Intonation can be adjusted using the two allen set screws facing the tail end of the guitar. Ingenious! Download Truss Rods Made Easy for free. The rest of your setup must be right for you before you start. Essentially, the overall angle of the bridge can be changed and this can be used to approximate a good intonation. I have a "lightning bolt" type wraparound bridge on a sg jr. Using the grub screws to get the bridge to a good angle will generally give a pretty good overall intonation. You can read more in my, Like this? No idea of the horror stories, I've been playing PRS's with the wraparound bridge since 94 and haven't had tuning or intonation problems. First up, let’s recap our intonation prerequisites. I like to set the outside strings first. It’s a hunk of metal bolted to a guitar. That’s it. I don't do spam and you can unsubscribe at any time. At the time of its launch, this bridge was perhaps too unconventional for most. Guitar Amps & Effects For Dummies Cheat Sheet, The Building Blocks of the Guitar Signal Chain, Classic Guitar Tones from 4 Classic Body Woods. The bar has U-shaped slots at either end that mount firmly into steel bolts that are threaded into steel studs mounted into the body, and these bolts can be raised or lowered for overall height adjustment. The intonation line provides a ‘good for most people’ intonation by replicating the stagger of a properly intonated guitar. With one of these wrapovers, there’s nothing else. This gives you an advantage over the straight line of the simplest of these bridges. It’s compromise city. For instance, if you adjust the bass-side screw clockwise, it pushes against the mounting post and moves that side of the bridge further back. Intonation adjustment is made by tightening or loosening a small hex-screw threaded in each end of the bridge behind its U-shaped mounting bracket, which moves the bridge slightly forward or backward to adjust string length. A wraparound bridge is an integral bridge/tailpiece unit constructed traditionally from a metal bar drilled with six holes on the underside, into which the strings are loaded from the front before wrapping up and over the curved bar and heading off over the pickups and toward the neck. The problem, of course, comes when we consider intonation. Setting Intonation on a Wrapover or Stop-Tailpiece Bridge (Including PRS), You are signing up for my email newsletter so the understanding that you'll receive emails is pretty explicit. So now I had the ABM 3024 wraparound bridge locked in place with the Schroeder studs, ... Trev had solved the intonation problem by adapting the swivelling axis design from his WT3 bridge to his bass bridge design. Which might be desirable while playing but it also comes into effect when simply just pressing the string to fretboard - and this will have an effect on intonation. Some of them can be taller than the regular tailpiece bridge which might cause problems getting a good action. (At 6:02 I say "bushings" when I meant "studs"). It might take a few minutes to come through so, don't worry if it's not there immediately. The Wraptonate bridge offers fully adjustable saddles for each string. From there, you can tweak the overall angle a little to ‘balance up’ the intonation so that no one string is too far out. Setup FAQ: Setting up for Dropped Tunings. These units intend to provide the solid anchoring of the original wraptail, with facilities for perfect intonation adjustment. On your regular Strat bridge or tun-o-matic, we can individually set each string saddle to the optimal location for that string’s intonation. Wraparound bridges clearly have very limited intonation adjustment facilities, but a workable compromise between all strings can usually be achieved. These can be a good way to improve your intonation without changing your guitar’s look or vibe too much. Thanks a lot. By that, I mean that, on the bridge, behind where it mounts on each post, is a small ‘grub-screw’. As crude as its design is, many players are still big fans of this bridge for its admirable sustain, resonance, and overall simplicity. Compare it to the open string—is it flat or sharp? Too unconventional for most. It's not that scary. My strobe tuner knows the intonation a couple cents off.....my pedal tuner and clip-on tuners say the intonation is dead on. Next, using a Quarter, perform the necessary height adjustments to the bridge. And here’s the thing… They can sound great. I choose to raise the tailpiece to do the same on my Gibsons. Check out these other great articles…, Setting Intonation on a Jaguar, Jazzmaster, or Mustang, Haze Guitars, 54 Rossberry Avenue, Lucan, Ireland, Revisiting Brian May - intonation and ‘offset’ zero fret. If you’re not familiar with these, imagine the tailpiece where the strings anchor on a Les Paul. My normal strings run 9-46 or 10-46, depending on whether the guitars are HB or Soapbar equipped. You can get wrapover bridges that have adjustable saddles built in. The bridge has 2 small Allan key adjustments which move the bridge closer or further from the bridge posts to adjust the intonation across all 6 strings. Even after a more adjustable bridge was introduced on the Les Paul a few years later, the wraparound bridge remained standard equipment on the Les Paul Special and Junior and several other models thereafter. not lying on a table or counter but upright as if you were playing it). The strings go through from the front, wrapover the rear of the tailpiece and then make their way up the neck. Essentially, the overall angle of the bridge can be changed and this can be used to approximate a good intonation. Then check the middle strings and see how they seem. Too unconventional for most. If you're planning to buy one of these, make sure it's right for your guitar. That’s the thing though—if you’re playing one of these, you’re accepting the compromise. So now I had the ABM 3024 wraparound bridge locked in place with the Schroeder studs, ... Trev had solved the intonation problem by adapting the swivelling axis design from his WT3 bridge to his bass bridge design. Then, retune the guitar. Some wrapovers come with a moulded or carved ‘intonation line’. Several contemporary makers offer renditions of the wraparound bridge in designs that incorporate individually adjustable saddles. You see, good coupling between bridge and body is a big part of good guitar tone. The intonation is ok-ish, but it could be a tiny bit better. The bridge is adjustable ‘overall’. With no string behind the bridge to flex, there is greater increase in pitch when bending a string. You should have fresh strings (of your usual gauge and brand) installed, properly stretched, and tuned up as normal. The intonation is ok-ish, but it could be a tiny bit better. However, in order to comply with privacy regulations, I also need you to provide consent to store and process the information you've entered. A hand-drawn, illustrated guide to setting up your own Strat. Well, originally, because it was cheap. • If you have a plain Wraparound style bridge, the intonation cannot be set on a string by string basis, but you can broadly set the intonation across the whole bridge. The wraparound bridge gets so close you can't really hear the slight intonation issue. Ingenious! Some guitars have a wrapover tailpice style bridge. Bear in mind that the brass studs are a soft metal that could be prone to marring if adjustments are made too forcefully. Fret at the 12th fret and pick this note. Not much to get in the way of tasty tone. Again, start with the outside strings and then check the others.