a single cut semi-hollow body style guitar. I'm gonna be using a Schroeder wrap around style adjustable saddle bridge. It is a carved top. When I set the angle of the neck should I go from the bridge set at its lowest point? And when I do it should be bottomed out on the frets. Correct? I want the fretboard to be flush with the body where it meets at the neck pickup. The fretboard is .250" and the frets I will be using are .050" so .300". I'm not sure if my question is coming out correctly. But maybe someone can help me.

by **Dave Locher** » Mon Feb 06, 2012 12:48 pm

You want your fretboard flush with the body where it meets the neck pickup? Do you mean the bottom of the fretboard? A little too high is better than a little too low.

by **Mark Wybierala** » Mon Feb 06, 2012 2:02 pm

I have heard this as being applied to acoustic guitars. I'm not an acoustic guitar maker but I have found that it has worked as a general rule for Tunematic bridges so it may shed some light on what you are asking -- or not.

With the trussrod adjusted for a flat neck, the neck gets set so that a straightedge going down the neck and resting on the tops of the frets in the center should exactly meet the top of the bridge -- not the saddles (this would be a tunematic and the saddles are higher in elevation -- the top of the bridge frame and not the saddles). This is also with the bridge adjusted up on its height adjustment posts so there is an adjustment window both up and down for future needs. How that translates into your situation, I have no idea but others will certainly comment if I am misleading you with bad information.

by **Andy Barth** » Mon Feb 06, 2012 5:02 pm

That is good advice Mark. That will work nicely.

by **Artie Adler** » Mon Feb 06, 2012 11:16 pm

Thanks Mark! Thats exactly what I wanted to confirm. I know in an acoustic setting you want the straight edge to run to the top of the bridge not the saddle. But wasn't quite sure about this particular situation. Generally I do the same with an archtop floating bridge as well... Duh.. Thanks again for the replys.

by **Artie Adler** » Mon Feb 06, 2012 11:18 pm

And yes Dave I did mean the bottom of the fretboard flush with the top where it meets the neck pick up.

by **julian tobey** » Thu Feb 09, 2012 10:50 am

The Schroeder can sit lower than a TOM. So, if you wish to take advantage of that, have the bridge in hand and determine neck angle in the typical way-straight edge resting on the majority of the FB, with the "south" end hovering over the bridge position. Dummy the bridge in its approximate place-but very close to final- you should probably shim a little height into the bridge so it will adjust both ways after it is permanently in place- and then measure for your neck angle. I use a Beall Box to get the angle, but the vertical measurement at bridge-point is just as valuable. I sneak up on final rout of the mortise floor as the whole neck unit is "sunk" into the body-I hope it is obvious that if your neck unit is sitting high in the mortise and you are going by linear measurement[b][/b], as opposed to degrees, you just add the distance from the bottom of the FB to the "landing point" of the body at the mortise, transfered to the bridge position.

I am so impressed with the Schroeder wrapper that it will be my default bridge for any build that does not use the two component TOM system. I had been stickng with the TonePros wrapper. TP could work on theirs to improve the aesthetics-I think "function" forgot about "form" in the design, following the BadAss's, aka Hipshot's, awkward lines. I don't see compromise in the Schroeder(I am overwhelmed by the elegance of the Auburn automobiles).