Bridge Adjustment on New Bass

[Ken Smith]

Originally Posted by Calvin Marks

I just acquired a wonderful travel bass which will make life a lot easier for certain types of gigs. The only issue is, the bass came with a terrible bridge and the string heights are all out of whack. I don't have the cash quite yet to get a new bridge made so I will need to do a temporary job to fix the string heights.

My question is: Should the contour of the end of the fingerboard match the curvature of the top of the bridge?

I just filed down the bridge grooves so that the string heights are:

I - 5mm
II- 7mm
III- 9mm
IV- 11mm

This feels wonderful under my left hand but my bow is still hitting multiple strings at once while bowing. Ie. The D string hits the G and A, and the A string hits the D with the bow.

How can I correct this?


Thanks!

I like about 6-7mm or so clearance every other string at the bridge for French bow and slightly more for German. String heights as mentioned only work if the fingerboard has a proper curve. Sound like this board is too flat or just way off in some way. I can't see it from here so it's a guess. What is not a guess is the fact that your bridge needs a proper curve first. Getting the right string heights you like depends mainly on the fingerboard if bowing is involved.



Your heights are 2mm graduated. Mine are 1-1.5mm from G to E. The Fingerboard curve and dressing makes a world of difference. A bridge is easy to correct, shim or even change. A fingerboard way more work and expense.

Perhaps in the future you will look for these things when buying a bass. The bridge may be the least of your problem here.