Hey all,
I have an LTD ex-401, and I really like the guitar, but I have 1 problem with it that is really annoying me.
On the low e string the intonation is impossible to get right somehow.. all strings are perfectly intonated, except this one thickest string. In standard E tuning I can't get it right, nor in Drop C which is which i play with my band. The problem is like this: Open the string is in perfect tune, however the 1st fret is sharp, the 12th fret is sharp as well, a bit sharper even than the first fret. I've tried adjusting the action height to lower, (higher too ofcoarse but that will only cause more tension / sharper notes from pressing down to the frets) I've adjusted the thruss rod, I've even pushed the saddle all the way back but none of these things help. Theres no more room for putting the saddle further back. I've also brought it to the store but the guy didn't really look long at it and just turned up the bridge a bit higher cause i also had a fretbuzz problem. (which i knew how to solve myself btw, but just not without screwing the intonation further.) He said the intonation was fine because no guitar has perfect intonation, which is true ofcoarse and the other strings arent all perfect either, but this thick string is just really noticable off intonated, I notice it on records we make as well, its pretty easily hearable.
So I came down with a last solution which would be to flip the saddle on the bridge which would give me some more room. However I came down on this other problem.. I dont know how i can get the saddle out of the bridge cause the screw isnt in some sort of nut slot but just in a hole. Is there any way of removing the saddle to flip it?
Thanks in advance
Pic related, its my type of bridge.
yup, you can flip the saddles to get more room on them. did it on my guitar.
on my bridge (similar to the one in the pic), there's a little metal wire holding the saddles in place. remove that. then screw the saddle til its about halfway - this gives you enough clearance to get it out. might not need to be exactly halfway, I just remember having to fiddle with mine a bit to get it out.unscrew the saddles from the screw, flip, screw back on, and reassemble. then readjust the intonation.
looking at the pi you've posted, I'd do as above, but just unscrew the saddle the whole way. the saddle and the screw are two separate parts - as you unscrew the screw, the saddle will come off. flip it and reassemble.
I've flipped a few in my time, but usually the ones with the bail wire. Those pics show a "Nashville" type bridge. They have a wider travel and usually intonate quite nicely.
"Work hard, rock hard, eat hard, sleep hard,
grow big, wear glasses if you need 'em."
-- The Webb Wilder Credo --
if your pics are accurate, there is no typical retaining spring or "wire" on your bridge. instead, I believe I see the other end of each screw held in place by a nut. I have some of these type "ToM" variants in my parts bin. if this is your case, you will need to remove the nut to pull the screw out far enough to release and flip the saddle. during reassembly, I recommend you put some Loctite removable thread lock or some clear fingernail lacquer on the nut/screw-end to keep the nut from going on walkabout later.
-=tension & release=-
