Shout out to MacNichol's/Bone Nut and strings
 

A shout out to Michael at MacNichol' this morning for his suggestions.

Over the weekend, I installed a bone saddle and restrung the guitar with Dunlop Heavy Core Light 80/20's. Whether it was the saddle, the strings or both, I don't know, but it has put the Rainsong Shorty over the top. I was messing around on my Vermont porch with a friend who plays a 1978 Martin M-36. I finger pick, he primarily strums and riffs. The Shorty cut through magnificently, including the baselines.

Thanks Michael.

Michael has a wealth on Knowledge and is always willing to share that.

Best person I've ever dealt with in buying or souping up a guitar hands down!

Many thanks for the kind words.

For anyone interested, we use a CNC bone saddle that will fit many Taylor models - below link. It's a touch longer than the RainSong saddle slot, but we'll get it to the appropriate length for you. You can also send us a tracing of your saddle as riptonVT (brilliant idea) and we can match both length and height at no additional cost.

Please note that bone is not necessarily better than Tusq, though. Many people report a tonal difference, but many prefer the tone of the factory Tusq saddle, whereas others prefer the bone. Some people hear no difference. Also, bone is an inconsistent material and so if you have an undersaddle ribbon pickup, then an inconsistency in the bone can create transmission problems, but we'd provide a replacement or refund if this occurs. Undersaddle pickup manufacturers typically advise not using bone.

Taylor Style Bone Saddle