Bridge placement on stew mac dread

[mobergr]

I am working on the bridge placement on my stew mac dread. I found out that the 25.4 scale length is really 25.34 and Martin just calls it 25.4. looking at the instruction manual Todd Sams says to compensate 7/64" and on the DVD 1/8" on the center line and in the center of the saddle slot. I watched John Halls video on gluing the bridge and he says he is using a 25.4 Martin scale and when I follow his method I off from stew macs plan. Am I over thinking this or is there that much variation in compensation? Right now I am placed according to Todd Sams but am reluctant to make the commitment to it. Help! Randy.

[tippie53]

The intonation is going to be determined by your placement. When I say how to set the bridge , we locate off the saddle position. The variables of this are the string gauge and the action height. I use this method and I get a very good result.
Follow the line of the string. You will measure to the center of the saddle. 25.5 on the high E string. On the bass 25.625 . Again follow the line of the string. If you measure to the center of the saddle. This will work well for a number of set ups and you can compensate the saddle. The higher the action the longer the compensation length.
While this is what I use on true Martin fretboards, I can tell you that Stew Mac is not exact to the martin scales, there is a difference.
What you want to do is measure nut to 12th fret and multiply by 2 and then add .100, this may change my numbers posted but will get you in the ball park. When you are compensating scale length you have to understand what the relationships of the scale length and the working length of the string. You will not have perfect intonation on every fret as that is not possible but this will get you close. Strings are not all the same and working lengths of strings will change by alloy gauge, and age . The older the string gets , the metal gets worked hardened and will change the physical properties of the metal in the string.
Compensation will help to cover these variables for the best intonation.

[mobergr]

Thank you for the response. I was/am a piano tuner and tech so I understand how the strings work. Just not sure how the sensitive the response on the guitar strings are vs piano strings. Being as stew mac is not true to Martin will follow their instructions. This is my first guitar and has embarrassingly taken me 4 years but plan to do more so it is all a learning experience for me now.