Setting up an acoustic with a floating bridge

Paul Seager · From: Augsburg, Germany

I have an old acoustic guitar with an irreparable neck twist (and no truss-rod) so I have added a string raiser and play it lap-steel now. The intonation is slightly off and I notice that at e.g., the fifth fret I need to bar around the middle of the fret to get the intonation.

The guitar has a floating bridge, so more flexible than a fixed bridge. But what is the rule; what is the effect of moving it towards or away from the neck?

My guess is towards the neck shortens the string, therefore increases the pitch but I cannot figure out in which direction I need to move the bridge with my example of the 5th fret above. Help!

\ paul

Jack Hanson · From: San Luis Valley, USA

The distance between where the strings break over the nut and the twelfth fret should be exactly the same as the distance between the twelfth fret and where the strings break over the bridge.

It's possible that your nut riser is throwing things off just a tad.

Paul Seager · From: Augsburg, Germany

Thanks Jack, that was the tip I needed.
1) Measure
2) Slackening strings
3) A slight tap to the bridge (towards the tail in this case)
Intonation restored!

\paul

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