I used to sand saddles from the bottom, but nowadays since I’m almost always using Tusq & they’re properly squared on the bottom from the factory, I’ve become accustomed to sanding & shaping the radius as desired from the top - and greatly prefer it.i always thought if you were going to lower a saddle, you would take it out and shave off from the bottom?
I used to sand saddles from the bottom, but nowadays since I’m almost always using Tusq & they’re properly squared on the bottom from the factory, I’ve become accustomed to sanding & shaping the radius as desired from the top - and greatly prefer it.
I don't know about other Hoboken Guilds, because I only own one, but the distance between the saddle and the soundhole side (don't know what other more luthierly way to phrase it) of my M20 bridge that broke is much narrower than other bridges on my other guitars. If you look at the picture it's not much wider than the actual saddle itself, on its side. I think the angle and pressure on such a narrow piece of wood almost as old as I am could have contributed to its demise, especially when a new saddle had been installed during a neck reset, and any effect from the funky nut slots. Funky nut slots, being a good band name, but not a great description of the issue with them.Now I’m starting to wonder if this is part of why so many Hoboken-era Guilds have cracked bridges- modern luthiers not glueing the through-saddle in.
I don't know about other Hoboken Guilds, because I only own one, but the distance between the saddle and the soundhole side (don't know what other more luthierly way to phrase it) of my M20 bridge that broke is much narrower than other bridges on my other guitars. If you look at the picture it's not much wider than the actual saddle itself, on its side. I think the angle and pressure on such a narrow piece of wood almost as old as I am could have contributed to its demise, especially when a new saddle had been installed during a neck reset, and any effect from the funky nut slots. Funky nut slots, being a good band name, but not a great description of the issue with them.
"Huh". While I get your reasoning, I still just kind of have this gut feeling Guild didn't do it that way. Or maybe I'm subliminally remembering something seen years ago but not quite consciously recalling?No doubt this is relevant, and yes I’ve seen many that are pretty thin in that area. Just kind of thinking out loud that when these guitars were built, the saddle was glued- which would provide extra strength and make that permissible. As in ... if the bottom and opposite side of the saddle were glued, your saddle may not have popped out. Which means you would likely just see a slight split or something (if anytning) instead of that pop. Just an idea that makes sense to me as a layman.
Tusq will typically result in a brighter & punchier tone compared to bone. A more percussive tone is what I’m after with my fingerpicking style, and Tusq has consistently moved my guitars in that direction.Is there a noticeable difference/advantage between Tusq and bone?
Slight veer, but I "get" why sanding the crown of the saddle my be preferable to the oft-recommended "shave the bottom":All I can find is anecdotal stuff; here’s a post from someone about shaving the saddle on a ‘65 D40 that’s glued-in:
How important is the shape of the crown of the saddle? - The Acoustic Guitar Forum
How important is the shape of the crown of the saddle? General Acoustic Guitar Discussionwww.acousticguitarforum.com
I'd say you could heat it up and put some water with a brush on both sides of the saddle and that way the glue get soft (if hideglue was used). But it's indeed also the first time I hear about glued-in through saddles, but since Frank Ford reports about it I believe it. On the other hand, if I think about it, wouldn't such a saddle possibly slide left and right if not fixed a bit? A normal saddle is fixed because it sits in a saddle slot that is closed on both sides, so won't move. So one question is how much glue to use. On a nut you can use just a drop, so on a through saddle also. But maybe it has really stability reasons for the bridge? No idea.but what if you were going to do a neck reset, how would you get the old glued saddle out of the bridge? I must be missing something.
Doesn’t string tension hold the saddle in place? The same theory as with an archtop with a floating bridge?I'd say you could heat it up and put some water with a brush on both sides of the saddle and that way the glue get soft (if hideglue was used). But it's indeed also the first time I hear about glued-in through saddles, but since Frank Ford reports about it I believe it. On the other hand, if I think about it, wouldn't such a saddle possibly slide left and right if not fixed a bit? A normal saddle is fixed because it sits in a saddle slot that is closed on both sides, so won't move. So one question is how much glue to use. On a nut you can use just a drop, so on a through saddle also. But maybe it has really stability reasons for the bridge? No idea.
Ralf
I'd think that too, but then again, those floating bridges can move around, and I suppose a through saddle could be subject to being moved a bit too, with a not-necessarily-damaging but well-placed "impact".Doesn’t string tension hold the saddle in place? The same theory as with an archtop with a floating bridge?