LesPaul bridge

[Giorgio77]

:bounce: I was re-stringing my Les Paul Standard and decided that a good cleaning was in order. Usually I replace one string at a time, however this time all string were off and while cleaning the Hard Tail and bridge slipped off. No big deal but while cleaning the guitar I inadvertantly screwed up the thumbwheels and now everything is "off". Is there a set procedure that is used to "set up" this type of bridge/tail piece? I'm sure I'm not the only one this has happened to. Any asistance would be appreciated.
Giorgio

[Everett10]

The thumbwheels adjust the "action" or height of the strings on the fretboard, you can usually just put it all back together and raise them enough so that they don't buzz against the frets. Most people prefer to have the skinny strings a little closer to the frets than the heavy ones but you can adjust the height to what ever feels comfortable for you. For me I like the action close to the frets and I use thin strings (9s) Heavier strings would need to be a little higher. Subtle changes in height won't matter too much but a major change might require that you also reset the intonation. As long as you haven't moved the adjustable bridge saddles or changed string gauges you should be able to get it back to normal with a just a little bit of adjusting. Hope this helps!

[Giorgio77]

Thanks for the reply. I went to the Gibson site and in an owners manual .pdf file the factory settings were listed (3/64th for the high E and 5/64th for the low E). I adjusted it and an old Vantage VS 659 that I just got today from an EBay auction. Also in that manual it's mentioned that the Hardtail height adjustment should only be lowered if the strings pop off the bridge guides. Hope this helps anyone else with the same woes.

Cheers:cool:
Giorgio