How to solve string spacing issue on aftermarket Mustang Bridges?

[aliendawg]

So I decided to try an aftermarket Mustang Bridge on my Squier VM Jaguar. I was hoping maybe I could get a little more sustain and stability. But first I'd like to make some stuff clear

1. I am an advocate for the original bridges. I know they work well enough when properly setup and I know it is part of the Jaguar sound. I just decided I'd like to try something different because there was some rattling I couldn't get rid of

2. I can't justify spending half the cost of my guitar on a bridge, so I went for a cheap option

3. I was aware of some of the issues such as string spacing and radius mismatch but still had hope of addressing it in some way

Okay now for the problems... Here's the bridge



It has no gap between the saddles!! That's both good and bad, I guess because although there's less chance of rattling. my original plan of drilling new holes on the bridge are kind of ruined. The spacing is 55.5mm so the E strings are going to sit on the edge of the fretboard for sure

I was hoping to get the one with big spaces between the saddles so I could drill the holes closer together. I even got an engineer friend to make the calculations for me so I could do this

Now I guess I'll have to sand the sides of the saddles? Has any of you done this before? Would you say it's worth the trouble?

[adamrobertt]

Generally you don't want gaps between the saddles. Usually only the cheap Chinese no name bridges have these gaps.

If your neck has a 9.5'' radius you should get the American Professional Jazzmaster/Jaguar bridge, which has a narrower 52mm string spacing.

Edit: Just checked and the VM radius is indeed 9.5''. Here's the part you need: https://www.angela.com/fenderbridgeasse ... aster.aspx

[aliendawg]

Oh yes I get it!! But I still find it pricey. US$79 would be something like BRL R$331 here. And that's without considering the risk of having to pay import taxes. This is why I'm trying to consider every possible solution involving the cheap aftermarket bridge.

Maybe I could've gotten the whole trem system from the newer CV Jaguars and Jazzmaster which come with proper 9.5" radius and narrower spacing but that's still double the price I payed for the aftermarket bridge. Plus I'd have no use for the tremolo

[MechaBulletBill]

as long as your right hand can cope with the spacing, you should just try it out and see how you get on. if the nut is properly spaced, you'll probably be fine, as an overly wide bridge spacing will mainly cause problems past the 15th fret or so.

[jorri]

I have filed new slots on bass bridges before.

On a mustang bridge that would be more difficult as they are pretty deep and you cant just do a single straight slot. But not impossible yet a lot to go wrong and a lot of effort.

I would think filing slots is the best option for spacing, and then you can file them to a radius.

Sanding the sides as said produces buzz making gaps, unless you then could redrill the intonation holes but being metal you cant.

I never got wanting narrow spacing or strings falling off the neck, i avoided staytrems because i dont like narrow spacing. Maybe adjust your playing. Then shim the outer saddles (shielding tape maybe?) OR file the bottom of the inner saddles down to produce correct radius.