Baja telecaster bridge slightly off position

EDIT: Added pictures

I've recently bought a Baja telcaster and noticed that the bridge is placed incorrectly, about 1 to 2mm too much to the bass side. Result is that the pickup cavity underneath is showing for about 1mm at the treble side. Also the alignment on the neck is too much to the bass side.

I'm not sure if that's done on purpose, checking pictures of other Baja's on google I noticed that the bridge fit over the cavity is pretty tight and the cavity is also showing sometimes on the treble side.

I tried moving the bridge but there's not enough room because the other three screws are blocking and pulling the bridge towards the bass side. I can file the slots out a tiny bit but I don't think that's a good idea for stability? I can also fill the 4 screwholes with wood/liquid wood and drill new ones? I think the offset only has to be 1mm or so, otherwise the bass side of the bridge will show the cavity underneath.

On the positive side I'm really liking the Baja. I've added a treble bleed for the volume and replaced the standard tone with a grease bucket circuit which improved the working of the tone and volume. I also shielded the Baja with copper tape and it's really silent now.

If any off our forum members could help me out that would be great! Who has experience with something like this and how best to solve it?

Tx, Harry

This one's been done to death recently.

The bridge is supposed to be covered by the ashtray, so the route is slightly wider than the bridgeplate. It's not a fault, it's part of the original design.

They affectionately call it the "Butt Crack". You can find lots of discussion about it if you Google "Tele Butt Crack" or search here on the forum. Neither of mine exhibit this, but it seems that it's not too uncommon, especially among Bajas. If it bugs you, I'm sure there are aftermarket bridges that will cover it up? But if you really like how she plays and sounds now, maybe just pretend like it's a peek at her thong, rather than at a plumbers crack :grin:

Thanks for your quick replies!

They affectionately call it the "Butt Crack". You can find lots of discussion about it if you Google "Tele Butt Crack" or search here on the forum.

LOL, I didn't know it's called a Butt Crack. ;)

I've added two pictures to the original post and IMO it's not as bad that I need to get a replacement bridge. I wasn't worried about the butt crack more of the string spacing which is more to the bass side and not in the middle. Advantage of that is that the high E string can't slip off the frett. I don't have issue with the low E sliding over the top.

I've added a picture that shows the string spacing. Still not to bad I guess...

I wasn't worried about the butt crack more of the string spacing which is more to the bass side and not in the middle.

Now that I have dealt with. The beauty of a bolt on neck is that these adjustments are a breeze! Just a few simple steps:

-Slack your strings
-Loosen your neck retainer screws just enough to get a little play in the joint, 1/2-turn or so should be plenty
-Nudge the neck in the desired direction, in your case toward the treble side to shift the string alignment that direction
-Retighten the screws

Easy-skeezy! Sometimes it seems like you need 3 or 4 hands to get it just right, just take your time. To make it easier, you can use a small shim (matchbook, playing card, whatever is handy and can be made to the right thickness) in the side of the neck pocket to hold it in position. Make sure the shim is at the very front of the pocket so that it's adjusting the angle and not just scooting the neck over. Sounds more convoluted than it is, give it a shot!

Hey Verne,

Tx for your reply. Will give that a try!

This one's been done to death recently.



That doesn't seem very "Polite"...especially to a New Poster....:neutral:

That doesn't seem very "Polite"...especially to a New Poster....:neutral:

You kill me.

You kill me.

+1 lol

That doesn't seem very "Polite"...especially to a New Poster....

Yeah, tell em'! Don't make me report you to TDPRI HR dept!!!

That doesn't seem very "Polite"...especially to a New Poster....:neutral:
deja vu :shock: :wink:

This one's been done to death recently.



Not real recently.

Maybe 3 weeks have gone by since the last one. :confused:

Oh, I don't know - I've long since lost track. :twisted:

++

I wish I'd somehow licensed the use of "butt crack" on guitars like this. Man, I could be rich by now!

-Slack your strings
-Loosen your neck retainer screws just enough to get a little play in the joint, 1/2-turn or so should be plenty
-Nudge the neck in the desired direction, in your case toward the treble side to shift the string alignment that direction
-Retighten the screws

Jut to add that the holes in the body are supposed to be a little oversized to allow you to make this adjustment but they are not always correctly drilled, and/or they sometimes get blocked a little with finish. The screw threads should not be gripping on the body holes just on the holes in the neck. If they are tight in the body holes then just run an 11/64" drill bit through the holes.

It's called the butt crack and occurs on many, many Telecasters with vintage bridges.

Perfectly normal - part of the design, really.
If it bothers you, you can fill holes and move stuff just fine, but really... It works - does the 1 mm annoy you that much? It's a lot of work.

Perfectly normal. That feature is found even on high end and vintage teles.

CONGRATS ON THE BAJA!!!!!!!!!!!!Im in love with mine.

That doesn't seem very "Polite"...especially to a New Poster....:neutral:

Touché!

Although, in fairness, I did answer his question rather than tell him google it like some forum prima donna. ;-)

I would worry less about the cavity showing and more about the strings running over the centres of the pickup poles and up the neck. My Baja had neck droop (not square, headstock towards floor) which when corrected meant that the bridge plate was indeed too far to the treble side. I had to plug the holes and move it over by 1-2mm (the width of the toothpick plug).

The neck screw holes in the Baja body were filled with some plastic goo filler which had to be removed to get the wiggle room for the droop fix. Tip - lightly countersink the screw holes on both inside faces so the wood does not "pull up" when the screws are tightened and so you do get a flush fit.

They affectionately call it the "Butt Crack".
... just pretend like it's a peek at her thong, rather than at a plumbers crack :grin:

That's exactly how I look at my vintage bridge, and I have a gap on both sides of the bridgeplate:twisted:
It's dead sexy
Oh, and it sounds and plays great, too, so it's not just about looks:mrgreen:

Although, in fairness, I did answer his question rather than tell him google it like some forum prima donna. ;-)

That's Me !

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