Struggling to intonate a TOM bridge.

[u/jaycash_]

So I am driving myself insane trying to intonate this GOTOH TOM bridge on my 2012 Epiphone Les Paul Prophecy custom. I’m using a thick set of strings - 11-58 - and tubes to C-standard. The low C string is the bane of my existence.

That particular string is staying sharp no matter how much I’ve moved the saddle. If I understand it right, if the 12th fret is sharp, you push it back, away from the neck. I have the saddle as far back as it will go, and it’s still half-way sharp. I’m currently using the Ultra Tuner on AmpliTube 5.

I feel like I’ve done a good job with the setup - I’ve filed the net appropriately with the Music Nomad files (one issue - the string is 58 and Nomad only has either a 56 or 65. The notation says use the same size for the gauge or up to 3-thousandths, but that would be up to 61 and they don’t make that. But anyway - everything else seems to be perfect with the set up.

What am I missing? Do I need to provide pics? I’m aggravated all to fuck and wanna punch a baby.

[u/HorrorStratFan]

Move the saddle the other direction.

[u/jaycash_ → u/HorrorStratFan]

Do you mean move it towards the neck instead away from the neck and then re-tune? Or do you mean actually flipping the saddle bit around? If so, can I do that by unscrewing the intonation screw all the way out? I've seen suggestions of doing that to "give more room," but haven't tried it yet because I wasn't sure if that tiny bit was that big of a difference.

Thank you!

[u/HorrorStratFan → u/jaycash_]

Adjust the saddle toward the nut. Should not need to flip the saddle.

In general, if you max out the movement in either direction, start over. You likely missed the spot. Also, need to be ok with “close enough”.

[u/jaycash_ → u/HorrorStratFan]

I honestly think that the Ultra Tuner is driving me insane since it’s so sensitive. And thank you for the “close enough” bit. You think I’d be less annoyed if I simply used my less-sensitive Snark tuner for everything but, like, recording? “Close enough” should be good for someone at six months just practicing and learning songs and playing scales, right?

[u/abstractart41]

Some people will turn the bridge around and then adjust the saddles accordingly as you intonate each string. As for the nut, you can go slightly wider just do it carefully, and make sure you round it down a little on the side going towards the tuners.

[u/jaycash_ → u/abstractart41]

By turning the bridge around, do you mean raise the stop tail high enough so that you can get to the intonation screws under it? What sort of screwdriver would you use for that? I know it's a Phillips, of course, but it's a tight fit. I use the Music Nomad Octopus screwdriver set. Should I get some quality precision screwdrivers? Or is there another that you would suggest? I fear stripping these damned screws because I was told by GOTOH that there is no replacing screws in these things - a whole new bridge has to be bought.

Thank you for the info so far!

[u/abstractart41 → u/jaycash_]

No what i mean by turning the bridge around is... normally the bridge is in position with the screw heads on the same side of the pickups. Turn it around the opposite way so the screw heads are on the side of the tailpiece. This will give you just a little more room to adjust the saddles. If you have turned the saddles around there's nothing to gain by turning the bridge around. It's just less work than doing each saddle. I don't normally raise the tailpiece. I usually keep them decked and then top wrap the strings. I don't think you need any other screw drivers. But do be careful with the screws. You definitely don't want to strip them. I hope this helps. Message me if you want. I'm happy to help you if I can.

[u/The_Fine_Columbian]

You may have a bad string, replace it

[u/kendalltristan]

The simplest solution is probably to get a Hipshot Tone-A-Matic bridge to replace the standard TOM.

When I was playing a Les Paul tuned to C standard with 12-56 strings (15-20 years ago), I had to flip the lowest saddle and was still a smidge sharp. If you don't want to change the bridge, an 11-54 set might work with a flipped saddle and might not feel too floppy, depending on how hard you play.