Guitar Setup

[mattoakes]

Hi Folks,

What is the correct way to string my guitar? I have a Squier bullet (Start Copy). Should the bits on the bridge form a straight line and what is the purpose of being able to adjust the height of the strings. Any advice is greatly appreciated

Thanks again

Matt

[Dr_simon]

The bits on the bridge are called saddles and there hight (along with the truss rod) determines the guitars action (string hight). They also control intonation (tuning).

http://www.guitartricks.com/lesson.php?input=8670

[Lordathestrings]

... Should the bits on the bridge form a straight line and what is the purpose of being able to adjust the height of the strings. ...The saddles will not be in a straight line when the guitar is properly adjusted (intonated). If a straight line was the accurate setup, they wouldn't have gone to the trouble and expense of making separate saddles for each string.

The height is adjustable to allow the strings to follow the curvature of the fret board, with allowance for the greater motion of the heavier strings.

There will always be some slight differences in the optimum distance between the nut and the bridge for each string. This is why the saddles can be moved back and forth. You can assess the intonation by comparing the pitch of the note at the 12th fret to the harmonic played at the same point on the string. They should match as closely as possible.