Where do you put a moveable bridge?

Subject: RE: Where do you put a moveable bridge?
From: GUEST, Richard Bridge with another thought
Date: 07 Mar 09 - 04:43 AM

Is the bridge properly intoned? The thick strings need a slightly longer scale length than thinner ones becase of "end effect" ie the thickness and stiffness of the string makes it vibrate around a point that is not exactly on the saddle (or nut)

Subject: RE: Where do you put a moveable bridge?
From: GUEST, Richard Bridge about to lecture at LSBU
Date: 07 Mar 09 - 04:41 AM

If the action is too high yes, you can be pulling the fretted octave sharp at the octave.

Subject: RE: Where do you put a moveable bridge?
From: Artful Codger
Date: 07 Mar 09 - 04:32 AM

True, but that wouldn't apply to the octave note you're testing when positioning the bridge (since the string must be fully depressed to the fret to test it); rather, the notes below and (especially) above it would be off. So don't neglect to check them, too. If you can't get them all in tune, the problem is more likely the action--or fret placement--than the bridge position.

Where do you put a movable bridge? On a shifting shore. ;-}

Subject: RE: Where do you put a moveable bridge?
From: Leadfingers
Date: 07 Mar 09 - 04:09 AM

And dont forget that if the action is too high , the fretted note can be noticeably higher than it ought to be !

Subject: RE: Where do you put a moveable bridge?
From: Skivee
Date: 06 Mar 09 - 06:55 PM

After putting the bridge in the approximate position, compare the note at the midpoint fret to the harmonic tone at the middle of the string. If the tone of a string's harmonic is higher than the fretted note then the bridge is too far down the body of the instrument. If the string's harmonic is lower than the fretted tone, the opposite is true. Carefully move the bridge while firmly grasping it to prevent it falling over. This may involve a fair amount of force in tiny increments. Once you have gotten the right spot for one string, do the same thing with the other strings. CAREFULLY.
It is not unusual for the bridge to end up being not exactly pertendicular to the line of the strings.
You may well have to repeat this a few times. Good luck.

Subject: RE: Where do you put a moveable bridge?
From: John P
Date: 06 Mar 09 - 06:55 PM

More explanation of what Phil just said: if you finger an octave you should hear an octave. If you don't, the bridge is in the wrong place.

Subject: RE: Where do you put a moveable bridge?
From: Phil Williams
Date: 06 Mar 09 - 06:24 PM

You'll need an accurate tuner, Try capo 1 and check the octave is
accurate at 13th fret. Reason for Capo 1 is that the nut might be
slightly out. (This doesn't apply if you have a zero fret)

Subject: Where do you put a moveable bridge?
From: SharonA
Date: 06 Mar 09 - 06:18 PM

What is the proper placement of a moveable bridge? It seemed logical to me that it should be set at a distance from the nut that would be twice as far as the length from nut to 12th fret, but that's not working for me. What am I missing here?

I'm trying to set this bridge on a Johnson MA-550 octave mandolin. I also have an old Kalamazoo KG-21 guitar (originally my father's) with a moveable bridge, so any info you can provide would be helpful twice over! Thanks in advance!

SharonA