#1
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1/4" saddle directly on the top?
Hey Guys,
I'm removing all the metal and bolts from an old 70's Bentley adjustable bridge similar to the old Gibson's. My question is, After I removed all the offending material, the slot for the saddle is open on the bottom. I have no issue with the saddle width,(lots of room for intonation), but is it going to be a problem if the saddle sits squarely on the soundboard, or should I put an insert into the bridge? Any and all advice is appreciated. Thanks in advance Dave BTW its an old beater with 0 sentimental value
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Early Ovation classical 2001 Taylor 355 2002 Taylor 308 BB 2004 Taylor 214 2011 Taylor GC4 1964 Fender Stratocaster 1965 Fender Jazz Bass Fender Twin Reverb |
#2
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What you are proposing will work, but I think it sounds better with a hardwood insert. Even a thin layer of wood glued to the bottom of the saddle will suffice.
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#3
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The bottom of a bridge slot is typically rosewood or ebony which are 5-10X as hard as a spruce guitar top. Now you put a skinny sadlle directly on the spruce top with a lot of string pressure on top of it. Will it dig in and sink the saddle into or right through the top, maybe?
If I wanted to re-use the old adjustable Bridge for originality or sentimentality, I would be looking at an inserting a strip of similar wood rabetted in, then slotted for a conventional 1/8" bridge, so the pressure of the saddle is spread across the bridge. It might be easier to use the old bridge as a template and make a new bridge. |
#4
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I did this on a cheap classical guitar with a silly metal bridge. Did other changes also to make it sound listenable.
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Fred |
#5
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Thanks guys. Food for thought.
__________________
Early Ovation classical 2001 Taylor 355 2002 Taylor 308 BB 2004 Taylor 214 2011 Taylor GC4 1964 Fender Stratocaster 1965 Fender Jazz Bass Fender Twin Reverb |
#6
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Do you want a 1/4in saddle for any particular reason? They are nice for intonation purposes but if you don't need it for that what I typically do with those is inlay a matching piece of wood and rout a 1/8th inch saddle slot in it. When done right you can hardly tell.
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#7
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Double post
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#8
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Quote:
__________________
Early Ovation classical 2001 Taylor 355 2002 Taylor 308 BB 2004 Taylor 214 2011 Taylor GC4 1964 Fender Stratocaster 1965 Fender Jazz Bass Fender Twin Reverb |
#9
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I just glued in strips of wood to make up where the metal was.
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Fred |
#10
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I bought a Guild D-55 back in 1972 that has the saddle going through the bridge and resting directly on the top. I've had no problem in all these years. Some people believe that the string energy going straight through the saddle to the top gives a 'better' sound, but I doubt it.
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#11
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Quote:
__________________
Early Ovation classical 2001 Taylor 355 2002 Taylor 308 BB 2004 Taylor 214 2011 Taylor GC4 1964 Fender Stratocaster 1965 Fender Jazz Bass Fender Twin Reverb |
#12
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Having the saddle resting directly on the spruce top is a bad idea. Spruce is soft and springy and will absorb a lot of mechanical energy from the strings and saddle, giving a dull tone and lower volume.
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