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Old 10-14-2013, 05:45 AM
3 chord 3 chord is offline
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Default adjustable saddle to regular saddle

I have a 1975 Tak F307 small body guitar, all laminate. It has this goofy adjustable bridge with large screws that protrude out of the ends.

Can you buy oversized saddle blanks? I want to take out the adjustable components and fit a regular type saddle but the saddle groove is quite large.

thanks
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Old 10-14-2013, 06:57 AM
Misty44 Misty44 is offline
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Depending on how wide the groove is, you may find a suitable blank available at the usual sources such as Stew Mac or LMI, but I would call brother Colosi and talk with him about your needs: http://www.guitarsaddles.com/.

Or if you live near a good tech, he can make and install one for you, as I had done when I went to a non-adjustable saddle on my 1964 Gibson B-25-12 (that was also compensated for each string):





Another option is to make a rosewood trough to sit inside the larger groove with a saddle slot sized to take standard saddles.

Good luck!
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Old 10-14-2013, 07:00 AM
Garthman Garthman is offline
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Or you can use a regular saddle and pack the slot with a couple of strips of plastic. If you use black or brown plastic and cut the strips to come flush with the top of the slot it's virtually unnoticeable. Just make sure you position the new saddle in the right place to preserve the correct scale length.
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Old 10-14-2013, 07:10 AM
Misty44 Misty44 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Garthman View Post
Or you can use a regular saddle and pack the slot with a couple of strips of plastic. If you use black or brown plastic and cut the strips to come flush with the top of the slot it's virtually unnoticeable. Just make sure you position the new saddle in the right place to preserve the correct scale length.
Yes, of course. I actually used another saddle I had laying around as a packer (cut lower than the other one) in an old laminate inexpensive Sigma - worked fine and way less expensive than my previous three more upscale options.
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Old 10-14-2013, 09:22 AM
PTC Bernie PTC Bernie is offline
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Default Adjustable saddle

I had a slightly different approach on an old J45 that I had.

Have a rosewood or ebony piece made so it sits in the bridge slot, then the new saddle sits in that. A saddle in a saddle, if you will.

Worked great as it provides a lot more contact and energy transfer than the adjustable bridge did.
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