Uneven string balance with piezo

[papi]

Hello everyone—
I recently installed a Baggs Element in my 2021 Martin D28 and am experiencing uneven string balance.

I hate to lose the warmth of the bone saddle, but I’ve heard this can sometimes be an issue with the uneven density of bone saddles.

Has anyone had to forgo bone for the same reason? If so, what did you replace it with and did you notice any SIGNIFICANT negative impact to the tone of your guitar?

[jricc]

Hi papi. There are a couple of things you can do to check for solutions.

First, loosen strings and take saddle out. Check it against the flatest surface you can find, like a marble countertop. Shine a flashlight to see if you can see any light coming out from under the saddle. That could be the problem.

Second, check to make sure there is no sawdust or anything in the saddle slot.

If those suggestions are not the problem, I would take it to a guitar tech and let him diagnose for you.

Hope this helps.

[Doug Young]

This is quite common. Usually caused by uneven pressure on the strings, could be a non-flat saddle slot, or the saddle itself.

I have had the bone saddle issue - inconsistent density in the bone saddle. But I just had a new bone saddle made that solved the issue. It sounds like you're not using a bone saddle now? What did you replace it with?

[Petty1818]

Whenever I have had this issue, it usually comes down to needing to lightly sand the bottom of the saddle a bit more. It will look flat but sometimes be off just a bit. For what it's worth, the Baggs Element is the only pickup that I have had issues with when it comes to string balance. It seems to be a bit more picky.

[Rudy4]

I've usually experienced this with under saddle pickups. Does the Element installation instructions still specifically call for the saddle to lean slightly forward in the slot? It's been a lot of years since I used one in an acoustic guitar.

EDIT: Checked the Baggs installation instructions and it says the saddle lean is necessary. The installation instructions have a diagram showing the proper forward saddle lean.

"The saddle should fit loosely enough in the slot that it can be pulled out with your fingertips. It will then have a slight forward lean when the strings are under tension. It is absolutely necessary to compensate for this slight lean by sanding a tilt in the bottom of the saddle so it still sits flat on the pickup when the strings are at tension (see figure 6)."

[Adrianw]

My understanding is that about 1/8" at the end of the transducer on the Element is dead space and that there should be a shallow hole drilled on the high E side of the saddle slot to accommodate it. This ensures the entire the entire transducer in the slot is active. I've never installed one of these before but I'm considering putting one in a guitar that came with a Sonitone, which had the same balance problem and that I replaced with a K&K. I like the option of switching to a UST when needed but I'm a little iffy about installation.