The stopbar and intonation

[living room rocker]

With the onset of warmer and more humid temps here in IL, I ran through a quick setup check of my Epi SG. Added just a hair of neck relief and adjusted string height upwards with a 1/2 turn on the fat e side of a recently installed Schaller roller bridge. I picked the Schaller because it looked to be a quality built component, the rollers offered freedom of string movement with no binding, string spacing is adjustable, and the best part being it eliminated my having to file string slots.

I've had difficulty though with intonation being sharp on the g and fat e strings, even with the adjustment max'ed to its fullest. I've also always had my stop piece screwed fully down to the guitar body; bloggers claiming this maximizes sustain. The strings easily cleared this bridge even with the stop piece fully seated.

Decided to try and raise the stop piece 1 1/2 turns out from fully seated on both sides. I was then easily able to intonate the g and fat e perfectly (or close enough to perfect to satisfy me).

Just letting you know is all; I've read about others with similar intonation problems. If you've had intonation issues, give adjustment to the stop piece height a try too; have noticed no discernible change to sustain.

 

[donepearce]

The only way I can account for this is that when you had the stop-bar bedded down, the resulting sideways force on the bridge tilted it forwards, denying you the amount of rearward travel you needed. Low stopbars are a very bad idea, mechanically. They amplifiy the force on the bridge hugely, and prevent it being directed straight down the studs as it should be.

And of course they don't increase sustain.

 

[Col Mustard]

there are a number of popular myths that circulate on internet fora...
many of them involve chasing sustain. These myths (or falsehoods) get
circulated over and over again, and repeated until players believe them.

It's best to keep a good level of skepticism when you are reading internet
posts, even on ETSG where our respect for the truth and for each other is higher
than anywhere else I've visited.

So I suggest that trying some of what people suggest on internet fora can be
interesting and fun, as long as you don't regard anything as Gospel. I have read
many comments on the subject of sustain, and the bridge, and the tailpiece.
Lucky me, I own two SGs and they both ring like a bell unamplified, and they both
sustain for as long as I need them to. How much sustain do you actually need in
a song?

That should be your first question as you develop your style and your skill.
Do you need five seconds of sustain? Or only four seconds? Four seconds is a long
time in a song. I think of sustain in terms of drumbeats. How many drumbeats of
sustain do you need, for your solo or your song to be effective? Or how many quarter
notes from the bass player...

When you think about it that way, you're on the path. Buying a new bridge for your
Epi is a good move anyway.

 

[living room rocker]

there are a number of popular myths that circulate on internet fora...
many of them involve chasing sustain. These myths (or falsehoods) get
circulated over and over again, and repeated until players believe them.

It's best to keep a good level of skepticism when you are reading internet
posts, even on ETSG where our respect for the truth and for each other is higher
than anywhere else I've visited.

So I suggest that trying some of what people suggest on internet fora can be
interesting and fun, as long as you don't regard anything as Gospel. I have read
many comments on the subject of sustain, and the bridge, and the tailpiece.
Lucky me, I own two SGs and they both ring like a bell unamplified, and they both
sustain for as long as I need them to. How much sustain do you actually need in
a song?

That should be your first question as you develop your style and your skill.
Do you need five seconds of sustain? Or only four seconds? Four seconds is a long
time in a song. I think of sustain in terms of drumbeats. How many drumbeats of
sustain do you need, for your solo or your song to be effective? Or how many quarter
notes from the bass player...

When you think about it that way, you're on the path. Buying a new bridge for your
Epi is a good move anyway.

Good point, how much do you really need? I agree, this SG of mine rings out plenty long.

 

[living room rocker]

The only way I can account for this is that when you had the stop-bar bedded down, the resulting sideways force on the bridge tilted it forwards, denying you the amount of rearward travel you needed. Low stopbars are a very bad idea, mechanically. They amplifiy the force on the bridge hugely, and prevent it being directed straight down the studs as it should be.

And of course they don't increase sustain.

It seems as though the bridge to its adjustment post fit is really good with little to no play, but I understand what you mean by a forward pressure and bridge tilt that could limit backward adjustment. In any event, backing the stop piece off full bed did the trick, and I agree about the sustain issue.