[Gfzen]

All--

I recently was given an older (I think 2004) Fender DG-16-E. Before I really had much chance to play it, I noted it had a cracked bridge (which I repaired) and a chewed up bridge plate (which I sanded down and then installed a brass bridge plate in order to fix it). I restrung it, tuned it up and immediately noticed the saddle was leaning forward under string tension.

I loosened the strings to take pressure off of the forward/top of the bridge and to investigate. It looks like the saddle is a bit too narrow for the bridge slot (it easily falls out when the guitar is unstrung and turned upside down). It's also possible the saddle sits up a bit too high (being an acoustic-electric, it sits on a pickup).

My question: Do any of you have thoughts on whether or not I should purchase a new, wider saddle and custom fit it to the bridge slot? Would that take care of the forward lean? Would it also help to sand the bottom of the new saddle down a bit so it sits deeper in the bridge?

While I have played for years, I've never tried to "repair" any of th guitars I've owned. Since this is not a very expensive guitar, my fear of making an error is pretty low--I've never spent a lot of time on a 12-string and my hope is this will be serviceable enough for me to see if a "better" 12-string is in my future!

Thanks in advance for any responses!