Bone Saddle for Taylors???

[TBman]

Do before and after recordings for reference.

[Shades of Blue]

Originally Posted by Willie Voltaire

Well, what else are you going to do with it?



If four people say it sounds great and four people say it sounds terrible, how will that help you?



If you want to know what a given saddle or string or nut or pick will do for your guitar, there’s only one way to find out.

Well that’s the goal right? If 8 people said no and nobody said yes, I’d know to send it back. 50/50 tie tells me to try it. Best case scenario is to get either an overwhelming yes or no. Either way, no harm in doing a little opinion hunting.

[Shades of Blue]

Originally Posted by ljguitar

Hi mgd



Taylor Tusq saddles have been stock for over 20 years. I personally don't think it had anything to do with animal products, but cost savings.

I heard that the TUSQ works better with the ES system. I always thought they found that it was more consistent than bone for the electronics.

[BT55]

Originally Posted by Shades of Blue

I heard that the TUSQ works better with the ES system. I always thought they found that it was more consistent than bone for the electronics.

That was what I also read. Tusq is manmade and is predictably dense so that it will transfer the strings vibration properly. Not all bone saddles have the same uniform density and can cause problems with under saddle pickups.

[vindibona1]

Originally Posted by BT55

That was what I also read. Tusq is manmade and is predictably dense so that it will transfer the strings vibration properly. Not all bone saddles have the same uniform density and can cause problems with under saddle pickups.

I think what you may have meant to say is that TUSQ will transfer string vibrations CONSISTENTLY AND EXTREMELY PREDICTABLY. Most bone saddles will, in fact, deliver vibrations "properly"... and IMO provide enhanced tone- especially on Taylor guitars. While TUSQ and Micarta are "consistent" they are also half the cost of bone in most circumstances. In my heart I don't believe that Taylor uses Micarta and formerly TUSQ because they are a better product than bone, but because they are cheaper, and for them the consistency is important due to the assembly line nature of their instruments.

And while you're correct, because of some density irregularities in bone, once in a while you'll get an outlier bone saddle that won't transfer vibrations consistently and there may be some variation from saddle to saddle, but in the overall picture I think the variations are small and bone saddle "failures" are rare. But I think you'll find many members on the forum who have put in bone replacement saddles and never looked back.

Are there any member who bought bone saddles and then returned to the original Micarta or TUSQ?

Originally Posted by Shades of Blue

If 8 people said no and nobody said yes, I’d know to send it back.

Well, I wouldn't let eight strangers who have never even heard my guitar decide what saddle I should use, but you do you.

[Iain1231]

If it ain't broken, don't fix it

[Glennwillow]

Originally Posted by lovgren

Yes - on a Taylor 814ce. Made it sound less boxy and thin. Fuller sound. More resonant. Noticeable and nice upgrade for that guitar.

Originally Posted by leew3

I have a bone saddle in my GS-6 (2006) and the switch seemed to give it a bit more bottom and sustain. It was an improvement to an already great guitar.

Originally Posted by vindibona1

YES! ... My 614 previously had TUSQ and the 814 had Micarta. The bone adds warmth and a bit of thickness and fullness to the sound. ...

My experience with removing the original Tusq saddle from Taylor and putting in a bone saddle from Bob Colosi is similar to the above comments. My Taylor 514CE from 2002 (cedar over mahogany) picked up a little more bass and the sound became a little more solid. The Tusq saddle had more treble and was thinner sounding, which was not a sound I liked. The guitar was a surprise gift from my wife.

I have never experienced an increase in treble by removing a Tusq saddle and putting in bone. Sometimes the change is fairly subtle but generally it's the same kind of change -- more bass, less strident treble, a more solid sound. To me the change is generally worth the cost and effort.

- Glenn

[Glennwillow]

Originally Posted by vindibona1

...Are there any member who bought bone saddles and then returned to the original Micarta or TUSQ?

Not me. I have changed out Tusq saddles probably 6 times on 6 different guitars, most of them Taylors, but also once on a Voyage-Air and once on a Yamaha OM guitar. In all cases the bone saddle stayed in the guitar once it was put in.

I do have a Taylor 12-Fret from 2010 with the original Tusq saddle still in it. This guitar was always pretty bassy so I saw no benefit in changing the saddle on this guitar. I also had a nylon string Taylor, now sold, that I did not mess with at all.

The bone saddle in the Taylor 514CE and in the Voyage-Air VAOM-06 made a dramatic difference in both cases.

- Glenn

[619TF]

Originally Posted by vindibona1

YES! Also, I found a difference between bleached bone and unbleached bone and the difference was noticeable. Bone saddles are cheap at $15 so I didn't find it unreasonable to experiment.

Please elaborate. What differences did you notice between the original and the bone? More interestingly, what differences did you notice between bleached and unbleached? I'm especially curious about that last one as it shouldn't make any difference as they're the same exact material. Thanks!

[Shortfinger]

OH NOES!

OMG! Taylor doesn't put bone saddles in their guitars?

Does this mean I can buy that new Red Label Yamaha, the one made in China, and save $400?

[Paddy1951]

Originally Posted by ljguitar

Hi mgd



Taylor Tusq saddles have been stock for over 20 years. I personally don't think it had anything to do with animal products, but cost savings.

Actually, it has more to do with how saddle material works with their built in amplification system. With their first system Tusq worked better than bone. With their most recent version, micarta works better than Tusq.

I spoke with a Taylor representative and he said that Taylor will be moving away from bone entirely. When their stock of bone saddles is gone, that will be it.

I find the stock micarta saddles round out the tone of Taylor guitars. I don't plug in so I am speaking acoustically. The same is supposed to be true for being plugged in with their latest system.

I have a bone saddle for my 312 but have not tried it yet.

[619TF]

Originally Posted by Shortfinger

OH NOES!

OMG! Taylor doesn't put bone saddles in their guitars?

Does this mean I can buy that new Red Label Yamaha, the one made in China, and save $400?

Sure, you can buy whatever you like. They'll sound very different though.

[dgt178]

[QUOTE=vindibona1

"...Also, I found a difference between bleached bone and unbleached bone and the difference was noticeable....."

....so....what was the difference?......

[martingitdave]

[QUOTE=dgt178;6074460][QUOTE=vindibona1



"...Also, I found a difference between bleached bone and unbleached bone and the difference was noticeable....."



....so....what was the difference?......[/QUOTE]


Bleach?