Please Help, quick! (Bridge Saddles)

[tt0511]

I got a new RGT320Q the other day, and it is in the hands of the tech right now. I noted that the string height at the bridge is all over the place and asked him to fix that, either to radius or to be flat. Every string is different.

He said it looks like the A string is the one that's just too high and it's making the others look worse than they are. He is said he can grind that saddle down some if that's okay, so I said sure, if that's all he can do. He said there are no shims or anything in there.

He's gone to lunch, so if you guys tell me something different, I have an hour to come up with the solution.

THANKS!

P.S. - Ibanez website says this is an Edge Pro bridge it that matters.

[Rich]

He's going to grind the saddle instead of using saddle shims? Not only tell him to stop, go get your guitar from him before he finds some other way to kill it.

[tt0511]

Originally Posted by Rich

He's going to grind the saddle instead of using saddle shims? Not only tell him to stop, go get your guitar from him before he finds some other way to kill it.

I'm not a tech, but I thought I'd read an awful lot about saddle shims around this site, ...enough to know they exist. I think this guy doesn't know much about Floyd Rose tremolos! I just didn't know myself if the different variations were all the same in this regard.

Where can he / I get the shims? I would expect him to have them, so it sucks to have to be asking this question.

[Rich]

He can buy them from All Parts [they only have one size unfortunately] but I would not let somebody that doesn't know what they're doing work on a $2000 RGT.

[tt0511]

Yeah. I will take it to somebody who knows what's up. It is the complimentary store setup for guitar purchase. I didn't know it was more like a guitar funeral than a setup!

[Dino]

Originally Posted by Rich

He can buy them from All Parts [they only have one size unfortunately] but I would not let somebody that doesn't know what they're doing work on a $2000 RGT.

Nice save, Rich! I almost fell out of my chair when I read that first post.

[tt0511]

You guys are awesome. Thanks for the prompt replies and saving my bridge!

[Rich]

I doubt he could kill your guitar on a complementary setup, all it is is an adjustment. Obviously the bridge radius is above his level though, and it absolutely needs to be intonated before any radiusing because the radius will change as you move the saddles.

Do it yourself.

[tt0511]

Yeah, I guess I went too far on this. I made a list of things that were out on the guitar for him to check. There was very little sustain (with mahogany neck-thru I'd think this thing should sustain for days, not 2 seconds), The string height was all over the place at the saddles, Locking Stud mod I read about here, pup height if that was causing sustain problem.

I guess I should have just let him do what he does without asking that much of him, LOL. I checked the intonation myself and it was unbelievably, dead perfect!

I'm hoping the saddles are just in the wrong place. That should be simple to fix.

[Rich]

You checked it at the 12th, in reality it's out, it always is.

[tt0511]

Well, I got it back, and the guy actually did a pretty good job. I told him not to go to grinding on my saddles and then he said he would look to see if he had some Floyd Rose shims laying around. The saddles aren't perfect but they're pretty darn good so at least I can play it well for now. Thanks again for the help!!

Rich, ...I've never read about any other way to check intonation. I assume it can be checked at 24 since that's the second octave? I've never tried that. I don't spend a lot of time up there other than the bottom two strings anyway.

[Rich]

http://www.ibanezrules.com/tech/setup/intonation.htm