Mexi-made 6 saddle bridge query

[TeleBrew]

I had a six saddle Mexican bridge installed on my CIJ 72 RI Tele Custom, and it appears to me that the saddle height screws are adjusting themselves (kinda like Jazzmaster bridge screws). Anyone else experience this w/Mexican Tele bridges?

[chickenpicker]

Is it a toploader?

If so, the low break angle of the strings over the saddles means there's less downwards pressure than with string through, and so the screws can work loose.

[maestrovert]

Blue Loc-Tite cures screw drift....

[TeleBrew]

Originally Posted by chickenpicker

Is it a toploader?

If so, the low break angle of the strings over the saddles means there's less downwards pressure than with string through, and so the screws can work loose.

It is a top-loader. I used teflon tape on the saddle height screws on my Jazzmaster, so maybe I'll try it on the Tele bridge, too. Gee, and I thought the Tele was perfect in every way . . . sigh.

[TeleBrew]

Originally Posted by maestrovert

Blue Loc-Tite cures screw drift....

That'd be a good call, too. I know lots of people do that to their Jazzmasters & Jaguars. Gotta make sure it's set up exactly where you want it.

[GTO]

Clear nail varnish works a treat as well.

[boris bubbanov]

Telebrew, all the above advice is right on, but also if you're a top loader, that string is making contact with the intonation spring along most of its length, not good. You might want to try the tape or loctite on the intonation screw as well and eliminate the intonation spring. String/spring causes wierd noises and'll possibly mess up your tone. What the japanese call 'urugai'.

Bubbanov

[TeleBrew]

Originally Posted by chickenpicker

Is it a toploader?

If so, the low break angle of the strings over the saddles means there's less downwards pressure than with string through, and so the screws can work loose.

It's a string-through body bridge. I mistook the lingo. Toploader is string-through the end of the bridge, right?

[chickenpicker]

Originally Posted by TeleBrew

It's a string-through body bridge. I mistook the lingo. Toploader is string-through the end of the bridge, right?

That's correct.

I'd guess then, that your saddle screws are very sloppy in their threaded holes, so loctite or nail varnish should take up the slack.

[MuddyMinion]

Mine were doing the same thing on my MIM Standard. Any of those saddles would work but I replaced them completely with some vintage style saddles. There was a noticable improvement. The angle is better and the bridge feels a lot more solid. I'm not a huge fan of those knock-off American Standard imitation saddles anyway, they feel so cheap.

[TeleBrew]

Originally Posted by MuddyMinion

Mine were doing the same thing on my MIM Standard. Any of those saddles would work but I replaced them completely with some vintage style saddles. There was a noticable improvement. The angle is better and the bridge feels a lot more solid. I'm not a huge fan of those knock-off American Standard imitation saddles anyway, they feel so cheap.

Yeah, they're not as good as the ones on my American Tele. I like it better than the vintage-style three saddle ashtray bridge that came w/the guitar, but I've never had any problems w/my American bridge.

[NewOldStock]

What messes some guys up is the color codings. I did a report on a Harley forum last year about threadlocks. Loctite and Permatex form the same company. What is shipped depends on the distributors they're being sold under.

Any medium or regular strength thread lock will work fine and allow easy adjustments in the future. Permanent or high-strength can be very difficult, and one usually ends up stripping allen wrenches on screws this small.

Sometimes medium strength "Blue Loctite" comes in a blue container, sometimes red. I have examples of both in my glue box. The Permatex labeled bottles share the same non-uniform color codings.

Below is a "medium-strength" Loctite packaged in a red container, though the contents are blue. Without dispensing a small amount before purchasing, one would have no clue it was blue locktite from the external packaging.

[TeleBrew]

Yeah, I've dealt w/Loc-tite a bit a work (I work in a brewery w/lots of threaded parts here and there) and it's hard to be sure of the right one sometimes. Thanks for the pics!

[chickenpicker]

Thank you. I didn't know loctite came in different strengths.


How did they manage to get such a simple colour coding system wrong?