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  #1  
Old 03-12-2017, 04:36 PM
dannyg1 dannyg1 is offline
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Default 5/32nds saddle?

Im still trying to properly intonate my Guild and bought a saddlematic to properly measure the slot placement. it's off by just a little longer than a 32nd.

In sussing out what my next step is, I'm wondering, is there a reason not to have a saddle that's slightly wider than 1/8th inch? I'd like to have a touch of overage to round the back of the saddle, hence my want for the extra 32nd.
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Old 03-12-2017, 06:03 PM
dekutree64 dekutree64 is offline
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Should be fine. The only reason to do precisely 1/8" is to fit commonly available UST pickups... but it'll probably work just as well in a wider slot anyway.

A different option is to add some nut compensation. It reduces the amount of saddle compensation you need, and generally improves intonation beyond what can be achieved with saddle-only compensation. There are some pre-made compensated nuts available that hook over the end of the fretboard so you don't have to permanently modify it (nut compensation shortens the nut-to-1st-fret distance)
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Old 03-12-2017, 09:22 PM
runamuck runamuck is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dekutree64 View Post
Should be fine. The only reason to do precisely 1/8" is to fit commonly available UST pickups... but it'll probably work just as well in a wider slot anyway.

A different option is to add some nut compensation. It reduces the amount of saddle compensation you need, and generally improves intonation beyond what can be achieved with saddle-only compensation. There are some pre-made compensated nuts available that hook over the end of the fretboard so you don't have to permanently modify it (nut compensation shortens the nut-to-1st-fret distance)
Doesn't nut compensation affect only open strings?
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Old 03-12-2017, 09:59 PM
dekutree64 dekutree64 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by runamuck View Post
Doesn't nut compensation affect only open strings?
Yes. But there's a fundamental difference between open and fretted notes (string stretch). The saddle-only system sacrifices some accuracy on the fretted notes to make the open strings sound ok at the same time. With nut compensation, you can position the saddle in the optimal place for fretted notes, and then fix the (significantly flat) open strings separately.
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Old 03-16-2017, 08:35 AM
pops pops is offline
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You can fill the saddle slot and reroute a new one to where it should be. That would be my preference.
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Old 03-17-2017, 01:37 PM
dannyg1 dannyg1 is offline
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You can fill the saddle slot and reroute a new one to where it should be. That would be my preference.
Thanks for the warning. My take is that, since the guitar really needs a new bridge made, and the holes in the top and bridgeplate filled as well, there's little harm in trying the wider saddle slot first and seeing if that'll work, at least for a while, before I dive in for the bigger job.
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