Almost returned a killer guitar over this....

[brianmay]

Viola = Stringed instrument of the violin family

Voilà = French word for 'there' (in context)



PS I'm not too good at American

[Steadfastly]

Originally Posted by SugarmillMan

Sweetwater should NEVER permit stuff like this to happen in the first place. As others have already mentioned, so much for Sweetwater's "55 point inspection" on every instrument. I guess that just just marketing hype.

C'mon, there is none of that in the music business!

[Truckjohn]

I would stick a mirror inside the guitar to verify nothing has been whittled on... From the sounds of all the weird things you have dealt with - it wouldn't surprise me to find that the original buyer carved on the braces a bit...

But - I am glad to hear you are getting your arms around this one. Sounds like it was a fantastic guitar all the way around except for these nits that simply needed to be picked.

Sounds like Sweetwater is making it worth your while in the end.

To the people commenting - this is not a Martin Custom Shop issue - it's a Previous Customer problem... Martin doesn't stuff cardboard under saddles - they have whole bins of the things right there in the shop.

I think it's pretty sad that somebody monkeyed with the guitar and then concealed it so they could return it for a full refund.. It's one thing if you try it out and decide it's not for you... Quite another thing if you modify and hack things up, mess it up, then try to pass it off like nothing happened...

But - caveat emptour...

[Rev Roy]

Well, as one of those who counseled you to sell the guitar (because it was frustrating you so much and robbing you of the joy of playing) let me now say I’m glad you didn’t listen to me.

[Shades of Blue]

Originally Posted by brianmay

Viola = Stringed instrument of the violin family

Voilà = French word for 'there' (in context)



PS I'm not too good at American

Take it up with Apple....they should correct auto correct

[Shades of Blue]

Originally Posted by Truckjohn

I would stick a mirror inside the guitar to verify nothing has been whittled on... From the sounds of all the weird things you have dealt with - it wouldn't surprise me to find that the original buyer carved on the braces a bit...

But - I am glad to hear you are getting your arms around this one. Sounds like it was a fantastic guitar all the way around except for these nits that simply needed to be picked.

Sounds like Sweetwater is making it worth your while in the end.

To the people commenting - this is not a Martin Custom Shop issue - it's a Previous Customer problem... Martin doesn't stuff cardboard under saddles - they have whole bins of the things right there in the shop.

I think it's pretty sad that somebody monkeyed with the guitar and then concealed it so they could return it for a full refund.. It's one thing if you try it out and decide it's not for you... Quite another thing if you modify and hack things up, mess it up, then try to pass it off like nothing happened...

But - caveat emptour...

Excellent points. I do need to do that, although I wouldn't know what to look for haha. I will say that the guitar has GE bracing, so maybe there isn't that much that would be needed to be shaved away?

But yes, you are correct. PREVIOUS CUSTOMER ISSUE!!!

[Shades of Blue]

Originally Posted by Rev Roy

Well, as one of those who counseled you to sell the guitar (because it was frustrating you so much and robbing you of the joy of playing) let me now say I’m glad you didn’t listen to me.

I was a gnat's butt away bud. I pulled the box out, loosened the strings, and loaded her up. I didn't tape the box down, but I just had this nagging voice (not my wife for a change) telling me to slow down. But it was my wife who convinced me to give it another shot when she said, "you know, you've been playing that guitar all weekend, so you must like it." The shims were my last ditch effort, and then I found the issue.

[redir]

If the action was super low and buzzing as you mentioned then raising it is probably 90% of the reason why the tone is improved. If a string is barely buzzing on the fret in front of it, even if the buzz is tolerable, it saps the energy right out of the string. That's why you notice a volume increase when you raised the action.

There's nothing wrong with using shims as long as the saddle is still well seated in the saddle slot and doesn't lean forward. Using cardboard is not a great idea but is often times done. I use rosewood shims.

[Jabberwocky]

Congrats, Shades!

[Jabberwocky]

Originally Posted by brianmay

Viola = Stringed instrument of the violin family

Voilà = French word for 'there' (in context)



PS I'm not too good at American

Vermicelli!!!

[L20A]

FYI,
I have been getting bone saddles and nuts from Amazon for killer prices.
Yes, they are from China.
Here is the link id anyone is interested in saving a bunch of money on a fully compensated saddle.
https://www.amazon.com/Blisstime-Str...SIN=B00USQY0CK

You have to sand it to fit your guitar but it is easy and I have really liked the results.
I have put these saddles on three guitars including one that was specifically made for a 12 string.

[ManyMartinMan]

This is a perfect example of why many advocate a comprehensive set up on any guitar purchase. Also why it's a great idea on any used guitar purchase, on the day of arrival, to take off all the strings, inspect the interior, nut, saddle and electronics (where applicable) to make sure everything is right. I'm glad it all worked out like it should have.

[guitar george]

Good for you for discovering the cardboard shim and replacing it with an ebony shim. A saddle without a shim would usually make the guitar sound better than a saddle with a shim. I agree that the new one-piece saddle will probably make it sound even better.

[devellis]

Okay, so let me take a different position to some of the other posters. If you like the way the guitar sounds now, with the shim in it, I'd leave well enough alone. If the shim fits well, then you have bone against ebony now, just as you would with a new saddle. And if the guitar sounds great, then I'm guessing that the shim fits well. Also, an ebony shim has a little more capacity to conform than a bone saddle does. Only if a shim were so thick that I felt the saddle wasn't deep enough in the bridge slot would I feel that a shim of the same material as the bridge was something that needed to be remedied on a guitar that sounded and played great.

If you'd gotten a new saddle initially, I'd say "good on ya," because that's the best option at that point in time, when you were trying to go from a poor-sounding to a good-sounding guitar. But now that you're there, I don't know if I'd feel the same urgency. If the tone is great, intonation is great, action is great, those are all things that could change if you replace the saddle. If any of these need to be dialed in further with your current arrangement, then I'd go for the new saddle. But if you feel they're all good now, maybe just stick with the arrangement you have. Perfect, after all is the enemy of Excellent.

[stringjunky]

Originally Posted by devellis

Okay, so let me take a different position to some of the other posters. If you like the way the guitar sounds now, with the shim in it, I'd leave well enough alone. If the shim fits well, then you have bone against ebony now, just as you would with a new saddle. And if the guitar sounds great, then I'm guessing that the shim fits well. Also, an ebony shim has a little more capacity to conform than a bone saddle does. Only if a shim were so thick that I felt the saddle wasn't deep enough in the bridge slot would I feel that a shim of the same material as the bridge was something that needed to be remedied on a guitar that sounded and played great.

If you'd gotten a new saddle initially, I'd say "good on ya," because that's the best option at that point in time, when you were trying to go from a poor-sounding to a good-sounding guitar. But now that you're there, I don't know if I'd feel the same urgency. If the tone is great, intonation is great, action is great, those are all things that could change if you replace the saddle. If any of these need to be dialed in further with your current arrangement, then I'd go for the new saddle. But if you feel they're all good now, maybe just stick with the arrangement you have. Perfect, after all is the enemy of Excellent.

I agree. Leave it and forget about it.