funky string alignment (pics)

Just picked up my first guitar a couple weeks ago (a dirt cheap 1993 MIM Telecaster), and I have a lot of work to do on it.

The first problem is string alignment. The high E string is nearly running off the fretboard. If I'm halfway up the board, I have to bend the string just to fret a note!

http://www.geocities.com/tadbenardrules/evan/guitar/IMG_0876.JPG
http://www.geocities.com/tadbenardrules/evan/guitar/zIMG_0877.jpg
http://www.geocities.com/tadbenardrules/evan/guitar/IMG_0885.JPG

Keep in mind I have never repaired a guitar. In search of an answer, I read some posts about "adjusting" the saddles, but I don't know what that would entail. I assume I need to do something to get that high E saddle closer to center.

The other issues I may have to eventually bug ya'll about include the following: jack problems, swapping pickups, and getting more neck relief.

Start by trying this. Loosen your strings, then loosen the neck screws push the neck over using the strings and the fretboard as a guide. Hold it in place and tighten the neck screws.

Start by trying this. Loosen your strings, then loosen the neck screws push the neck over using the strings and the fretboard as a guide. Hold it in place and tighten the neck screws.

Exactly right.

Second, when your strings are loose, shove all the saddles over a bit toward the bass side and then tighten the strings to keep them in place.

Third, this isn't the problem with the high E, but your nut is cut terribly-look at the spacing between your A and E strings relative to the B and G spacing. Get a new nut.

To reduce the relief in the neck, tighten the truss rod, a quarter turn at a time. To add relief, loosen it.

You'll also need to set your action, and then intonate. They are coupled to a degree, so you may need to go back and forth.

...this isn't the problem with the high E, but your nut is cut terribly-look at the spacing between your A and E strings relative to the B and G spacing. Get a new nut.

That nut slot position does look off, but it also looks like all the strings are pulled towards the control plate side of the guitar.

The angle of the neck relative to the body is the more likely and primary problem.

<li>I wood knott mess with that neck at all. Don't back those screws off. Leaf them alone fer now.
<li>Yew prollem looks tew be in the bridge its own seff.
<li>Yes the nut is cut badly and needs tew be replaced or filled and re-groved.
Put the E, A and D strings back in the grooves where they belong and shift the hoe saddle assembly toward the bass side and yew should be able cee iffin further adjustment is needed. I think I cee enuff space tew cure yer liddo E and B string prollem.
http://www.thomaskinkadechico.com/bridgealign.jpg

If that don't fix it yew kin dew udder thangs with those saddles but again, don't mess with the neck yet.

0le FUZZY

Get the strings properly seated in the saddle grooves for starters. Then push them all towards the low E.

If that doesn't correct it completely, you can loosen the strings, loosen the 4 bridge mounting screws and move the entire bridge a fraction of an inch towards the low E. Then tighten the screws, tune up and you should be pretty close. You can't move it much, but even a millimeter makes a difference.

I would only mess with the neck as a last resort, as it looks nicely aligned at the neck pocket.

I would only mess with the neck as a last resort, as that pocket looks good and tight.

Well, like I said before, I think it's probably a combination of the neck and saddles, but I don't know how you can see that the neck pocket is tight from that photo! :shock:

Actually, to me, it looks like the neck is indeed crooked if you look at the gap between the butt of the neck and the pickguard. Of course, the pickguard may not be straight either. :lol:

Shifting the neck will take about 30 seconds to do and is the most common thing to cause what is shown in the photo. The second most common is all the saddles sliding to one side. There is generally next to zero tolerance in the bridge mounting plate.

fullerplast, it is difficult to judge depth, alignment etc. in a picture. I look at the butt end of the neck and it looks absolutely flush with the pickguard to me, and even measures the same from neck pup to the butt of neck inside the low E, and high E. Keeping in mind that the measurement is useless from a photo. Laughs!

It IS clear from the pic that he doesn't have the strings in the saddle grooves. Look at the Third string as an example. If he moved it to the right and into the groove, it would be sitting on the spring. Thus if he manipulates the saddle and bridge alignment first, then he will be better able to judge the necessity of the neck manipulation procedure.

However, in the end he may very well have to do a combination of saddle and neck adjustment.

Thanks, everyone, for your help (esp. for the pictorial aids!). I'll first get the saddles back in order as you all suggested. Then I'll tinker with the neck. Only if I can get that E string back on the board will I get a new nut -- otherwise, the whole thing is going on the scrap heap! I'll let you know how it works out.

Problem solved! It was indeed the neck. First thing I did was loosen the strings, push the saddles over. That gave me .5mm at best. Then I loosened the bridge plate, pushed that over for another .5mm. Disappointed, I loosened the neck bolts, tilted the neck ever so slightly, lined everything up to how I like it, then tightened it back up. Voila -- that high E's back on the board, just like you said. Thanks everybody!

Paniced for a second when I strummed it and got 6 dead strings -- thought maybe I lowered the height of the saddles somehow. But I looked and saw a tiny space between the heel of the neck and its pocket -- I just didn't tighten those bolts enough. Yep, slowly but surely, I'll learn how this whole Tele thing works.

Next step: raising the action and intonating.

Glad to hear it all worked out.

Congratulations!

I think you did the adjustment perfectly. One step at a time, working through the necessary tweaks. This way everything is setup to spec, and you can successfully continue with truss rod, action, intonation, pickups, ad infinitum.

When I first read the problem and looked at the end view photo of the bridge. My first impression was that the bridge was defective. It looks like the holes for the saddles are placed offset to the right of the holes for the strings. If the strings are then placed in the saddle grooves, the strings would all be moved toward the control plate.

Evan, I'm curious, are the strings now centered over the pickups?

My first impression was that the bridge was defective. It looks like the holes for the saddles are placed offset to the right of the holes for the strings. If the strings are then placed in the saddle grooves, the strings would all be moved toward the control plate.

The holes for the saddle intonation screws are by design offset to the right of the string path, this is the way the six barrel saddles were designed originally. If you have a copy of Duchossoir's bible check out the closeup pictures on page 70, the narrative on page 67 and the Custom type 2 on page 43. In the pics on page 70 you can see that the Elite and American Standard saddles have a similar offset, while the Strat-style Thinline II bridge has the intonation screws in line with the string path.

Here's a pic of a '98 Squier Standard where you can see this as well. This one is a dual loader and I had it loaded through the body, but you can still see the top loading holes.
http://home.comcast.net/~eporter27/SqStdBridge3.jpg

yegbert.

Thanks for pointing this out. After posting, I looked at the photo again and saw the reason for the intentional shift.

My eyes aren't off, my brain is.

I have a 93 MIM Tele , that I really like. The bridge was fine all along , but I drilled and countersunk 2 holes at the front corners and added 2 screws, maybe it helped things...hard to tell . Nice guitar tho.