Nut and Saddle for Gretsch Jim Dandy

dv5140ca · #1 10-25-2017, 12:00 PM

Just wondering if anyone has replaced the nut and saddle for one of these? If so, what specs/kind did you get? Links by any chance?

I have one and it seems that in my playing around with adjusting them, I may have taken a bit too much off the saddle and or filed the nut a bit much. In the end for what I paid for it, I'm not too worried, but living in the middle of nowhere, probably will need to order via ebay...possibly some places will ship to the middle east.

Thanks for any help/guidance.

L20A · #2 10-25-2017, 01:42 PM

Check our Amazon.
They offer several choices at great prices. Here is an example.

https://www.amazon.com/Blisstime-Str...SIN=B00USQY0CK

dv5140ca · #3 10-25-2017, 01:59 PM

Funny you say that, I just got in my email a link to that exact one just after I posted.
Are there levels of "quality" in Boone nut and saddles or in general are they pretty darn similar?

L20A · #4 10-25-2017, 04:09 PM

Yes there are levels of density.
I don't think you will be able to tell though.
I like that this set comes with 2 saddles.
You might like one better than the other.
The saddles will need to be fit to your guitar. Use the old saddle as a template and start sanding.
Use a flat surface to sand on.
The bottom of the saddle has to be flat or you will loose a lot of sound.

Braxton · #5 11-07-2017, 05:27 AM

Hi,
I just bought a used Jim Dandy last week and I'm having lot of fun with it.
I was thinking about upgrading nut and saddle too.
Has anyone already done that and noticed any audible improvement ?

dv5140ca · #6 11-07-2017, 05:36 AM

I just ordered bone nut and saddles from eBay last night. will let you know when I get them how it goes... in all honestly, I can't see it making it sound worse, only different. the plastics used in the saddle for ex seem pretty average, mine has pretty good groove marks in them after a couple of years

Athens · #7 11-07-2017, 06:52 AM

Wow! Five replies and no ones mentioned Bob Colosi yet?

We're slipping folks.

Braxton · #8 11-07-2017, 07:00 AM

Hahaha, I bought a Bob Colosi's saddle for a guitar of mine some years ago, but I think it'd be a bit of overshooting for my GJD, especially given that said saddle should travel from USA to Italy

dv5140ca · #9 11-07-2017, 07:25 AM

Based on what I have read, same thing... thus the cheaper eBay version for my little Seafoam Green beater!

elbon44 · #10 08-19-2022, 06:39 AM

These modifications really brought a lot more vocal life to the guitar. Not just volume, but tonality. It sounds really rich now.

-Here's the easy part... Graph Tech's TUSQ saddle model PQ-1720-00 was perfect after sanding the bottom down some. I don't look for the lowest action possible, but the strings needed lowering. I tried to file the slots on the original nut and it was messy because it was very soft. Too soft. I decided to replace it, and I'm glad I did.

-The saddle change out was as impressive as the nut. My guitar sounds like a top-of-the-line hand-made guitar. The Jim Dandy has a 12" radiused fretboard but it came with a 9.5" radiused saddle. That's bad and incorrect. Do this search, "Fully Compensated Unbleached bone guitar saddle - 12 inch radius - 11 mm height". It came with a small piece of sandpaper. Use double sided tape to adhere it to your sanding surface. I bought mine from an online giant whose name starts with "A". It's made by MacNichol Guitars. I had to sand a little off of the ends a little and the bottom, as well as a very small amount of the width. Take your time by investing in slower flatter sanding times. Do your best to keep it flat on the bottom. It's easy to accidentally put an angle on the bottom so keep inspecting it as you sand. Don't ever go too far because you'll end up having to order another. Take your time and don't let yourself be frustrated. All I did was loosen the strings as far as they would loosed without removing them from the machine head posts. Then I used pliers to remove the saddle. It really isn't too hard to sand and test over and over as long as you have a string winder.

I have to note that on my guitar the back and sides look like Sapele, not light colored basswood. I look through the sound hole and and it's a brown wood with regular grain in the smaller even stripes. Smaller stripes than mahogany. The top is a mystery. It could be basswood or spruce. The guy at Fender Products couldn't say anything about the guitar, including information about the saddle and the nut. I imagine different woods can be substituted if the regular wood is unavailable as long as it's considered equal or better?