Does a Bone Nut and Saddle Make Much Difference in Sound?

daza152 · #1 10-08-2010, 01:55 AM

Hi I was just wanting to know if it does make any difference and was it noticeable from what you had already? I own a FG700s Yamaha and sounds great to me but would it be worth the expense and would it be a significent ammount of difference? Thanks.

Jeff M · #2 10-08-2010, 02:06 AM

Saddle? Can. Transimits the string vibrations directly to the guitar top.
Nut? Not much. If any. Not in direct contact with the top. Not involved with fretted notes.

Bone saddles are cheap. Easily replaced if you don't like it.

vintageparlors · #3 10-08-2010, 04:28 AM

+1 on what Jeff says. Upgrading your saddle to bone is a relatively easy/inexpensive way to improve sound transfer to the top.

Michael T · #4 10-08-2010, 04:31 AM

I've always changed the nut when changing saddles, it may only affect the open strings but almost every song I play has open strings throughout it. They have certainly had a grand effect on all my guitars, a couple took more than one change to get the tone I wanted, but I have them pretty well dialed in for me. Then again mine are keepers, I have no intention of parting with them.

Fatstrat · #5 10-08-2010, 04:34 AM

Thank you. I was considering posting a similar question, but now it has been answered. I want to put a bone saddle on my Tak, but not change the nut. The guitar has a 1 11/16" neck, which is usually difficult for me to play. But the nut string spacing is just right on this one so that it is much less difficult for me than most other 1 11/16" necks. Didn't want to monkey /it.

GibbyPrague · #6 10-08-2010, 05:01 AM

Well i hope so as i just spent a bit of cash on three Colossi bone pin / saddle combinations.

Will be interesting to compare how the tone changes as the new additions are for a hog, r/wood and laminate back sided guitars.

So far Ive installed the bone pins and can definitely hear already a richer tone, especially on my mahogany OM.

Im takin the saddle to my luthier to make a proper fit(dont trust myself) on monday, will be interesting to get it back.

Ive made a sample recording on the three guitars yesterday just with the new bone pins but old tusq saddles. will compare and record back when they arrive with the bone saddles. Am very curious to hear the difference.

cheers.

rockinrebel · #7 10-08-2010, 05:29 AM

I just had a bone saddle (Ron Griffin) and bone pins (Bob Colosi) put in my 1961 Gibson J-50.
Sounds better. More clarity and just , well, better.

ljguitar · #8 10-08-2010, 06:07 AM

Hi Daza…
Having heard it argued several ways (better, worse and no difference), every guitar saddle I've changed from man-made to bone has improved enough to make me glad I upgraded.

I've never heard improvement from either nut or bridge pins, unless the originals were ill fitting.

denny1948golf · #9 10-08-2010, 06:42 AM

Bone has improved every guitar I've owned except a 614ce (maple) I had. It made the tone brighter, but not in a good way.

Wade Hampton · #10 10-08-2010, 06:48 AM

I've had a couple of guitars where I disliked the change in tone when I had bone saddles installed, notably on my black walnut and Engelmann spruce Larrivée OM-03W. In both those instances, I went back to the original synthetic saddles.

But those are the exception that prove the rule, so far as I'm concerned. On all my other instruments I've preferred bone appointments. So it's something I routinely have done on all my instruments.

I can also hear a subtle but audible difference when the nut is changed out to bone, as well. On those guitars where I've returned to synthetic saddles, I've always kept the new bone nuts.

But there's no question that the saddle is the single most important piece of the entire equation. The nut is considerably down the list in comparison.

Hope this helps.

Wade Hampton Miller

Les Tension · #11 10-08-2010, 07:24 AM

My silver Creek came with bone nut and saddle. After setting it up and playing it for a few months, on a lark I bought a Tusq saddle. I like it better. On THIS guitar.

I've made several saddles from cow bone that you can buy at the pet store. On inexpensive laminate guitars I have noticed an improvement with the bone over the plastic saddles that usually are fitted to these instruments.
Les

beachbum205 · #12 10-08-2010, 11:24 AM

I think Bob Colosi makes the case that if it didn't make a difference, why do nearly all upper-end guitars come with bone nuts and saddles?

He's a great guy to work with- very highly thought of here, (and an AGF member himself!) If you have any questions, he's the guy to talk to.

http://www.guitarsaddles.com/

mutantrock · #13 10-08-2010, 11:52 AM

It will change the sound and it can be very noticeable. If you don't know what is made from I would find out before you upgrade so you achieve the results you want. There are sound samples in several posts in the forum where you can hear the difference in sound of different saddles made from tusq, bone and ivory.
I got an ivory one from Colosi and I am quite pleased with the results as compared to the stock tusq saddle it replaced.

macfawlty · #14 10-08-2010, 12:13 PM

I have the FG700s and the saddle change made a huge difference in the sound. I have done it on a lot of my guitars, but it seems to make the biggest difference on mahogany guitars. I felt like it added $500 to the quality of the sound.

Glennwillow · #15 10-08-2010, 01:28 PM

If you like what you are playing, then there is probably no need to change. I'm not sure what kind of saddle is normally factory installed in a Yamaha.

I can tell you that I have changed out two Tusq saddles with bone saddles and the effect on both was to bring out a little more bass and to make the high end trebles a little less strident. For me, the change in both guitars was worth the $25 it cost to buy an easy to install saddle from Bob Colosi.

The nut is probably not worth changing unless the slots are worn down.

Regards, Glenn