Bridge question: does this look OK?

[ESP68]

Hi there fellow PRS owners! I'm Dave from Montreal, Canada. I've just joined this board and this is my first post. Since I'm looking for your advice, this post might be a bit long as I'll give you some context, what I did so far, and finally, my questions. Thanks in advance for your time and guidance!

CONTEXT

• I own a 2018 PRS SE Custom 24 (made by Cor-Tek in Indonesia)
• I bought the guitar brand new in 2018 at an authorized PRS dealer (Steve's Music Store) here in Montreal
• The guitar purchase included an initial setup by the guitar tech from Steve's Music
• I didn't play much from 2018 to 2024... I'm just getting back to it now (used to play in bands when I was a teen)
• I'm trying to learn how to do a proper guitar setup myself now that I'm playing a lot more these days

WHAT I DID SO FAR

1. Restring: I started by doing a restring. I kept the same 9-42 gauge, just like it was from the factory.
2. Neck relief: After that, I moved to the truss rod. I used a capo on the 1st fret of the low E string, finger on the 24th fret, and .010" feeler gauge over the 8th fret. As far as I could tell, the neck relief was in pretty good shape. I seemed to have a very slight front bow, which I corrected.
3. Action: To set the action, I measured over the 12th fret, and went for .080" on the low E string and .060" on the high E string. Once both E strings were set at the proper height, I adjusted the action on the four middle strings by using a 10" radius gauge to match the curvature of the fretboard.
4. Intonation: Not much to say here... I ended my setup by adjusting the intonation.

MY QUESTIONS

1. Saddle height: As far as I can tell, the saddles look OK to me... But the saddle for the high E string is nearly bottomed out. The high E string is at the desired action (.060"), but it's the only saddle that's nearly bottomed out... Is this normal? Is this an indication that something is off? Or is everything OK and I should just leave it like that?
2. Bridge angle: I did not adjust the bridge at all in my setup. But I've been made aware that the floating bridge should be parallel with the strings and should be sitting approx. 1/16" from the guitar body. Looking at my bridge, it seems slightly angled instead of parallel (it's higher at the 6 pivot screws). I'm measuring about 1/16" of space between the bridge and the body at the back of the bridge, but 1.5/16" at the front (at the 6 pivot screws). Is this something that should be fixed or just left alone? I don't really use the tremolo, but I've read this angled bridge might cause some tuning instability and also a sharp angle where the strings leave the saddles.

Here's a bunch of photos to go along with this information...

 

[alantig]

Looks like you need to loosen the trem claw a bit. Probably don't need to say this, but GO SLOW, and retune w/each adjustment. There used to be info on the PRS site about how far you can pull up on the bar, but it looks a little low on the back end.

As for the saddle, if it's where you like it and it's playing well, I wouldn't sweat it.

And you didn't say if you did this, but if you took all six strings off, you should put something under the bridge so the springs don't pull it all the way back. I use a taped up magazine subscription card.

 

[DISTORT6]

Welcome @ESP68!
Great pics and thanks for the avatar.
Totally agree with what @alantig said.
Looks like trem claw needs to be loosened.

 

[deathworlder]

I use playing cards to feel when the bridge is level...

 

[JasonE]

Welcome to the forum!

I wouldn't worry about the high E saddle. It will be okay like that. As noted the back of the trem should be a little higher. As suggested, just loosen the trem claw screws a little bit. I would take them maybe a half turn each and retune the guitar and check it again. When I change the strings by one gage or if I tune the guitar a half step down, I usually need to back the trem claw screws out about one full turn each and the trem will be where I want it.

Just to note: if you get into playing and you want the action lower than you have it now, it can be done. I usually start with my low E string at about .050" and I run around .005" relief in the neck, maybe less depending on how the guitar responds.

 

[ESP68]

Thanks for the replies @alantig, @DISTORT6 and @deathworlder.

OK, so high E saddle being nearly bottomed out doesn't seem to be a problem so I just leave it like that. Check!

Now for the angled floating bridge... My initial thought was that I would need to bring the 6 pivot screws down 1/32" in order to make it level with the back of the bridge and have a uniform 1/16" distance between the bridge and the body. But what I'm reading here is that I should instead simply loosen the claw a bit so the back of my bridge raises 1/32", from 1/16" (as it is now) to 3/32" (which is what I have at the 6 pivot screws right now). The whole bridge would then be floating 3/32" from the guitar body (instead of the recommended 1/16"). Is that correct? Is that the recommended path because the extra 1/32" of space between the body and the bridge really doesn't matter, or more so because adjusting the claw is a simpler thing to do than messing with the 6 pivot screws and the knife edges on the bridge?

Again, thanks for taking the time to help me learn. I really appreciate you taking the time to share your knowledge!

 

[Fro]

Nothing to add. You went in the steps I use.
1. Relief
2. Action
3. Intonation
And I finish with 4. Trem angle.

Steps 3 & 4 are rarely if ever needed if you keep the same string brand & size. I like both my action and relief to be lower than yours.

Personally, if the action is where you like it I wouldn’t worry about your trem angle unless it bothers you.

 

[Fro]

I wouldn’t adjust the pivot screws unless you try to lower the action and the saddle bottoms out.
Fully loosen the strings before adjusting the pivot screws evenly.

 

[DISTORT6]

Thanks for the replies @alantig, @DISTORT6 and @deathworlder.

OK, so high E saddle being nearly bottomed out doesn't seem to be a problem so I just leave it like that. Check!

Now for the angled floating bridge... My initial thought was that I would need to bring the 6 pivot screws down 1/32" in order to make it level with the back of the bridge and have a uniform 1/16" distance between the bridge and the body. But what I'm reading here is that I should instead simply loosen the claw a bit so the back of my bridge raises 1/32", from 1/16" (as it is now) to 3/32" (which is what I have at the 6 pivot screws right now). The whole bridge would then be floating 3/32" from the guitar body (instead of the recommended 1/16"). Is that correct? Is that the recommended path because the extra 1/32" of space between the body and the bridge really doesn't matter, or more so because adjusting the claw is a simpler thing to do than messing with the 6 pivot screws and the knife edges on the bridge?

Again, thanks for taking the time to help me learn. I really appreciate you taking the time to share your knowledge!

DON’T TOUCH THE 6 SCREWS.
It’s all about the claw. Loosen the strings, loosen the claw screws, retune, and if the bridge is parallel with the body, you’re done.

 

[deathworlder]

If you're going to use a radius gauge to set/check saddles, place it under the strings.

 

[JasonE]

Thanks for the replies @alantig, @DISTORT6 and @deathworlder.

OK, so high E saddle being nearly bottomed out doesn't seem to be a problem so I just leave it like that. Check!

Now for the angled floating bridge... My initial thought was that I would need to bring the 6 pivot screws down 1/32" in order to make it level with the back of the bridge and have a uniform 1/16" distance between the bridge and the body. But what I'm reading here is that I should instead simply loosen the claw a bit so the back of my bridge raises 1/32", from 1/16" (as it is now) to 3/32" (which is what I have at the 6 pivot screws right now). The whole bridge would then be floating 3/32" from the guitar body (instead of the recommended 1/16"). Is that correct? Is that the recommended path because the extra 1/32" of space between the body and the bridge really doesn't matter, or more so because adjusting the claw is a simpler thing to do than messing with the 6 pivot screws and the knife edges on the bridge?

Again, thanks for taking the time to help me learn. I really appreciate you taking the time to share your knowledge!

The trem claw is where you need to go. If you adjusted the pivot screws the trem would still be lower at the tail end that you want it. It is all about the tension balance between the strings and the springs that determines how the trem sets.

DON’T TOUCH THE 6 SCREWS.
It’s all about the claw. Loosen the strings, loosen the claw screws, retune, and if the bridge is parallel with the body, you’re done.

This ^^^

If you're going to use a radius gauge to set/check saddles, place it under the strings.

I have these same radius gages. They are the same on both the top and the bottom. It is okay to use them the way he is doing it.

 

[deathworlder]

I have these same radius gages. They are the same on both the top and the bottom. It is okay to use them the way he is doing it.

Me too...
String diameters is the factor.

I don't use mine to set saddle height.

 

[JasonE]

Me too...
String diameters is the factor.

I don't use mine to set saddle height.

That shouldn't matter if he is also doing a measurement at the 12th fret to the bottom of the string.

 

[deathworlder]

That shouldn't matter if he is also doing a measurement at the 12th fret to the bottom of the string.

Exactly...

 

[TheCraftsman]

Def claw screw adjustment as has been said, John Mann provides a nice bass pick in his bridges to use as a reference when setting up and it’s never failed me yet, just tweak the claw screws until the pick drops out and boom

 

[ESP68]

Alright, so I adjusted the claw as suggested by pretty much everyone.
Loosened it by about 1-1/4 turn on both claw screws.
Now, my bridge does sit parallel with the guitar body and strings, but at a distance of 3/32" instead of the recommended 1/16".
I readjusted the truss rod ever so slightly, readjusted the action and intonation, and now my high E is pretty much completely bottomed out and the E string is just a tad higher than I would like (a hair over .060").
Plays well, just like it did before (but then again, I'm no pro to judge if everything is really setup correctly).
Here are the pics...
What do you think? Leave it like that or further adjustments required?

 

[JasonE]

Alright, so I adjusted the claw as suggested by pretty much everyone.
Loosened it by about 1-1/4 turn on both claw screws.
Now, my bridge does sit parallel with the guitar body and strings, but at a distance of 3/32" instead of the recommended 1/16".
I readjusted the truss rod ever so slightly, readjusted the action and intonation, and now my high E is pretty much completely bottomed out and the E string is just a tad higher than I would like (a hair over .060").
Plays well, just like it did before (but then again, I'm no pro to judge if everything is really setup correctly).
Here are the pics...
What do you think? Leave it like that or further adjustments required?

That looks much better. Don't get hung up on measurements. I have several core models with trems and some set lower than others. It is also possible to lower it from where you have it. It is just something that you really should know what you are doing before doing it. That is why I have not suggested it here.

 

[ESP68]

Great! Thanks to everyone that took a bit of time to help a noob.
I'm going to leave the guitar as it is right now, and maybe reassess at a later time (when I restring the guitar sometimes in the future)...
When/if the time comes to lower that bridge, here's the info I've gathered so far.

• Always remove ALL tension on the bridge before doing any adjustments at the mounting screws (completely remove all strings AND remove all springs)
• To lower or increase the height of the screws, work in very small steps, sequentially across all 6 screws. The goal being to keep the screws absolutely level at all times.
• The correct feeler gauge to use between the top of the bridge plate and the bottom of the screw heads seems to be the flat side of a 2.5 mm Allen wrench.
• With the screws at the correct height, reinstall the springs and restring the guitar. This isn't showed in the John Mann video, but I'm guessing it's during this step you ensure the knife edges of the bridge sit perfectly in the notches on the mounting screws (below the screw heads).
• Doing this correctly should result in a floating bridge that is parallel to the strings, and sits 1/16" above the body.

Let me know if that sounds about right and if I'm missing anything. Hopefully, this thread will be useful to others looking into the specifics of the PRS floating bridge.

 

[Going Modal]

Just leaving this here for posterity...

 

[JasonE]

Great! Thanks to everyone that took a bit of time to help a noob.
I'm going to leave the guitar as it is right now, and maybe reassess at a later time (when I restring the guitar sometimes in the future)...
When/if the time comes to lower that bridge, here's the info I've gathered so far.

• Always remove ALL tension on the bridge before doing any adjustments at the mounting screws (completely remove all strings AND remove all springs)
• To lower or increase the height of the screws, work in very small steps, sequentially across all 6 screws. The goal being to keep the screws absolutely level at all times.
• The correct feeler gauge to use between the top of the bridge plate and the bottom of the screw heads seems to be the flat side of a 2.5 mm Allen wrench.
• With the screws at the correct height, reinstall the springs and restring the guitar. This isn't showed in the John Mann video, but I'm guessing it's during this step you ensure the knife edges of the bridge sit perfectly in the notches on the mounting screws (below the screw heads).
• Doing this correctly should result in a floating bridge that is parallel to the strings, and sits 1/16" above the body.

Let me know if that sounds about right and if I'm missing anything. Hopefully, this thread will be useful to others looking into the specifics of the PRS floating bridge.

Your research has you going in the right direction again. It is refreshing to see someone actually researching this stuff instead of coming here after messing things up and asking questions. The only thing I will add to what you found is even though you have measurements, don't get hung up on them. I have at least one core guitar that I know is probably lower than the measurements and it works just fine. I had to take that particular guitar a little lower to get the action down where I like it. I have others that I did not have to do that with. I like them just a little lower than what PRS sets them up at. The latest one I purchased was in November of 2023. I had to take the pivot screws down by 1/4 of a turn and that put it where I wanted it.