Bone Saddle for Taylors???
 

Anybody ever put a bone saddle on their Taylor? What did it do for the sound? I ordered a Taylor bone saddle with my new 717, and I thought about putting it on tonight, but I wanted to get some opinions before I start sanding down a $40 saddle lol.

I put one on my 314ce. It sounds fine.

I actually don't remember what the old one sounded like, though. I had taken it to a so-called "luthier" and he sanded the original one down so far there was no break angle over the saddle and all the strings buzzed. I replaced it with a bone saddle and a dealer set it up and it's been fine ever since.

I ordered them directly from Taylor for both my 150e and my 324ce. Nice improvement in both. For the 12 string it really corralled the jangle a bit and gave it a deeper more even tone. For the 324 it also smoothed out the tone a bit and made it more even across the strings. I won't go back to whatever the stock saddle was in either.

Btw, the only sanding I had to do on either was thickness so they would fit in the slot. Height was spot on with the original in both cases.

For a guitar without electronics it’s usually an improvement. Not sure about the new Taylor V brace. The Tusq saddle usually adds bass in my experience. Bone usually adds definition.

Back in '94 my 710 came with a bone saddle and it was just too bright so I talked to Taylor and they suggested I try Tusq and sent me one at no charge. Well, it's been in there for 25 years and it sounds better every year. The original Taylor bone saddle lives in my Ibanez now and sounds great there.

Moral of the story, if your guitar is really bright bone might not be best. Or it might be, only your ears know for sure.

I think Taylor is moving away from animal products in favor of synthetics. Fish glue is the exception, I believe.

Bone Saddle for Taylors???
 

Possibly. I was told that Bob Taylor’s daughter was an animal rights activist and had some influence. No idea if that’s true.

Yes - on a Taylor 814ce. Made it sound less boxy and thin. Fuller sound. More resonant. Noticeable and nice upgrade for that guitar.

I have a bone saddle in my GS-6 (2006) and the switch seemed to give it a bit more bottom and sustain. It was an improvement to an already great guitar.

YES! Definitely try the bone. I have bone now in both my Taylors. I think the saddles took me from like to love and allowed me to go back to Elixirs strings and (mostly) stock ebony pins. My 614 previously had TUSQ and the 814 had Micarta. The bone adds warmth and a bit of thickness and fullness to the sound.

Also, I found a difference between bleached bone and unbleached bone and the difference was noticeable. Bone saddles are cheap at $15 so I didn't find it unreasonable to experiment.

Let us know what you hear after doing the installation. Fitting should take less than 10 minutes.

Well, what else are you going to do with it?

If four people say it sounds great and four people say it sounds terrible, how will that help you?

If you want to know what a given saddle or string or nut or pick will do for your guitar, there’s only one way to find out.

I just barely, and I mean 10 minutes ago, put a bone saddle on my GA-K. And as far as I can tell ... No real difference.

I changed out the saddle on my 89 810 LTD to bone and was very happy with the results.