S-100 saddle question

Hey gang. Loving this '74 S-100. The only downside seems to be the high E saddle. The string popped out twice at rehearsal. Spirited playing, but nothing wild. The action is set just right for ease of playing, with the treble side of the bridge down to the body, the other side higher. I'm using D'Addario's 10.5 set. This model has the longer distance from stop bar to bridge, so it comes down to bridge angle as much as the saddle itself I guess.

Any obvious solutions? I'm sure raising the action would help, but it feels too good to change. Would going up to .11 on that string help? A close look makes me think the saddle might be best shaped for .10 or less.

Thanks for your help. In the meantime, I'm just being a bit more restrained in how I play this thing.
MD

I've had the same issue on Red, and I tried to move up in string gauge on the offending string. I found that when I did, the E string felt way to tight, not natural at all. Plus, it didn't even help the problem I set out to solve. At least it was just 90 cents. If you decide to change, plan on upping all three unwound strings. I'll be interested to hear some other suggestions too.

danerectal said:

I've had the same issue on Red, and I tried to move up in string gauge on the offending string. I found that when I did, the E string felt way to tight, not natural at all. Plus, it didn't even help the problem I set out to solve. At least it was just 90 cents. If you decide to change, plan on upping all three unwound strings. I'll be interested to hear some other suggestions too.

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I tried .11's on my '74 and it didn't go well at all. However, the guy who works on my gits set up my old S-90 with .12's for Tyler in Band of Horses (who plays with some odd down tunings and a capo). I don't know what he did to make it work but I'm pretty sure he kept the original bridge and saddles.

If you notice one of the saddles on your bridge has a slightly different groove width you might try switching them around since they screw off of the posts. Other than that - yeah, raising the bridge for more tension, or trying a different bridge all together.

If all else fails I guess you'll just have to buy more S-100's, say a '75 or later with the tailpiece closer and slightly higher string tension. :lol:

I did switch to the .11 set. Which actually feels even better than the .105 set. So far, so good. A little early to tell, but so far, the E is staying put. I won't know for sure until I play it live again. Love how this guitar feels.

MD

mad dog said:

I did switch to the .11 set. Which actually feels even better than the .105 set. So far, so good. A little early to tell, but so far, the E is staying put. I won't know for sure until I play it live again. Love how this guitar feels.

MD

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The problem I had with .11's was the wound strings, especially the low E. The high E shouldn't be a problem with your current saddle. Hope it learns it's place! :lol: