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here's a few tips I use when cold mounting a bridge (i.e. a replacement that has a different mounting pattern than the previous bridge, or installing a new bridge on a new build)
- accurately identify centerline on the body and mark it on a piece of tape
- accurately identify and mark the theoretical scale location (as measured from the leading edge of the nut)
- extend the bridge saddles all the way towards the nut (until there is no screw threads on the leading edge of the saddle.) this represents the saddle location at scale. there still will be a small amount of adjustment room towards the nut should you need it, but in all of my building/modding/set-up experience I've never seen a saddle that needed to be compensated at a distance less than scale. this step then maximizes the amount of available compensation you will have for the thicker strings
- accurately measure the distance from the saddle witness point to the front edge of the bridge. this is the distance in front of the scale length reference mark that the front edge of your bridge will be located at
- mark a line perpendicular to the centerline at the front bridge front edge location so you have a placement reference
at this point I like to have a helper hold the two outer strings in place against their tuner keys while I hold their ball ends in the bridge. I then place the bridge at its mounting position and make minor side/side adjustments so that the strings have equal spacing on the edge of the neck. once you have the spacings equal, mark the outer locations of the bridge edges.
you now know where your bridge needs to be located.
remove the strings, place a piece of tape under the bridge (for this step I like to use the clear dull finish tape you use to wrap presents) so that it is where the bridge mounting holes will be. relocate the bridge according to your position markings, and then trace the locations of the mounting holes onto the tape (you can clearly see the marks on the tape, something that would be difficult to see on a finished body)
use a fine awl to mark the mounting hole centers and drill pilot holes for the mounting screws. I like to drill a hole that is as deep as the screw will go into the body, and of a diameter that depends on the body wood and screw size
- for softer woods like Alder, Basswood, Mahogany, etc ... I like to drill this hole on the small size, so I use a drill bit one size smaller than the shaft diameter of the screw (the diameter without the screw threads as can be measured with a dial caliper)
- for harder woods like Ash, Maple, Walnut, etc ... I like to drill a hole that matches the size of the shaft diameter of the screw
that's basically it for mounting a bridge. definitely let me know if I can answer anything else for you
all the best,
R
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