Re-drilling Mustang bridge. Does this work?

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billarrow
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Re-drilling Mustang bridge. Does this work?

Post by billarrow » Tue Sep 04, 2018 8:11 am

Hi everyone. This is my first post on the forum. Was really hoping for some advice.

So I'm putting a partscaster together - jazzmaster body with strat neck. I bought a Mustang bridge but the string spacing at the bridge is too wide for the rest of the guitar. The strings don't align with the neck or the tailpiece properly.

I know the Mastery bridge has a narrower string spread but I don't think I can afford one.

Does anyone know of a cheaper alternative with 50-52mm E-to-E spacing instead of 55/56mm?

Alternatively, I've heard of people unscrewing the saddles, pushing them together and drilling new holes in the other side of the bridge. Does anyone have any experience of doing this?

Many thanks guys...

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timtam
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Re: Re-drilling Mustang bridge. Does this work?

Post by timtam » Tue Sep 04, 2018 4:51 pm

Staytem is a 52mm Mustang-style bridge. Their website looks to be closed until later this month.
Original style Jag/JM bridge saddles can have any slots filed deeper to impose 52mm spacing.

Some aftermarket 56mm Mustang bridges have a little space between the saddles (usually seen as undesirable) whereas others are tight against each other; the former would require less filing/sanding to squeeze down to 52mm E-E spacing.

I haven't had a guitar where a 56mm spaced bridge had the E slipping off the edge of the neck. But with import 56mm blacktop/player series-style bridges available for less than $10 it would be easy to try making an aluminium template and drilling the other side of the bridge base for 52mm spacing as you suggest.
https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R ... =0&_sop=15

Or your can buy the bridge base plate on its own ...
http://www.guitarpartsresource.com/gbridge_jagjazz.htm

Or EY Guitarparts has their import Mustang bridge (56mm) available more cheaply at the moment, and it looks to have a bit of space between saddles ...
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Chrome-bridge- ... 3319936494

Maybe someone here has drilled the more closely spaced holes to get to 52mm ?

Nut slots are supposed to be spaced not equal string centre-to-centre but equal edge-to-edge, so that the thicker strings don't feel crampled. But bridges are wider, so 52/5=10.4mm centre-to-centre hole spacing should be fine.
"I just knew I wanted to make a sound that was the complete opposite of a Les Paul, and that’s pretty much a Jaguar." Rowland S. Howard.

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billarrow
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Re: Re-drilling Mustang bridge. Does this work?

Post by billarrow » Wed Sep 05, 2018 2:33 am

Great reply - really appreciate it. Going to take this project to a luthier to do neck inserts so will take some expert advice from him too...

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MechaBulletBill
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Re: Re-drilling Mustang bridge. Does this work?

Post by MechaBulletBill » Wed Sep 05, 2018 2:35 am

The one problem with using a stytrem on a mustang is that the E's can pull their saddles outwards slightly, because it's narrower spaced than the tailpiece and there's not as much distance as on a jm/jag. It's not a huge issue, it hasn't stopped me using it.

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