Bridge options for GS-2Q

So after finishing all the body work on my GS-2Q kit I’ve run into a little problem. When I glued in the neck I checked the scale and it looked spot on, but now doing my final set up I can’t get it to intonate right. I think what has happened is I’ve glued the neck into the pocket a little too far forward towards the bridge) making the scale just a little too short. When trying to set the intonation I have to wind the saddles all the way back towards the tail piece and can only get a couple of the strings to intonate right. I need to move the saddles back further on some of the strings but it’s hard up against the back of the bridge. So my question to the brains trust is what can I do about this? Do they make a bridge that has a few more mm of adjustment that’ll fit this guitar? This site has been an amazing source of help and inspiration so thanks again to everyone [emoji106]


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The Nashville-style TOM bridge that comes with the kit has a fairly wide range of travel, so you'll need a more drastic solution. The Gibson 'harmonica' bridge has a much wider range of adjustment than the Nashville TOM, but Kluson replicas of them are very expensive. I haven't found a low-cost copy of one.

Plugging the existing post holes and re-drilling is one option, but isn't to be undertaken lightly, especially as it will mar any finish you already have on the quilted top.

Which means that a less conventional approach may be needed. So you could consider using an adjustable saddle wrap-over bridge, and not use the stop-tail. You'd need to plug up the stop tail holes, or find some suitable chromed M8 screw that you could fill the post holes with.

I bought one of these for my GSJ-1 kit and it's affordable and has lots of saddle travel. https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/...?ie=UTF8&psc=1 This style should be available more locally to you if you look around. The bridge is compact height-wise, so shouldn't be any higher than the kit bridge.

I had first thought that you could use the above bridge just for its saddles and still use the stop-tail, but then realised that it's held in place by string tension, so you'd need to wrap the strings around it and drop the stop tail.

You could modify that wrap-over bridge in the manner of a Tone-Pros locking bridge if you can drill a small hole in the bridge each side of the post notches facing backwards, tap them and fit grub screws that locks the bridge in place on the post. Alternatively you could set it up, then use a small drop of CA glue on each post to hopefully hold it in place. This should still allow you to adjust the bridge height if needed by breaking the glue bond.

Now that may just work. I’m going to go see if I can find one near me [emoji106]


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Can you measure how much more travel room you need?

I mainly use these kind of roller bridges for my builds, they have additional room to adjust on the mounting holes:
https://de.aliexpress.com/item/40001...archweb201603_

I am sure you can find a roller bridge exactly like this on Amazon.

If you are more than, say, 2-3 millimeters off from the farest position, these won't help you out, I'm afraid. But you can check, maybe it helps =)

Edit:
Here are better pictures:
https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B01...FC6PDGYK&psc=1

You have a bit of adjustment room on the mounting holes.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...bda869cec0.jpg
I don’t need much maybe 2mm


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Then the roller bridge from above could help.

I don’t think I’ll get enough adjustment out of that roller bridge but they do look interesting.


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From the photos I can see you have an ABR-1 style bridge, so a Nashville style will give you maybe 1-1.5mm more travel, but seeing as you've got the E, A and D saddles all fully backwards, you will probably need more than that. TCG, how much rearwards travel can you get on the roller saddles with respect to distance from the centreline of the string post (which I note also allows for some overall adjustment? RobG looks to manage about 4.5mm on that bridge and probably needs another 3mm.

Yeah I reckon you’re right. I’m going to order a cheap wraparound bridge and see if that can get it right but short of that do I have any other options short of filling the holes and drilling new ones further back?


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Forget my wrap-over bridge suggestion. I've just compared a kit TOM bridge with my replacement wrap-over, and the wrap-over post hole centres are about 10mm wider apart, so it would never fit in the bridge position (though it would at the stop tail-piece position which is way too far back to use).

My only other thought is to use an M8 to M4 bridge adapter, something like this https://www.thomann.de/gb/goeldo_bri...pter_m4_m8.htm, fill the holes in the bridge with epoxy, then drill them out for the 4mm posts at the front of the hole position, which will move the whole bridge back by a couple of mm or so. The kit bridge holes are about 6.2mm in diameter, to fit 6mm posts, so in theory, you'd get 2.2mm of rear travel.

I'll measure the travel on the roller bridge later, but no way that you can get more than 2-3 millimeters. So if he needs around 4.5 mm on the bridge, I think he's out of luck with the roller bridge.

But maybe a combination of the adapter and the roller bridge? Or dowel the bridge holes and then redrill for the smaller posts off center? Then add the roller bridge on top? In any way, dowelling would mean messing with the finish, so no idea if it is out of question already.

Your other option is heat gun on the neck join - if you're careful you can loosen the neck to waggle it out.

I'd go hair dryer rather than heat gun. That will be hot enough. You can go too hot and you don't want to damage the finish or scorch the wood if you can help it.

Though what glue did you use to fit the neck? Titebond you can heat or steam apart, but some other types won't respond in the same way.

A gotoh bridge is a touch wider/ more travel on the bridge from memory than the ones that come in the kit and will fit on the posts (albeit a little snuggly). The bridge in your photo looks approx 10mm wide a gotoh103 is about 14mm and are around $48au

So travel on the kit bridge is a tad under 9mm and the gotoh is just over 11mm maybe enough or maybe not

That might get me close. Might have to check them out too. Thanks guys, you are all bloody legends [emoji106]


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Deusenberg also make a wraparound with the 74mm that looks like it could still use your tail piece and has the screw post adjustment to potentially push back slightly. I have one of these floating in my parts somewhere so can have a look and measure up tomorrow if of interest. Usually the kit post inserts are larger than a lot of the other brands but a lot of the time the height adjustment screws have the same thread and retrofit easily into the kit posts
https://store.duesenberg.de/en/hardw...m-spacing?c=65