Machining a Kluson Harmonica bridge?

[arealken]

Hi I bought a upgrade/replacement  Kluson harmonica bridge that is steel . I would much prefer to use it over my stock Gibson Zemac on my old 335.
Troubke with that for me, is that the Kluson steel one will not sit as low by just enough of a little bit  as my stock Gibson one.
The steel one has a curved bottom. Can it be machined to take off a bit of meat  so it will go as low as my stock one? If not I'll just sell it. Thanks

 

[TBurst Std]

I say sell it.  It’s no only the thickness, it’s also the depth.  Trying to get the desired break over angle to your TP on those is a PITA.

 

[Cagey]

It's tough to tell by the picture, but I'd wager you couldn't mill much more than .050" off the bottom before you'd be eating into the saddle adjusters. Tough to believe that thing is any taller than than a stock TOM, but again, it's tough to tell by an isolated picture. I mean, if I had to guess looking at that unit on its own, I'd wonder if you'd have the opposite problem - couldn't get tall enough.

 

[swarfrat]

Where is it hitting? As Cagey suggests - you probably couldn't take much off the bottom. You'd need to either CNC, set it up on a rotary table, or just grind it off, and it's not going to get you much. However... if it's bottoming out at the posts instead of hitting in the middle - that's a much easier job to deepen the post recess.

Perhaps more importantly - if you have a buddy with equipment and interest, you might can get somewhere. If you're paying a machinist - go ahead and buy the other bridge - you'll come out WAY ahead.