(No!) Problem Tune O Matic Bridge Les Paul Bass

[uwe]

Gibson is a God-fearing company. Attempting perfection is always tantamount to sacrilege and inherently doomed. 

[the mojo hobo]

Easily fixed by drilling a stepped hole. 

They probably drill those holes after the body is finished and the step would be bare wood.

They could just drill the holes perpendicular to the slope of the body, but then it would look like it didn't lay flat.

Anyway, it would be too much trouble for them to change their manufacturing procedure for the handful of basses they build.

[gibran]

Thanks to all. I greatly appreciate your feedback. I like my bass and I can live with it not being flush. Now I know it's a design flaw, not mine alone. It was better the bridge warwick on the penultimate model Les Paul. Anyway it sounds great!
Can someone (owner of the same bass) post a picture as my? Just to compare, and reassure myself...  Regards.

[eb2]

Too bad.  Did this ever happen on the old blob bridge, or the Evertilt?  I don't think so.

[uwe]

Thanks to all. I greatly appreciate your feedback. I like my bass and I can live with it not being flush. Now I know it's a design flaw, not mine alone. It was better the bridge warwick on the penultimate model Les Paul. Anyway it sounds great!
Can someone (owner of the same bass) post a picture as my? Just to compare, and reassure myself...  Regards.

A doubting Thomas this Gibran is!!! Feel my wounds ...

[drbassman]

Too bad.  Did this ever happen on the old blob bridge, or the Evertilt?  I don't think so.

I had it happen on a couple 3 point Epis, but not a Gibson.

[Grog]

A doubting Thomas this Gibran is!!! Feel my wounds ...

Mine looks about the same as Uwe's. I can't help but wonder why they didn't countersink the hole a bit to get it down past the carved top radius...............

[gibran]

A doubting Thomas this Gibran is!!! Feel my wounds ...

Very very fun! 

Thank you for your patience.   Now I Believe....

[drbassman]

Mine were higher than Uwe's, I should have snapped a picture before I took it back.  They were also tilting toward the heel of the neck.   I think it's best to watch them closely and it you can detect movement, have it fixed.  As for countersinking, a junior designer could have thought of that.  Again, someone was asleep at the switch.........

A good preventative move would be using light tension TI strings.  Costly, but much less hassle than repairs.

[Droombolus]

I had it happen on a couple 3 point Epis, but not a Gibson.

I had the "problem" with both on Epi's & Gibbie's .... I fixed my SG Bass some months ago, but they hold steady on both Supremes  . On my last run of Epi's I had to fix 3 out of 4 ......

[uwe]

No doubt this could have been solved better from an esthetic viewpoint. You wouldn't catch a Yamaha, an Ibanez or a Warwick with that type of a makeshift solution.

[Barklessdog]

No doubt this could have been solved better from an esthetic viewpoint. You wouldn't catch a Yamaha, an Ibanez or a Warwick with that type of a makeshift solution.

Really how much extra would it of been to counter sink them?

One extra step when drilling the holes?

[dadagoboi]

Really how much extra would it of been to counter sink them?

One extra step when drilling the holes?

A counterbored (flat bottomed stepped) hole can be done in one step with a CNC machine or manually in two steps with a piloted bit.  A countersink makes an angled hole.

[drbassman]

A counterbored (flat bottomed stepped) hole can be done in one step with a CNC machine or manually in two steps with a piloted bit.  A countersink makes an angled hole.

I don't understand why a countersink makes an angled hole?  That doesn't compute in my muddled brain.

[dadagoboi]

I don't understand why a countersink makes an angled hole?  That doesn't compute in my muddled brain.

countersink


counterbore with pilot, it drills a flat bottomed hole.