Yamaha ART/SRT Saddles

[akirabbq]

Hi there! I have recently bought bone saddles for my Yamaha NCX1200R and A3R. The NCX uses ART pickup and there is no under saddle transducer, so replacing it with a bone saddle is quite an easy job. The sound difference is huge, the guitar has better dynamics and sound sweeter at higher notes. Amplified sound also has more volume and definition.

However the SRT pickup on A3R is another story. What I read from somewhere else is that the SRT pickup (CPX1200?) is glued to the saddle. This is NOT the case for A3R's SRT, the saddle separates from the pickup just like other guitars, and the piezo traducer is placed under the saddle. The problem is the bottom of the original saddle is not flat. It has a very light concave shape. If the saddle is flat then the middle two strings will sound quieter than the other four strings when using the pickup. I tried to sand down the bone saddle to a similar concave shape but so far I cannot do it right - the middle two strings are always quieter than the other four strings. This can be tested by turning the BLEND knob all to the left to use the piezo pickup only. If using the mic + body resonance, the sound is more balance since the pickup also takes account of the bridge/body vibration. I keep sanding and testing and tried to convince myself the pickup sound has been balanced, but after swapping back to the original saddle and testing again I can say I've failed. The original saddle is not bad at all acoustically, but the bone saddle gives more volume and boom. The action is low for the the original saddle as well, measured ~2.4mm on low E string at 12 fret and no buzz at all even for hard strumming.

Any idea how to deal with the SRT pickup on A3 with a custom saddle? Thanks.

[floridartist]

Hello, I see you got a bone saddle for your A3R, I would like to get a tusq saddle, I would like to know if you know which size I should order, my eyes are not to good with the measurements so I thought you might be of help, thank you in advance
John

[steveyam]

The original saddle as used in the CPX-1200 comprised the saddle and piezo transducer as a composite, combined unit. However, in order to lower the 'saddle', you were still able to remove material from the underside of the unit until you reached the tiny screw heads holding it together (they may be tiny rivets). That was an official Yamaha instruction, I know, I made an enquiry and I got an official 'service memo' detailing what I have just said. I've since tried to find that document, but alas I can't. However, just recently, Yamaha have changed the design of the saddle & piezo in the CPX-1200 (and probably other guitars using the SRT system too) to be more traditional in that the saddle and piezo are separate. I am led to believe that the new piezo comprises six separate transducers - I'm not sure how that's physically configured because I haven't seen one yet. But anyway, that would account for why the one on your A3R is different to the previous ones; they've basically changed the design. And if it's six separate units, they can be a pig to balance as I once found out on an Ovation copy.

[floridartist]

I see you have the A3R VS , I have never seen good pictures of the A3R VS, only a the same stock photo all over the internet, I was wondering if you can post some pictures of the sunburst, I would love to see it, thank you