Help! with el cheapo tune-o-matic

[72sg]

Hey folks! New here. Thanks Chris!!

I'm in Austin and this mail order house (J.R. Beck) went belly up and for fun I bought one of their Chinese LP's they're blowin' out for $100 ($325 when solvent!). Multi-piece mahogany back, bolt-on mahogany neck, maple cap (others were veneer) and some really weird sounding HB pickups.

Okay ... I know this is blasphemy, talking cheap crap on a custom site and all. I won't bore you with why this guitar is at once both a steal and a piece o' crap. Suffice to say that I'm trying to learn and I'm willing to stand naked before experts, so to speak!

Basically I'm trying to decide if I can salvage the bridge. I tried to buy a Nashville set off CList but the guy flaked. Maybe a good thing since this appears to be a ABR copy. Anyway ...

THE SADDLE ADJUST SCREWS RATTLE! It intonates okay, and no burrs or issues at the saddles. It just rattles !@#$% Anybody know how to fix this? Do I have to pot this thing?? It's the same whether the retainer clip is on or off. I don't want to throw good money after bad ordering screws and/or saddles, unless y'all think that might work? Can you recommend a fix, or a cheapo replacement?

Many thanks, especially to our host.

[Rich]

Hello! Welcome to our forum.

I've had similar issues with some low priced bridges, and if you can see which ones are rattling (usually you can strum, and put your finger on the culprit to make it stop) and where the movement is happening, there are a couple of things you can try. If the screws are sloppy in their threads, you can put a little Loctite on the threads, set your adjustment, and let it harden. This usually cures the problem, and it helps keep your intonation stable. If the screws are rattling against the slots where they rest (right behind the heads), sometimes a tiny scrap of felt or paper inserted between the screw and the shoulder where it rests can arrest the vibration.

www.doityourself.com/invt/6784433

[72sg]

Thanks Rich! I can't believe you linked me to a local source. Most generous indeed!

I'll try the felt first, since I'm going to be doing more fiddling with the action and intonation may vary along the way. Once I'm confident with the setup I'll use the Loctite if necessary.

FYI, I came across a thread over at the Reverend Guitars forum where there's about 4 pages of folks exchanging pictures and gushing over your guitars. Raves all the way around. Everyone that sees a Rice guitar wants one. Thanks again!

[Rich]

I hope it helps you. Felt may be a little bulky, if so try a little scrap of Kleenex or masking tape. It all depends on what you find. The idea is to immobilize the vibrating part(s). If you use Lotite, be sure to use the light duty stuff. They make some pretty tenacious thread locker, but it's overkill, and could do as much harm as good. The light duty stuff (what I linked you to) can be moved even after it sets up and cures. You would need to use a screwdriver to do so, but it will keep things in place until you decide to move them. This trick is really handy for the cheap Tele bridges, too. Often the height adjustment set screws will vibrate loose on their saddles. One little drop of Loctite solves it every time, and is pretty much invisible. Good luck!

Oh, thanks for the heads up on the Reverend Forum. I haven't been over there for quite some time. I'll take a look when I get a minute.

[72sg]

Rich, I used some bits of tissue with very good results. Now that you've pinpointed the issue, and I've basically proved the concept so to speak, I think I may have an ideal solution: Teflon thread tape used to seal gas and plumbing connectors! There's enough play at the screw/shoulder to use probably two wraps no problem, and since it's tape it will stay put and should be easier to work with. I still have some from replacing my gas water heater. I'll do it next time I have the bridge off. I need to get some cheap strings for this kind of experimentation, so I'm not wasting my DR's (I'm big on DR strings)!

Thanks again!

[Rich]

Glad to hear it helped. Teflon tape should work fine.

[72sg]

Yep, thread tape worked great. The bridge turned out so well, it was a no-brainer to also use it to take out the play at the studs and bridge posts. It's really a tremendous improvement.

Thanks again Rich : )