Floating Bridge Stabilization

[leadfingers]

Hi to all,

I'm new here and hope someone can give me a straight answer on this. Oh, and this may be just a bit long as I am paraphrasing from the book on the suggested technique.

I have an Ibanez AG85trd guitar. It's a smaller body jazz type box. Have had it for just under a year. Plays great & all that. Minor issue I'm having is if I do any bending at all, no matter how minor, it seems to come out of tune.

This is my first shot at a floating bridge guitar. I have a couple of books that have helped in the past and one mentions the minor instability of tuning nowadays due to wound strings being used instead of flat-wounds.

I use wound D'Addarrios. Have never had a problem with any of my other guitars and bending. One of the books (Complete Guide to Guitar & Amp Maintenance by Ritchie Fliegler) suggests the following:

"Cut two small pieces (just a bit smaller than the bridge feet) of light-grit sandpaper, 500 or higher. Using contact cement...glue the sandpaper to the bottom of the bridge, grit side down..... Tune up , set intonation. If you need to move the bridge, loosen the strings and lift it slightly to avoid scratching. The sandpaper will now provide the friction needed to keep the bridge in place."


I am considering selling this for other reason, nothing mechanical, but may keep it if I can resolve this issue. Does this sound like a typical problem with Floating bridges and is this a decent fix.

Thanks in advance.

Leadfingers.

[Runewalker]

Logically, the sandpaper approach would work. It will inevitabley mar or even scratch the finish where it contacts the body. That may not be an issue if this guitar is unlikely to appreciate in value, or if it is yours for life.

An alterntive may be to use and trim to shape the type of masking tape that has a slight crepe type texture. 3M's blue masking tape is great but a little pricy. That small amount of texture may serve the same purpose but be reversable and should avoid marring the finish. If it does not work, or if you think you hear a differnence in tone, then you can go the more permanent route.

RW

[wesman]

It sounds like the bridge is sliding around on that slippery finish,
Try rubbing a little violin bow resin on the bottom of the bridge, that
should keep her where she should be.

Best of luck

[leadfingers]

TO Wes & Runewalker,

Thanks for the replies. Both sound much better than the sandpaper idea. My daughter is currently studying violin so I should be able to pilfer a little touch of her resin.

If that doesn't work, I do have some of the blue masking tape packed in with the painting supplies.

Again, thanks for the tips!

LF

[Runewalker]

I am sure there are other options. I also am not sure how the resin will interact with the finish. Assumedly ok since that stuff is alway flakinging onto the violin surface.