I'm the two week old second owner of a gloss-finish A Natural, SN 2203. My itch is scratched! It's in really good shape, and I love, love, love the sound, plus everything said about the necks are true, it practically plays itself. The only head-scratcher I have is the bridge - the saddle is leaning way forward on the posts, and the base isn't making good contact. Also, the bass side of the saddle is cranked up really high, while the treble side is right down on the thumbwheel, but the neck doesn't seem twisted. Before putting new strings on, I measured the fretboard radius and couldn't believe it was telling me 7.25" at the first fret! The top of the saddle seems flat, but string height at the 12th fret is maybe a tad high, but not excessive. I'm going to pull the new strings off and remeasure it, but my question to you experienced Rigelheads is: Did they do such tight radii? Could it maybe instead be a compound radius? I spoke with Cumberland, and while they were surprised, they said that they do a tighter, 10", radius especially for Rigels (and even could do a 7.25" if remeasuring confirms it). What about the tilted saddle, could there be an issue with the neck? I think this may be out of my home lutherie capabilities, but I want to order the new bridge before sending on to a luthier. Thanks in advance, I'm looking forward to many happy times with my new companion!
Here's photos of three radius gauges on the frets - 10", 9.5" & 7.25". There is still light under the latter, so it may be 7.0"? Just checking to see that I'm not crazy. Radius is the same at either end of the board, so not a compound radius. https://photos.app.goo.gl/GbvgQkZ8QZQ9NZ6Y9 https://photos.app.goo.gl/QRGhprLgE2bVPXoTA https://photos.app.goo.gl/ZDBgNqoEqGjYysVg6 I couldn't get the images to display, so thanks in advance for taking the time to look.
