Prismatone Bridge saddle Adjustment

[Tom Keller]

Hi Guys, I love my Harmony 174 with the prismatone pickup. The action is too light to suit me. I was wondering how one goes about raising the bridge saddle height?
Any input wlll be appreciated.

Thanks

[smokymtguitar09]

Tom,
I had my Prismatone II custom installed and the installer used a couple of thin strips of wood (painted black) placed underneath the pickup to raise it to the proper action. That way if the action is too high the strips could be removed for lower action. I am not sure what kind of wood he used but I would venture a guess a dense hard wood for best transfer of the vibrations to the bridge.

With the original Gibson Hex pickup I used brass strips, available in various gauges at ACE or other hardware stores. I cut and trimmed them with tin snips to fit exactly underneath the pickup. If you like, send me your mailing address by private email and I'll send you a couple of pieces that you can trim and try.

Is your Prismatone pinned or does it have the two screw adjustments for intonation? Strips might not work if you have the screw adjustments, and if pinned then there should be no problem if the pins are long enough.

Good luck

[PhilHunt]

Even if you have a Prismatone with the adjustment screws you can still shim it. There's enough play in the pickup to move it up and down to a desired action. What I like to use as shims is thin pieces of craft or hobby basswood. You can get them at any craft or hobby supply like Michael's, and you can cut them with an exacto knife. I then stain it to match the color of the bridge. So, when you get the desired action...you really can't even tell you have a shim underneath.

[GlenHines]

Any thin hardwood will do (I think). In playing around with my Prismatone, I first used some oak veneer that I could trim with a pair of scissors - I had 3 pieces under the pickup. I later switched that to a single piece of rosewood that I cut from an old piece of peghead veneer. I just tried different pieces until I got to a playing height I liked.

[Skip]

I use old credit cards in My saddle slots they can be cut to size with a pair of scissors, and I hear no difference in the tone of the guitar. Try it Your giong to cut them up anyway.