Yamaha FG-160E Aluminum Saddle?

pikopanda · #1 04-23-2018, 11:22 AM

Hello guitar people. I'm new to this forum. Any help on this topic would be greatly appreciated! I'm about to buy a 72 Yamaha FG-160E, BUT the saddle is missing. I know that the original saddles were made of aluminum due to electrical grounding. I can't find aluminum saddles ANYWHERE.

What are my alternatives?
Is there a way to put a bone saddle on and still ground it somehow? Aluminum foil under the bone saddle? or does it have to be touching the string? (I don't know anything about electronics)
Anyone know of any place that sells aluminum saddles?

Thank you for your help!!!!

EDIT: Ideally, I would like to put a bone saddle on and ground it some other way. No idea how though!

renoslim · #2 04-23-2018, 01:40 PM

I just happen to have one of these. I have not tried a saddle that is not aluminum but I think it would be ok. I use a sound hole pickup in some guitars
and they are not grounded to the strings.

Having said that you could make a saddle of aluminum. It is soft and easy to work with. Note that the one in mine is thicker than most at 1/8 inch.

Lee

bostosh · #3 07-11-2018, 11:26 AM

Most Interesting subject,
Why not an aluminum saddle? sounds logical to a machinist
Experimenting in metal

Jambi · #4 07-11-2018, 12:00 PM

Wouldn't be incredibly bright sounding?

Big*Al · #5 07-12-2018, 04:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jambi

Wouldn't be incredibly bright sounding?

I once bought a yard sale script logo Alvarez (1960's?) guitar with a factory magnetic pickup and an aluminum saddle. It was a very full sounding guitar . . . not bright at all. I'm not sure why an aluminum saddle would be bright. It's lightweight and it should transfer vibrations well from metal wires (strings) to a wooden top. Heck, Martin even made some acoustic guitars with aluminum tops that sounded okay.

I've been tempted to try aluminum saddles in other guitars. 1/8" thick aluminum stock is easy to find and it would be easy enough to shape with the same tools I use for bone saddles. However, if the OP used something other than aluminum, the only downside would be that the strings would not be grounded to the pickup, so there might be some vulnerability to hum if the pickup was used. In my case, the original pickup had lost most of its magnetism so it didn't really work anyway.