Bridge dropping and going out of tune

Krakkus

I've got an original issue Jagstang and really happy with it overall.

One thing i'd like help with:

When I play it hard the bridge drops gradually and the guitar goes out of tune over time. this seems to happen only on the high string side. the heavy strings are fine but the overall change in the bridge outs all the strings slightly out of tune. If i play for long enough the high strings drop down to the fretboard. is there a simple fix for this? i don't mind the bridge and don't get any of the other problems that I've read about so i'd prefer not to get a new bridge.

thanks

Alex

Hi. This is not an unusual problem on the jag-stang.. and japanese reissues of this period. The bridge posts have adjustable allen screws in the bottom of them. This is not obvious if you've never had the bridge out. The vibrations seem to "back" the screws out slowly over time.

You can see the screws in the bottom of the bridge posts in the photos below. Use an allen wrench to adjust the screw height through the hole in the top of the post. (not sure exact size) Some people will put a drop of rubber cement on the exposed screw threads after getting the height they like to make it harder for them to move from vibrations. But I don't recommend doing that unless the problem keeps recurring.

Mad-Mike

I use a tiny amount of 3M Tape around the screw threads. I did this on mine and have been using it's original bridge reliably since 2000 that way. The trick is to get the adhesive AND tape to gummy up the threads to hold the screws in place, but allow enough movement to properly adjust. I tend to prefer 3M Scotch tape for this.