Advice on wooden saddle

[dwasifar]

For no good reason other than curiosity, I'm going to make a saddle out of jatoba wood and see how it sounds.

Please restrain your urge to ridicule this project.

If you were making a wooden saddle, would you have the grain running parallel to the bridge, or perpendicular to it (e.g. end grain where the strings rest)? My expectation would be that the latter might be prone to split from string pressure, but what do I know? I've never done this before.

[Hoyt]

Don’t know about grain. But Know for a fact going against conventional wisdom with instruments often produces a wonderful sound. Good luck and let us know how it works.

[Victory Pete]

Great, thinking outside the box. Post photos please.

[Talldad]

Originally Posted by dwasifar

For no good reason other than curiosity, I'm going to make a saddle out of jatoba wood and see how it sounds.

Please restrain your urge to ridicule this project.

If you were making a wooden saddle, would you have the grain running parallel to the bridge, or perpendicular to it (e.g. end grain where the strings rest)? My expectation would be that the latter might be prone to split from string pressure, but what do I know? I've never done this before.

It depends, your choice is to opt for softer material which will to some degree absorb/dissipate more of the energy away from the soundboard. If you lie strings across the long grain you will probably lose more energy than if they lie across end grain. So I imagine you should do the first of that is your intention. It will be stronger to

[mirwa]

Wood saddles are common on jazz guitars, mandolins, etc.

I would cut saddle so strings rest on the long grain

Violins use wooden soundposts to transmit sound or be it energy from the bridge / top plate into the back plate

Steve

[nickv6]

It's my understanding that sound waves travel faster and more efficiently along the grain.
It's one of the things I never see mentioned in discussing bracing. The braces when they lay across the soundboard grain spread the vibrations efficiently across the whole soundboard. They are more than just a strengthener.
I'd try both while you are doing it and I'd expect a more snappy response if the strings lie on the end grain.
Just my opinion based on piano technology, so I could be awfully wrong!
Nick

[Mark Hatcher]

I use wood saddles on pretty much every guitar I make. I use them as dummy saddles so I can string the guitar up for the initial settling in before I intonate the guitar. I give my best guess on the wood one and then make a bone one with whatever adjustments I need.

I find the bone always sounds better but, I don’t make jazz guitars.

I always go long grain and never thought to try putting the strings onto the end grain.
I think it would be brighter that way. The wood is much harder against the end grain than the long grain and I’d expect to hear more trebles because of that. I would worry about splitting though, that’s a good point.

[yellowesty]

On a couple of recent builds, I've slotted the bridge for a wider-than-normal saddle (e.g., 10mm) and used a wooden saddle with fretwire installed in the top edge. It sounds fine, though brighter than bone, Tusk, etc. The brightness is, likely, because the metal-to-metal contact between the string and the top of the saddle is small (as both materials are hard) and low loss (as both materials are stiff and have low damping).

[Rudy4]

Originally Posted by dwasifar

For no good reason other than curiosity, I'm going to make a saddle out of jatoba wood and see how it sounds.

Please restrain your urge to ridicule this project.

If you were making a wooden saddle, would you have the grain running parallel to the bridge, or perpendicular to it (e.g. end grain where the strings rest)? My expectation would be that the latter might be prone to split from string pressure, but what do I know? I've never done this before.

Once you venture outside of convention then you often pick up the naysayers. There's nothing wrong with trying a wood saddle. If you like it then it meets the qualification of being successful.

As a side note, there's a bunch of prominent musicians (Jeff Tweedy being one...) who have purchased guitars from Rubin Cox of L.A.s Old Style Guitar Shop who is providing guitars with rubber saddles. He was interviewed by Fretboard Journal and Tweedy talked about his rubber saddled guitar in a recent interview.

More info on rubber saddles can be found in this topic:

https://www.acousticguitarforum.com/...d.php?t=586846

[woodbox]

No ridicule from me my friend, I think it’s a great idea!

My 1928 Martin 0-18 left the factory with an Ebony nut, so why not try it at the other end?

Regarding the grain disposition.. hmmm...

I’d be inclined to go long grain.. parallel to bridge slot.
Otherwise, as you said, I can see the strings digging into, and thus potentially splitting, the open grain.
Especially the unwound hi E and B strings.

Long grain might also disperse vibrations more evenly.

You actually have 4 choices:

1A) cut long grain, grain up (north/south)
1B) cut long grain, grain flat (east/west)
2A) cut cross grain, open grain up
2B) cut cross grain, open grain flat

(am I thinking too much?)

Please let us know how this turns out.

[printer2]

I did an aluminum saddle, it sounded more metallic which surprised me. But reading above on the metal to metal contact I can see it.