My build diary PRS-1HG

Hi guys, just started a dry build of my PRS-1HG, it’s the first guitar I’ve tried to build myself so I’m not 100% sure what I’m doing. I’m having some problems, I’ve positioned the neck in what looks to be the right position, but the measurement from the neck to the 12th fret is 4-5mm less than the measurement from the 12fret to the bridge. On this Guitar the bridge is fixed so I can’t move it any closer to the 12th fret and if I move the neck closer to the bridge I’ll block the gap for the pickup. Any suggestions? See photos attached for how I think the neck should be positioned and where it would have to be positioned for the measurements to be equal (but would block the pickup location).

Also the bridge has a very tight fit with the bolts it fits to, should I try and file more slack in these parts? Or grease them? See photo attached.

Thanks for any advice

Will

Hi and welcome.

On the bridge - tight is good. It's a lot better than it rattling around. Just make sure that any height adjustments are done with the two intonation adjustment screws fully wound out otherwise they'll score the posts when you turn them. Also, it helps on this type of bridge to keep the post heights fairly even when adjusting them or fitting the bridge. Get one post more than a couple of mm higher than another and it will become very stiff. It's the trade-off from having a well-fitting bridge-to-post arrangement. This stops the bridge from wobbling around; providing better sustain and tuning stability. But it does make adjustment that bit more awkward.

On the neck position, can you double check the distances and that you are measuring from the fingerboard face of the nut to the centre/crown of the 12th fret. It's a lot more accurate using a long straight-edge metal ruler than a tape measure. Also, when checking the distance to the bridge, make sure the intonation screws are wound out fully. The top E when intonated will probably be around 1mm longer from the middle of the 12th fret than half the nominal scale length, whilst the bottom E might be 5mm longer. So measure from the top E nut slot to the front of the top E ridge on the bridge.

The neck should, as you rightly say, be in the position in the second photo, with the end of the neck flush with the edge of the pickup rout. Several of these kits have been built and documented on the forum and I don't recall any issues with scale length. However there are occasional problem kits, so I'm not discounting a possible issue. But double-check the measurements again, ensuring that those intonation adjustment screws (the black ones sticking out from the rear of the bridge) are fully wound out for the moment.

Hi Simon, thanks for the response, I’ve remeasured the neck again with a straight edge and the 12th fret to the bridge is still measuring 5mm longer than the measurment on the neck. The reason I wonder if the neck should be glued in the position shown in the first photo is that in this position the 12th fret does sit perfectly half way between the neck and the bridge, also the heel of the neck sits right up against the body, where as in the second photo there is a gap of around 5mm from the heel of the neck to the body of the Guitar. I am dubious to cut wood off the neck but if the 12th fret does need to be half way between the bridge and neck it might be necessary. What do you think?

Also your ES-3 paint job looks awesome, I think you were right to have another go at it.

As you are sure, it sounds very much like that would be a good idea. I wouldn't have gone just be the tenon length. A lot of the PBG set-neck kits I've seen on here do have a gap between the end of the tenon and the rear of the rout. It often makes a handy route for the pickup cable to run in.

Unfortunately my ES-3 kit is still in pieces and needs to be resprayed again. :( Have to wait for spring and warmer weather here in the UK to get that done. I have no warm workshop to spray in.

But before you do that, it's worth a quick mock-up. Use a G-clamp to clamp the neck tenon to the body in the rearmost position. Fit the two E tuners (don't bother with the anti-rotation screws yet). If you've already fitted the post holders in the holes, the keep the bridge fitted and run a top and bottom E-string up the neck. If not, then wrap the posts with tape until they're a firm fit in the holes and then fit the two E strings.

You should be able to hear by ear if you can intonate the two strings (if not temporarily wire a pickup to the jack socket and tape a pickup into a cavity so you can amplify it). Then you can try loosening everything off, moving the neck back a bit away from the bridge, re-clamp and see if you can intonate in the new position. You really want to get the neck as far away from the bridge as possible so that you can intonate without having to use at least the high-E side adjustment screw on the bridge. Mark that position, and if you need to take a bit off the end of the neck, then it's best to take as little off as necessary.

However. I've just measured the lengths on my Gibson Les Paul Melody maker which has a similar wrap-over bridge with set intonation ridges, and the nut to 12th fret and 12th fret to high E bridge were both equal length at 31.1mm, so the tenon against the end of rout position is probably the correct one.

When you cut, obviously use a fine bladed saw and make sure you score along the side of the cut line with a sharp knife to leave a clean edge without splinters. You don't want to tear out strips of fretboard as you cut.

Funnily enough I have thought that the kits I did were the same..3-5mm out... the first one I did anyway like that and it intonated ok, then I bought myself a good straight edge long ruler, you aren't using a tape measure are you?

No, Will said he checked with a straight edge.

Some of it will depend on the chosen string gauge, the heavier the strings, the further back the bridge will need to be. So a test run with real strings and a clamped neck is the easiest way to check before making any decisions.

Yup your right Simon...i missed that bit....

It's easy to do. I do it all the time.

Hi guys, thanks again for the quick reposes. I’m going to try and intonate the Guitar in both positions and see what works best. I’m hoping I don’t have to cut the neck but we’ll see.

Is the position of the 12th fret in relation to the neck and bridge something that varies from Guitar to Guitar ?

It all depends on the type of guitar. Some guitars - like Strats and Teles, have a wide range of saddle adjustment, so bridge placement is far less crucial. On a wrap-over bridge like you've got, there is far less adjustment available.

I really don't like using the two intonation screws if at all possible as I want the bridge being pulled tight against the posts so that it's not just pivoting on the two screws. A lot of wrap-over bridges have a much bigger gap between the locating lugs on the bridge posts than the one on your kit (which is very snug), so the whole bridge pivots forwards if the bridge isn't being pulled against the posts.

I have no idea exactly how the factory makes the kits, but I suspect that there is a lot of manual work involved with routers and templates, rather than using all CNC machines (which should guarantee identical results each time). And sometimes I think the templates aren't put in exactly the right place. The often slightly wonky holes on 6-in-line headstocks show this.

If you didn't have a flame maple veneer top, then I (and others) might suggest plugging and then re-drilling the post holes. Fine if you want a solid colour to cover everything up, but too obvious with a clear or translucent finish.

One other option (and one that I'd implement if it was my kit) is to replace the kit bridge with a wrap-over bridge with individually adjustable saddles. This would allow you to intonate each string correctly, and not have the slight compromise that a pre-set intonation bridge gives. Upgrading a kit with your own selection of parts is what makes kit guitars so interesting. But you still might not get the saddles far enough further forwards to not have to do anything with the neck position.

A few people here have used the Gotoh 510B bridge and this looks like it might be a possible solution as it looks like the saddles sit a lot further forwards of the posts than the standard kit bridge.

https://www.realparts.com.au/gotoh-5...idge-gold.html

It's a fairly hefty investment to make though (especially compared to the kit price). You'd also have to check that the 11.3mm dia. post supports would fit your existing post holes. There are other, cheaper, adjustable saddle wrap-over bridges out there, but they may not have the advantages that this one provides.