acoustic saddles

[jake]

I'm new at guitar, but I like the mechanical aspect of things while learning to play. I've built saddles, nuts, changed action on some guitars, just did a fret level. I'm left handed so learning is challenging. I'm learning finger style picking which is why I had to do so much work on my cheap guitars, to get the action low enough. I was going to try to segment a saddle into maybe two strings per segment and have been using corian kitchen counter top scraps to make parts. I'm working on a Kona acoustic/electric and have learned about the need to contact the under saddle pickup (the hard frustrating way). Segmenting the saddle so I can test heights, move intonation by filing front or back of the top or the saddle or starting over seems like the way to go. Any tips or thoughts would be appreciated. This is for fun (when it works out). Thanks Jake

[cynical1]

Greetings and welcome to the Nutzhouse, Jake.

While it is technically and mechanically possible to build a bridge for an acoustic guitar similar to that of an electric, you might find that in the process you've defeated the one thing that gives an acoustic its character and volume...the direct and solid connection to the soundboard.

While you can gain some of that back with the pickup, you may find that the entire character of the guitar tone has changed. Your personal taste will dictate if it's better or worse...

As long as you keep your changes simple and reversible you can always go back to a standard acoustic bridge later.

Since this modification is going to end up larger then your original bridge, you might want to check your x-bracing.

If your mind is set on this I would suggest taking as many pictures with a good metal rule in place to preserve any and all dimensions on placement and string spacing.

Did you have a basic design premise in mind?

Happy Trails

Cynical One

[jake]

Thanks for the reply back Cynical One. I wasn't going to rebuild a bridge so much as work with the saddle piece, or pieces. i have removed and shaved a bridge but that's about my limit to the artand it had bolts in it. If I mess up a saddle (or the 3rd one in my case) I can make another, and your right I did keep the original when I started to try to improve my stuff. This is fun if you have the time. Thanks, Jake

[D2o]

Don't go anywhere with this thought , Jake ... but ...

I was in a home decor store today and saw a picture frame made out of thin rectangular pieces of ...

BONE!

Fleeting thoughts of mutiple pieces of inexpensive bone saddle material entered (and quickly left) my head! ;D

Kyle, I tell you. Crappy idea.

Anyway, just thought I'd share that funny thought and say hello, and welcome to GN2!

D2o



[edit - frame ... picture frame]

[cynical1]

You piqued my curiosity, so I went looking for examples of adjustable acoustic guitar bridges. Some were absurd, some were just an electric guitar saddle bolted to an acoustic bridge like thing...but this design stuck out as the best I found:



If you want to see how he did it, you can pick up a back issue of American Luthier from the summer of 2005...stumble through his patent, or try and decipher it from his images supplied with the patent.

Hope this helps.

Happy Trails

Cynical One

[jake]

Hey D2o, thanks guys. wow thats quite a bridge/saddle setup, bet it throws some sound bein high like that and surrounded by bone, could break a glass with the sound waves. never seen such thing as that. I did cut my saddle into 3 pieces of about equal lengths with a razor so the pieces all fit back into the bridge slot. man what a nice sound, seems to articulate the string within a cord way better (or notes within a cord). But sure didn't gain any bass. When I plug it in I can make up for that with the EQ and plenty to spare.This thin body Kona is alive even with Christmas original strings. Might mess with the 13 &14 fret, b&g string kinda flat sounding. The fret leveling I did I didn't want to take to much off on the first try. I'm smiling on this round of fix or cuss. Thanks again for the input, helps with descissions, Jake