HD28 saddle

[thack]

Hey all
my saddle is leaning forward - before i get it fixed i have question
- how does this affect the tone? this guitar is not the brightest hd28 i've ever played. The top is dry and a bit rippled though sounds wet/damp(?). And the top is a bit sunken in front of the bridge. a side from the obvious humidity issues i/we have, will these factors contribute to the guitar not sounding lively?
this is a Martin HD28 mid/late 80's.

here is a picture - https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?f...8650437&type=3

i'm asking before i spend good money after bad.

thanks!
mark

[Ned Milburn]

Looks like the peak on the saddle is not well formed. This alone could be making the sound more muddy.

Get a COMPETENT luthier or tech to make you a new bone saddle.

Is the present saddle tusq (ie: a brand name for a certain composition of plastic)...?? Can't tell from the photo.

[thack]

Originally Posted by Ned Milburn

Looks like the peak on the saddle is not well formed. This alone could be making the sound more muddy.

Get a COMPETENT luthier or tech to make you a new bone saddle.

Is the present saddle tusq (ie: a brand name for a certain composition of plastic)...?? Can't tell from the photo.

that's the original saddle - it has been shimmed a couple of times to compensate for the sinking in the top.
It's going to a well respected luthier in Toronto no Monday

[John Arnold]

The original saddle is Micarta. AFAIK. Martin has never used Tusq on any Standard Series or higher guitars. A bone saddle would tend to brighten the sound a little.

[mirwa]

Originally Posted by John Arnold

Martin has never used Tusq on any Standard Series or higher guitars.

I cannot comment on what came with the hd28 in the 80’s, wouldn’t surprise me if it was Micarta but could also have been tusq, I truly don’t know, but these days tusq from Martin is super common.

In the standard series, of the top of my head d18e, d35e, gp35e, om35e all come out fitted with tusq as factory standard, quite a few others as well, here’s a link to the d18

Steve

https://www.martinguitar.com/guitars...-series/d-18e/

[John Arnold]

but could also have been tusq,

Nope. The HD-28 had Micarta until Martin switched to bone in the early-2000's. Martin did not use Tusq in the 1980's. Period.

In the standard series, of the top of my head d18e, d35e, gp35e, om35e all come out fitted with tusq as factory standard, quite a few others as well, here’s a link to the d18

The guitars you listed are all electrified.
I have zero interest in Martin guitars equipped with under-saddle pickups.

The additional of the "e" models to the Standard Series is relatively recent. Even so they are more or less "special purpose" instruments than "traditional construction".

Regardless, Micarta was standard for nuts and saddles beginning in 1975. Martin started using Corian for nuts in the very late 80's or early 90's, but they retained Micarta saddles until the switch to bone in 2004. The first HD-28 to get bone was 1014131.

[mirwa]

Originally Posted by Todd Yates

The additional of the "e" models to the Standard Series is relatively recent.

Thought the e models have been around since the late 50’s.

Originally Posted by John Arnold

The guitars you listed are all electrified.
I have zero interest in Martin guitars equipped with under-saddle pickups.

Even so, just clarifying, that there are standard series acoustic martins fitted with tusq saddles straight from the factory.

Steve

Originally Posted by mirwa

Thought the e models have been around since the late 50’s.

Entirely different guitars. Unrelated to the current "e" models.

[John Arnold]

Martin's use of synthetic saddles on those electric models is to avoid uneven response with the UST. That can occur with bone, due to its so-called nonhomogeneous nature. Even so, I have not experienced those issues when using good quality bone.
The original Martin 'e' models had electromagnetic pickups, so the saddle material was irrelevant to pickup function.

[JLS]

Quacksticks require a loose saddle. Loose saddles are detrimental to good tone.

[mirwa]

Originally Posted by Todd Yates

Entirely different guitars. Unrelated to the current "e" models.

Originally Posted by John Arnold

The original Martin 'e' models had electromagnetic pickups, so the saddle material was irrelevant to pickup function.

Thanks.

For info, I was aware of the differences between the current and older e models.

I do warranty work on Martins here in Australia, older martins as well. Interesting the reasons put forth for why micarta / bone and tusq were selected.

Steve

[thack]

Originally Posted by thack

that's the original saddle - it has been shimmed a couple of times to compensate for the sinking in the top.
It's going to a well respected luthier in Toronto no Monday

turns out it is a 1990, based on the serial number

The saddle is definitely narrower than the slot its sitting in