Shim for an Ibanez Edge (Floyd Rose type) bridge saddle in the UK?

Philtre

I need to raise the low E string just a smidge on the bridge of my Ibanez JS1200 and this would require a saddle shim. Had a quick Google and can only find sets in the US. Anyone know who has them in the UK. I only need one or two.

Or maybe I can cut up a beer can?

sweepy

Go to a good craft shop and buy some sheet brass. 

Philtre

sweepy said:

Go to a good craft shop and buy some sheet brass. 

Good idea.

However, it turned out that I already had a copious supply of sheet aluminium courtesy of Mr. Carlsberg. Works a treat. :-)

mbe

I use the hole end of feeler gauges cut down with a Dremel disc. If you have a vernier caliper you can select the correct thickness to match the saddle heights to the fretboard radius.

Philtre

mbe said:

I use the hole end of feeler gauges cut down with a Dremel disc. If you have a vernier caliper you can select the correct thickness to match the saddle heights to the fretboard radius.

Good idea.

The saddle heights are matched pretty much OK to the fretboard radius except for the low E string saddle which was just a tad too low. Sorted now.

Philtre

It's like that part in "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" where Pirsig offers to tighten his mate's handlebars with a shim cut from a beer can but his mate is horrified by having a bit of old beer can on his BMW.

http://owyheemountainfiddleshop.blogspot.com/2011/05/zen-and-art-of-motorcycle-maintenance.html

Philtre

I'm not even sure how thick a beer can shim is. I used three pieces and it seems to have raised the saddle by about just less than half a millimetre.

DrBob

Philtre said:

It's like that part in "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" where Pirsig offers to tighten his mate's handlebars with a shim cut from a beer can but his mate is horrified by having a bit of old beer can on his BMW.

http://owyheemountainfiddleshop.blogspot.com/2011/05/zen-and-art-of-motorcycle-maintenance.html

It’s funny, that and the piece about the definition of quality are the only two bits of that book that I remember 

Maynehead

I’ve used cut up coke cans in the past. With a bit of careful cutting you can get them to match the shape of the saddle precisely, making them almost invisible.

Philtre

Maynehead said:

I’ve used cut up coke cans in the past. With a bit of careful cutting you can get them to match the shape of the saddle precisely, making them almost invisible.

Yes. I cut a long thin rectangle out of the can, folded it into three and made a hole in it for where the allen bolt goes through. You can't see it.

Top tip if you try this at home, folks - always drink the beer in the can first!

Philtre

DrBob said:

Philtre said:

It's like that part in "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" where Pirsig offers to tighten his mate's handlebars with a shim cut from a beer can but his mate is horrified by having a bit of old beer can on his BMW.

http://owyheemountainfiddleshop.blogspot.com/2011/05/zen-and-art-of-motorcycle-maintenance.html

It’s funny, that and the piece about the definition of quality are the only two bits of that book that I remember 

That and the actual riding of motorcycles across America. Some of the deeper philosophical parts were not so easy.

ICBM

Philtre said:

However, it turned out that I already had a copious supply of sheet aluminium courtesy of Mr. Carlsberg.

Probably the best Floyd Rose saddle shims in the world...

Philtre said:

Top tip if you try this at home, folks - always drink the beer in the can at least several hours first!

FTFY


I have a scar on my hand from not following that advice .