Bridge questions

[dadomaster]

Hi everyone, new to the forum. Today here for some liuthery advices.
I'm planning to build a body for a tele-style neck I already have, bolt on, NOT tele body shape, 25.5'' scale, and i'm currently choosing what bridge to mount.

First question: I like the look and the extra picking-space that a wraparound would give me. If I want to put a wraparound style bridge, for example the Badass, I assume I will need to put a neck shim (like stewmac ones) in the pocket to get the right neck angle, is it something usual to do with bolt on necks? Will the shim cause me troubles with the neck screw holes?

Second question: Knowing that "E to e" spacing at the nut is about 35.5mm, is there a correct string spacing i must consider when i'm choosing the bridge? I know it's also a matter of personal taste, but I assume a string-spaced bridge made for Gibson will be too "tight" for a fender-style build, am i right? What string spacing is correct for me to move toward?

Thanks to all of you guys

 

[Freeman Keller]

You will definitely need some neck angle to wor with most wrap around bridge and you should also lay out the plan view of your fretboards including width at the nut and body joint and string spacing at the nut and saddle. You'll also need to consider how much offset you like between the E strings andd the edge. Have your bridge in hand so you can take measurements off of it unless you have engineering drawings.

When I do it I know the width at the nut and body joint and the amount of offset that I like, those are the variables that determine string spacing at nut andd bridge - or you can pick the bridge and it will lead you to the others

This will help you think about neck angle and overstand

Building for playability

Geometry 101 I’ve been thinking about doing this thread for quite a long time but several recent threads tell me this might be the time. If any of you have followed my ranting, er posting, you know that I am quite focused on the geometry of the guitar. I frankly don’t care what your guitar...

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[schmee]

Seems a wrap around could end up too tall for a normal bolt on? I suppose you could make the neck pocket shallower raising the neck up?

 

[gb Custom Shop]

You essentially have 3 options when using a wrap-around bridge or TOM on a fender formatted guitar:
1) easiest is to shim the heel end of the neck pocket to get the required angle
2) or you can route the appropriate angle into the neck pocket
3) or you can route a recess in the body for the bridge - although this can make the string holes on the bridge sit too low and make it difficult to change strings

Alternatively, you can use a typical hardtail bridge and avoid all those workarounds.

As for string spacing at the bridge, you should be fine with something around 10.4-10.8mm