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#1
04-01-2023, 08:16 PM
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Saddle Question
So I did a neck reset and wanted to set up the action. Took some measurements on the 12th fret and the low E side was too high. Not so much on the high E. The saddle was brand new and I hadn't done anything yet. Anyway, since it was a new bridge too and a new piezo pickup underneath, I got busy inspecting all that area. Couldn't find any problems. Decided to check the straightness of the new saddle and found the problem. Is this common or have yu guys seen this before? I assumed I had a straight saddle.
Saddle.jpg
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2010 Martin HD-28 1990 Martin B-40 Acoustic Bass 2004 Taylor 815ce 2018 Taylor 814ce LTD NAMM 2019 Taylor Baritone 8 1937 Gibson L-37 2005 Gibson J-45 Historic 2014 Gibson Les Paul Acoustic Prototype 
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#2
04-01-2023, 11:47 PM
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Sloppy job on the saddle bottom yet I cannot see that the saddle would rock down on the treble end with all the downward force of the other strings on the saddle.
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Derek Coombs Youtube -> Website -> Music -> Tabs Guitars by Mark Blanchard, Albert&Mueller, Paul Woolson, Collings, Composite Acoustics, and Derek Coombs "Reality is that which when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away." Woods hands pick by eye and ear
Made to one with pride and love To be that we hold so dear A voice from heavens above
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#3
04-02-2023, 07:25 AM
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Thanks Derek. You are most likely correct. I think I did start tuning up from the high side first and I think maybe if those went down first they would have added surface friction (head side saddle to bridge). Perhaps it was enough to keep the saddle canted toward the treble side. Probably not but some experimenting could help determine. I think I will just sand it flat and perpendicular and put it back in and see. Seems I have some neck twist as well and that might be my biggest factor. Looking at that today.
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2010 Martin HD-28 1990 Martin B-40 Acoustic Bass 2004 Taylor 815ce 2018 Taylor 814ce LTD NAMM 2019 Taylor Baritone 8 1937 Gibson L-37 2005 Gibson J-45 Historic 2014 Gibson Les Paul Acoustic Prototype
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#4
04-02-2023, 07:35 AM
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I'm not 100% sure I understand your post, are you saying that the guitar you reset the neck on had a bridge with a piezo in it? Ideally you would have a dead flat bridge but sometimes you have to shape the saddle to get more volume balance out of a piezo. It's possible for example for the bottom of the saddle slot in the bridge to not be dead flat. This can happen if you glue a flat bridge to an arched top for example. Or just warpage over time on an old guitar. If that was the case then someone may have shaped that saddle to get equal volume out put on a piezo picup.
Else it's just sloppy work.
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#5
04-02-2023, 08:27 AM
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Flat top, new bridge, new saddle, newly installed piezo. I replaced the bridge. The saddle just came that way. Yes, sloppy
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2010 Martin HD-28 1990 Martin B-40 Acoustic Bass 2004 Taylor 815ce 2018 Taylor 814ce LTD NAMM 2019 Taylor Baritone 8 1937 Gibson L-37 2005 Gibson J-45 Historic 2014 Gibson Les Paul Acoustic Prototype
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#6
04-02-2023, 08:28 AM
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__________________
2010 Martin HD-28 1990 Martin B-40 Acoustic Bass 2004 Taylor 815ce 2018 Taylor 814ce LTD NAMM 2019 Taylor Baritone 8 1937 Gibson L-37 2005 Gibson J-45 Historic 2014 Gibson Les Paul Acoustic Prototype
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#8
04-02-2023, 10:38 AM
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Thank you!
Thank you so much. I'm not a luthier but have been practicing to get better. Keep in mind, this is not a collector J45. It is one of those Norlin era ones that aren't worth very much. In the condition I bought it, it was not worth paying a luthier to fix it. I just felt I was the right guy to save it from the dumpster. I think it was me that broke some of the kerfing when I pulled the top in to close some gaping cracks. Here is a highlight video I made of this fun project.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLCYRehEDiQ
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2010 Martin HD-28 1990 Martin B-40 Acoustic Bass 2004 Taylor 815ce 2018 Taylor 814ce LTD NAMM 2019 Taylor Baritone 8 1937 Gibson L-37 2005 Gibson J-45 Historic 2014 Gibson Les Paul Acoustic Prototype
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#9
04-02-2023, 11:59 AM
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Question is, how does it sound? Over 50 years I've run into a lot of guitar issues that theortically needed to be fixed. So, I fixed them. But sometimes, it didn't improve the sound or playability.
But, yeah, I would think a flat bottom on the saddle would be ideal. But, you never really know until you try it.
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#10
04-02-2023, 06:00 PM
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Sound
It's very difficult for me to say if it sounds better. It had strings on it when I got it but the intonation was all off, the strings were hitting the bridge and the rework took me a couple of months. Additionally, I have new strings on it and that is quite different than the old ones I took off. One thing I wish I would have done is to make the bridge plate smaller instead of keeping the original size when I replaced it with rosewood. Might have picked a different wood too but I had some leftover rosewood. It still is not a canon but my comparative guitars are a Martin Dread and a Taylor jumbo so that's not fair. I mostly want to use this for recording anyway. I prefer the way the Gibsons record with my particular setup but that's just me. My hearing indicates they cut through a mix better. Not sure if that is true but that is what I hear.
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2010 Martin HD-28 1990 Martin B-40 Acoustic Bass 2004 Taylor 815ce 2018 Taylor 814ce LTD NAMM 2019 Taylor Baritone 8 1937 Gibson L-37 2005 Gibson J-45 Historic 2014 Gibson Les Paul Acoustic Prototype
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