I'm now a beliver of Bob Colosi bone saddles

cspencer · #1 09-21-2013, 01:09 AM

I just fitted my Martin with a Bob Colosi bone saddle and what a difference in sound it makes. I was a little skeptical at first as I've tried bone and plastic before, and wasn't quite happy with my Tusq saddles. I finally bought it and am happy with the result. Bob is also patient and helpful on emails.

The saddle arrived with full instructions. I felt it was a pain at first, to have to sand and not just the height, but the length as well. I also had to round off the ends. But it took less than 2 hours and I'm done. I followed the instructions and took off bit by bit. It now has a better fit that my Tusq saddle(s).

The sound is solid. By that I mean I get a full string sound when strummed (not plastiky sounding). String by string separation is way better than Tusq. And the sustain is better with little or no overtones. I'm now getting set of bone pins from Bob.

Another thing I observed about the bone saddle is that when I sand the height done, the saddle remains even. Unlike Tusq, pressure from my fingers pressing down on the sandpaper causes it to curve. Whereas, the bone is hard enough to be sanded evenly. Also, the crown is very nicely made. I don't feel uneven string heights anymore. And, when I bend, the sound doesn't suddenly die off (as with Tusq).

I'm glad I took the step and got myself a Bob Colosi saddle. Highly recommended.

PTC Bernie · #2 09-21-2013, 05:46 AM

Yep, I wouldn't go to anyone else for that stuff.

Fngrstyl · #3 09-21-2013, 06:09 AM

The best, period!!!!

dwstout · #4 09-21-2013, 06:09 AM

I replaced the really cheap, crappy, plastic saddle on my VoyageAir OM with one of his bone saddles and it definitely made a big difference.
BTW: I loved the VoyageAir even with the plastic saddle but now it's even better.

ahorsewithnonam · #5 09-21-2013, 06:21 AM

Martin sells drop in saddles. FYI.

RevRuss · #6 09-21-2013, 06:22 AM

All of my guitars have bone saddles and no under saddle pickups.
I can tell a "huge" difference in tone and power.

Russ

Dru Edwards · #7 09-21-2013, 06:37 AM

+1 for Bob Colosi. I ordered a few bone saddles for him (two for me, one for my friend).

Great to hear that you've noticed an improvement in your guitar's tone. Inexpensive experiment to try. Just keep that stock saddle in your case so you don't lose it.

Bucc5207 · #8 09-21-2013, 08:33 AM

That sounds awesome. I'm curious about the 'little or no overtones' part, though. I like my overtones. They are one of my favorite things about my guitar, and I would miss them if an upgrade took them away. Can you expand on that?

cspencer · #9 09-21-2013, 09:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bucc5207

That sounds awesome. I'm curious about the 'little or no overtones' part, though. I like my overtones. They are one of my favorite things about my guitar, and I would miss them if an upgrade took them away. Can you expand on that?

I hope I am describing it correctly. I think overtone means the sound bouncing back and forth (from what I've read). I liked the sound of that bell-like chime Tusq saddles produces at first. I thought they were sustain. Then I realize when I play the next note, the first one is still bouncing back and forth like echoing. After awhile it gets annoying. My guitar has settled in somewhat, being over a year old, and I am not losing sustain from the bone saddle. I just don't get too much of that ringing sound especially from high E string.

cspencer · #10 09-21-2013, 09:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ahorsewithnonam

Martin sells drop in saddles. FYI.

Do Martin sell bone pins as well?

Just wondering, is the bone saddle from Martin as good as Bob's?

#11 09-21-2013, 09:14 AM

Not only are his products of very high quality, Bob fills his orders and ships with alarming speed!

What's the consensus here on using bone saddles with under-saddle pickups? I've been told that Tusq may actually be better for than application. Opinions?

Bucc5207 · #12 09-21-2013, 09:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cspencer

I hope I am describing it correctly. I think overtone means the sound bouncing back and forth (from what I've read). I liked the sound of that bell-like chime Tusq saddles produces at first. I thought they were sustain. Then I realize when I play the next note, the first one is still bouncing back and forth like echoing. After awhile it gets annoying. My guitar has settled in somewhat, being over a year old, and I am not losing sustain from the bone saddle. I just don't get too much of that ringing sound especially from high E string.

Thanks, cspencer. We are probably not talking about the same things. It's so hard to communicate these sonic qualities. Also my vocabulary may be lacking in that area because I don't have experience with a lot of different guitars.

By overtones, I mean the harmonics the guitar produces. On my guitar they are so strong it sometimes sounds a little like a 12-string. If you play an open A and let it ring, you can hear the fundamental die off and leave behind the first harmonic, as if you had touched it at the 12th fret. That's what I would miss if it was gone, but I'm not sure I want a lot more of it, either.

ahorsewithnonam · #13 09-21-2013, 09:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cspencer

Do Martin sell bone pins as well?

Just wondering, is the bone saddle from Martin as good as Bob's?

I don't know about the pins. The saddles like I said are drop in, fit perfectly, compensated or non. You can get them direct from Martin or Elderly. You only need to sand the bottom for the height you want.