Question regarding quality of bone and saddle

[Darryl Hattenhauer]

Here is another example of my convincing leadership.

 

[capnjuan]

... Has anybody upgraded their bridge pins with something even better such as fozzilized walrus ivory?

Hi Mark; for questions like this, you might try using the Search function in the upper right corner of the screen. If you put in the keyword 'bone' and hit search, it will return the following result - 32 pages of posts that include the word 'bone' also including all the posts from your recent thread.

search.php?keywords=bone&terms=all&author=&sc=1&sf=all&sk=t&sd=d&sr=posts&st=0&ch=300&t=0&submit=Search

If you want to read up on saddles, you can Search with the keyword 'saddle'. FWIW, I put inexpensive Stew-Mac bone pins on my F212 and didn't notice any difference although there are other posts where people thought there was a noticeable improvement. CJ

 

[Scratch]

... Has anybody upgraded their bridge pins with something even better such as fozzilized walrus ivory?

Hi Mark; for questions like this, you might try using the Search function in the upper right corner of the screen. If you put in the keyword 'bone' and hit search, it will return the following result - 32 pages of posts that include the word 'bone' also including all the posts from your recent thread.

http://letstalkguild.com/phpBB2/search. ... mit=Search

If you want to read up on saddles, you can Search with the keyword 'saddle'. FWIW, I put inexpensive Stew-Mac bone pins on my F212 and didn't notice any difference although there are other posts where people thought there was a noticeable improvement. CJ

Good response, John. I've noticed significant improvement with bone nut & saddle replacements, but have not been able to differentiate sound quality by changing the pins. I've done that on a Martin as well as one Guild with no noticeable difference.

BTW, my Tacoma F512 came with a bone nut and plastic saddle. Haven't figured that one out yet, but when I swapped the plastic saddle for (deer) bone she responded bigtime! (Tacoma D40 RH came with bone nut and saddle; Tacome D55 with bone nut and bone compensated saddle). Absolutely love those Tacoma-builts. I don't know how the new CT facility could ever improve on that quality...

 

[cjd-player]

I swapped the plastic saddle for (deer) bone she responded bigtime! ...

I think I read somewhere that bone from bucks with 6 points is better for rosewood guitars, a buck with 4 points is better for mahogany, and bone from a doe is better for maple ... Bambie :shock:

Is sheep bone popular in New Z Land?

 

[JerryR]

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :mrgreen:

 

[capnjuan]

Hi Ken; I screwed up two years ago when I had the nut changed on the F212; went with plastic instead of bone. Considering the cost to do the work over again and the fact that the luthier damaged the headstock overlay, not willing to mess with it anymore ... tis what it is but I do think a harder or denser material would generally sharpen tone. J

 

[coastie99]

Is sheep bone popular in New Z Land?

Not as popular as boning sheep is in Jerry's part of the world !

 

[Darryl Hattenhauer]

Coastie,

You are really on target lately.

I screwed up two years ago when I had the nut changed on the F212; went with plastic instead of bone. Considering the cost to do the work over again and the fact that the luthier damaged the headstock overlay, not willing to mess with it anymore ... tis what it is but I do think a harder or denser material would generally sharpen tone.

If you can hear all the differences and have the money and time to make fine adjustments, I'd say go for it.

I don't notice a lot of the sound differences others hear, but I do notice the cost in money and time. So I tend to leave things original. Over the years, that's probably saved me enough money to pay for a guitar, and enough time to learn a chord.

 

[bedell]

"It's an old LTG tradition........... started long before the majority of the current membership arrived here "

Hey Coastie, I didnt ask for your opinion or traditions. We should all be treated the same whether we have been here 5 min or 5 years. Is that too hard for you Coastie??? I just wanted a response to my question.

I have to be careful here because I know I will probably offend some people. Why is it so hard to stay on a thread? I mean, I have never seen a board that goes off topic so easily. I dont give a damn what the other boards are doing, I joined this board so I could communicate with other Guild afficianados and exchange information. Now somebody, probably Coastie, will say "if you dont like it leave." Well, I probaby will just keep in the background and keep my mouth shut. I sense that there is a predominate "click" on this forum so I don't feel too comfortable here anyways.

... As for my original thread, I found out that the nut and saddle are most likely made from water baffalo bone. I had a luthier check my guitar out and he says its good quality so thats enough for me.

-M

 

[bedell]

... Has anybody upgraded their bridge pins with something even better such as fozzilized walrus ivory?

Hi Mark; for questions like this, you might try using the Search function in the upper right corner of the screen. If you put in the keyword 'bone' and hit search, it will return the following result - 32 pages of posts that include the word 'bone' also including all the posts from your recent thread.

http://letstalkguild.com/phpBB2/search. ... mit=Search

If you want to read up on saddles, you can Search with the keyword 'saddle'. FWIW, I put inexpensive Stew-Mac bone pins on my F212 and didn't notice any difference although there are other posts where people thought there was a noticeable improvement. CJ

Thanks.

 

[coastie99]

Now somebody, probably Coastie, will say "if you dont like it leave." Well, I probaby will just keep in the background and keep my mouth shut. I sense that there is a predominate "click" on this forum so I don't feel too comfortable here anyways.

Wrong !

Coastie wont say any such thing. What he will say is, please stick around and enjoy the company, and share in the friendship here. BUT, you should understand that a great many here appreciate the way the Forum runs; the "click" (clique) that you refer to, is actually a large group of strangers with a common interest(s), who've come to enjoy a rather unique sense of comradeship here.
So please stay and enjoy, and lose the silly notion of feeling "uncomfortable" here....... there's lots of great people here to have a good time with.

 

[Darryl Hattenhauer]

bedell,

I don't know squat about the different kinds of bone. I haven't heard of water buffalo bone. Is that fairly common?

dh

 

[coastie99]

Oh, and by the way....... probably Water Buffalo Horn.

Are they black ? Not saying they're not bone, but I've only heard of WB horn being used.

 

[Scratch]

Bedell.... You've got us wrong if you think click/clique. We're all unique; I consider everyone on here much more knowledgeable than me and certainly more talented. Heck, the fact that they put up with me is beyond my comprehension, but I've learned to find knowledge and friendship unequaled here.

We like your company, man. Please stick around...

 

[JerryR]

Is sheep bone popular in New Z Land?

Not as popular as boning sheep is in Jerry's part of the world !

Oi :!: I don't live in Wales or Newsyland :shock:

 

[JerryR]

The "click" (clique) that you refer to, is actually a large group of strangers with a common interest(s), who've come to enjoy a rather unique sense of comradeship here.

And some are definitely stranger than others :roll: :mrgreen:

 

[Darryl Hattenhauer]

We like your company, man. Please stick around...

That's right. We're weird, but please keep posting. The whole issue of what material to use for saddles, nuts (like us) and pins has opened up a new area for me. I'm going to be checking into this on the net because I suspect that high tech must have brought us some new synthetic stuff that's as good and much cheaper than the bone/horn/ivory etc. (There's a set of that kind of pin on ebay now for $99.) Or maybe there's something almost as good for hackers like me who can't hear the difference between plastic and petrified barracuda teeth.

 

[Jeff]

These bridge pins were made from the bone of an OX. Gordon Orth custom made them for my GF 60. Don't know if the donating Ox was foreign or domestic. Gordon led me to believe Ox bone comes in subtle color variations.

Gordon also said he didn't care for Walrus tusk or horn for bridge pins, he claims it's inferior to bone. He also advised against spending the money for Ivory, no positive difference from bone. I took his advice & ordered bone pins from a dead Ox.

Gordon does some 20,000 bridge pins a year in his "Hobby" shop.

http://www.stfranciskansas.com/chamber/ ... 20Page.htm

Now, if money was a non issue, I'd surely give Ivory pins a try. The ultimate in conspicuous consumption.



http://cgi.ebay.com/Fossil-Ivory-Bridge ... dZViewItem

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p.s. I looked at 6 or 8 brand new Martins in the local shop a few days ago, without exception the bridge pins were not seated completely flush with the bridge. . They all were fitted 1/16" + from bottoming out against the bridge. I assume the intent is to have the pins wear in flush with time & use.