Graph Tech Training Series: How to Install an Acoustic Guitar Saddle
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- Опубликовано: 31 май 2017
- The saddle is a key component of an acoustic guitar's tone, playability, intonation, harmonics and sustain.
In this video, Nicole Alosinac, Master Luthier, walks us through how to install the TUSQ Man Made Ivory Saddle. She’s working with the TUSQ PQ-9280-C0 compensated saddle.
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Hi, I'm Dave Dunwoodie, Founder, Inventor and President at Graph Tech Guitar Labs.
Our mission statement is just five simple words, "to improve your playing experience".
Graph Tech's components are improving the performance of more stringed instruments than any other company in the world. In 1983, we invented the self-lubricating nut; it was the first nut produced using PTFE, and one of the industry's first black-coloured nuts. In 1990, we patented the only guitar saddle proven to reduce string breakage by over 90% -- String Saver Saddles -- and in 1992, we introduced the world to TUSQ -- man-made ivory. These nuts, saddles and bridge pins have proven to more than double the perceived volume of harmonic richness when you play.
Today, we make TUSQ picks, the world's first harmonically rich pick with built-in tone, and now, Ratio Tuned Machine Heads with innovative balanced gear technology that makes tuning, retuning and open tuning a easier, more intuitive experience.
Stay tuned! We've got more innovation and great products coming your way because our mission is: To improve your playing experience.
- Dave Dunwoodie, Founder-Inventor & Head Honcho at Graph Tech Guitar Labs 
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Nicole, you're such a good teacher ~ clear, concise and easy to follow. Thank you! Also, would :LOVE more "how to" videos.
instablaster.
Nicole, your videos are great.I've put Graph Tech nuts and saddles on two guitars successfully by watching your videos. You are a wonderful instructor!!!!!!!!!! I'm 70 years old and learning new things is no easy process.
Portrait of a master at work. Simply put.
Hi Nicole thanks a ton! That was really easy to follow and for a beginner it's a heaven sent. I have finally found the answer to my question - saddle height! Awesome! Coming back for more.
thank you so much for this
great video!
Skip up to the 5 minute mark and Nicole will give some measurements of what your string height should be at the 12th fret. 👍
One question. I took my saddle out and sanded it to lower my action. When I went to re-install it. I realized there is angle on the top of the saddle. Should the high side of the saddle be facing the sound hole or facing away from the sound hole?
Cheers for the video needed to know if under the saddle... U know that metal piece was supposed to pop up. I thought Id broken my bridge or something. Thanks again great video
Thank you
This was very helpful
👍🇦🇺👍🇦🇺👍
Hi Nicole, I got compensated saddle for my Fender acoustic guitar, but the radius is different than on old saddle. Do saddle, fretboard and nut must have same radius?
Hi, which is the one I should purchase for my Eastman E40OM-TC? , it is a 12 radius. Not undersadlle pickup. Thanks.
my D string buzzes a bit on my GS Mini. how do adjust the curvature of the saddle?
is the top of the saddle have to be filed to match the fretboard radius at 12th fret?
You did not check intonation. Should that be done? Even if you have a pre-compensated saddle? I have a new Enya Carbon Fiber Travel Guitar that came with a non-compensated saddle. Consequently, the high E and B string are both 9-10 cents sharp at the 12th fret. Do you think a pre-compensated saddle like the ones you sell would help that? It came with a quality bone saddle installed but it is not compensated. It came with the action perfect by the way. Very easy guitar to play finger style.
Great video but I wish you demonstrated how we can get the correct string action height, what if the high e has higher action height than the lower e string? Should we sand off the saddle on the higher e string till it gets the proper height?
I sand the saddle at an angle to get the correct action for high and low e strings.
Thanks for the video, can you please explain why there is an extra compensation for the B String on the saddle ?
It's a few things mostly because of the tension & the kink in the 4th tuning i.e. "Tuning 5th fret to open string till you get to the G string you have to go to the 4th fret to open B then back to 4ths tuning w/the B string 5th fret to open high E". Thus the B string needs to be longer so the compensation for the B thats a simple way to explain.
What if you don't have the old saddle to reference the string height with? How do you determine the string height?
Since this is a beginner video it would be helpful if you mentioned which way the saddle goes and why
Usually, one end of the saddle is taller, and the taller side is on the low E side of the bridge. Hope that hleps!
@@GraphTechGuitarLabs yes it does help, thank you!
Thanks for the video
What is the best tusq for guitar with nylon strings, considering the sonority?
Tusq man made ivory. Graphtech.com Used on Cole Clark guitars Australia also
I have an acoustic guitar that was given to me used and the saddle is gone! I bought some on Amazon and they are very thin & 2 fit into the slot in the bridge! The music store attendant said that there is usually a couple of holders that one of the saddles would be pressed into so it won't fall out! There wasn't, the slot is 3 1/4 inch long & 1/4 inch wide...HELP.
Nicole you rule. 🙂
Thanks for the video-- but how do you know which side of the saddle is the front? Is it the side with "Tusq" printed on it, so that the taller part of the saddle goes under the low E? Just checking...
You'll want to point the Laser Etching towards the sound hole!
@@GraphTechGuitarLabs uh . . . what is laser etching? Are you referring to the black lettering?
@@treslongwell1332 Yea, the black letters face the neck/sound hole!
I just bought a new 9280 saddle to replace the plastic one in my Fender CP-60S acoustic. The plastic saddle was to narrow for the bridge slot and the plastic saddle radius was more like 9.6" radius and the board is 12" . The graph Tech 9280 was more than wide enough . The issue I found odd was when sanding the side of the saddle to fit it was clear from the sanding marks the 9280 on both sides showed I was sanding off high spots and still showed low spots. I though they were dead flat to start with , this was the first time I had to sand one to fit the slot . I've sanded the height many times for action , never the sides. Are they simply cast and will not have a completely flat surface?
I think I get what you mean, you're saying the sides aren't completely straight, as in a 90 degree angle? Yea, there is a slight arch on the sides of the saddle.
I wouldn't describe it as a 90 degree angle . It look flat with a fine grained surface before you sand the sides, once you do begin sanding the low surface areas still show the fine grained cast surface. The surface on both sides is uneven . I imagine it does not matter since the bottom needs to be dead flat and 90 degrees to the sides . What would benefit most is since there are many times where saddle slots are wider than .125" and one buys a 9280 and it's to loose. You should offer an option or make the saddles .020" thicker since many buy these because they are already compensated . The only option is to add a wood shim to the saddle side and sand to fit or buy a blank which requires doing all the shaping .
This is a great video but one thing....no one ever talks about how to lower the saddle on one side alone...the tusq saddle on my acoustic guitar is 5/64 on both sides from when I bought the used guitar.....I believe someone replaced the saddle and never lowered the high "E" side.....what's the best way to do this? If I sand just the high E side the saddle will have a high spot in the middle. Common sense says I then need to level the bottom of saddle but I would like to know the professional way to do this.
I just refretted the guitar with stainless steel frets. All the frets are level but I'm getting just a little buzz if I hit the A string hard at the 5,6,7th fret.....I have .011 relief in the neck. Do you think raising the saddle to 6/64 on the low "E" side would make a difference? I could shim it just to test it and if it works just buy a new tusq saddle....I'd rather have the relief at 8 or .009 thousands and a higher saddle. A guitar feels totally different when it's less than .010 relief in the neck.
Simply determine how much to take away by measuring the high E (fret 12) then deduct the 2 mm. Hold the saddle at the required angle on the emery board and sand it to a straight edge at that angle. Use a new saddle, keep the previous one to fall back on. Repeat until you are happy. At $5 NZ for a NuBone saddle this won't cripple you financially.
There's another way.....I found ....use a crowning tool to create an angle on top of the saddle....it's a bit of a pain because then you have to re-intonate the saddle. I've done it your way......it's not a simple thing to get the right angle but both work. I did the crowning tool thing last night.
Thanks for the answer Graph Tech! Not!
is it ok to use the guitar without the saddle?
I did this with Tusq saddle but the 5th and 6th bass strings would become sharper and sharper up the neck. The 12th fret note and harmonic were different notes.
Hi, sorry for the delay in my reply … I’m pretty sure that was how it was before you replaced the saddle , an acoustic saddle only has a very small amount of intonation room … ( which was what you were measuring on the 12th note and harmonics) sounds like the bridge slot was made a little too close the nut side of your guitar and causing the sharpness in pitch as you played up the neck… not an easy thing to fix without filling in the saddle slot and routing in a new saddle slot in the right position or replacing the entire bridge … either way, not recommended for the faint of heart …
is the method to check the thickness and length of the new saddle for a match to the old one first? Seems like common sense to me.
Hi Doug, thats correct. Match it to the old one and that will help you determine the exact fit you need.
What was that cable sticking out of the saddle slot? Does the saddle has to rest on top of that cable or cord or whatever???
bb bbb it's for an electric guitar, I think it picks up sound and plays it through the amp
Electric acoustic
That's a piezo pickup.
What is the purpose of a compensated saddle versus the regular saddle?
a compensated saddle will give you better intonation so that your guitar will be in tune all the way up the neck
Hi , what if i dont have my old saddle?
Then just get the right thickness and length and you can try the guitar, if it's too high, you can easily sand the bottom of the saddle down to get the right height!
trial and error. install it , measure, do the math, sand it, etc
@@GraphTechGuitarLabs Do we have to keep taking the strings off?
I have an acoustic thats missing the original saddle. How do I go about getting the height right if I don't have the original saddle to reference?
Look up on their web site for the right one for your guitar
Install it as she showed.
Sand a little off bit by bit to get her suggest clearances.
As she said if you want it lower sand a bit more.
It is not rocket science :)
trial and error. install it , measure, do the math, sand it, etc
Hi Nicole. I dont have the old saddle of a guitar i am restoring. It is an acoustic admira A-50 from the 80's.
I saw in the website that there are different Tusq saddles, i suppose the best choice will be the compensated one with the nearest similar measures that fit the slot. Any suggestions?
BUT, for a saddle and a nut i need, Will you deliver to Spain?
I mean, i havent been able to see the shipping costs.
I am thinking right now that i will need something else that i dont really know if you are selling it, just to make the order worth paying the shipping cost, like powder pumice to close pore as i am varnishing with shellac by hand, and a Rosette. Gonna check the website and see.....🤔
So which way is a compensated saddle installed in the slot? There are 2 directions !
As a general rule, the bass side of the saddle is higher, and and the B string compensation is usually kicked back , away from the headstock ...
is it common to slot the saddle similarly like the nut?
No need! The pressure will keep the strings in place.
no
What if I don't have my old saddle?
How do I set the intonation? This is driving me crazy!
You don't! If it's a compensated saddle, then the intonation is already done for you!
I already have one (made of plastic) and the intonation stills bad
@@faustohernandez3434 try the Tusq?
There are multiple possible reasons the intonation may be off. Make sure the strings are new and you are not fretting too hard. Make sure the neck is straight and has the correct amount of relief. Note that if the action is too high then notes higher on the neck will be sharp. Then determine if the string length needs to be longer or shorter. If it’s longer you can sand the top of the saddle at an angle over a particular string so that it makes contact slightly further from the nut. If it needs to be significantly shorter, I would take it to a luthier because fixing that will be more complex.
I have the PQ 9210 00 tall saddle for classical. As I predicted, there is no explanation as to which way it goes in. The compensation is asymmetrical so it can only go in one way. This info is hard to find. I can't find it. Even emailed Graph Tech. They can't seem to comprehend my duh question. What the . .. ??
Not sure who you emailed, but the laser etching or the lettering on the saddle faces the sound hole/ neck. Hope that helps!
@@GraphTechGuitarLabs thanks. next problem: The slot on my Mexican classical is 1/8" wide. the PQ 9210 00 is much less thick. It leans precariously toward the tension. Should I shim it (on which side?) or do you have a thicker one?
Yes it's the one bit of information she omits and the most important
2 years later, no answer. I reordered the PQ-9204-00 which is 1/8" thick, A little sanding on the side (220 grit--she didn't tell the grit) and I slid it in without removing the strings. Without sanding the bottom, it's just a little high, will reduce it later maybe. I don't play too much high up.
After hearing so much about the critical contact between the bottom edge and the slot, I was surprised to see the bottom of the PQ-9204-00 is perforated by 3 deep slots and 2 or 3 shallow round indentations. Also, the thing was not straight across the bottom edge--visible arched upward (the opposite of experts who say it should be crowned downward) And the bottom edge is visible not square.
I was already wondering about the wisdom of using some kind of bedding compound, like wood filler, to solidify the overall bottom contact.
I'm not impressed, not happy with the sound. Seems weak, but I don't know if I can blame the erratic shape of the bottom edge of the PQ-9204-00. Might be crappy strings or crappy expensive handmade guitar.
3mm??? That is crazy high action!
That's what I was thinking. That's borderline unplayable for me.
Very good video but background noise not required and very annoying
3mm/2mm is very high. I go 2mm /1.5. No buzzing
Hi, the action with 3mm / 2mm is very high and not ergonomic, especially with thicker strings from 0.012 and more. It the frets are dressed up correctly, on a western guitar 2,5 mm / 1,8 mm should be no problem, even 2,2 mm and 1,5 mm should be possible (of course depending from playing style). Also, the ruler you use is much less precise then feeler gauges - I've seen instruments that could not be played properly, but the tech showed this ruler and meant these were 2 mm (they were not, and if this tech would have been a better guitar player who feels the difference between 2,5 and 2 mm, he would have known this!).
A good story, but why does luthier recommend such high string action ? 3 mm and 2 mm . Most sources say that the height of the 6th string over the 12th fret should be from 2.4 to 2.8 mm , and the 1st from 1.5 to 2 mm .Lower the first one, for example, by 0.2 mm or 0.3 mm in comparison with the height that Nicole recommends and it will be Much easier to play ! And Tommy Emmanuel also has a low string action .
She said in the video that making the action higher at first is better because you can't add height to the saddle once you sand it off but you can shave it lower if your action is to high.
you never mentioned anything of the radius.? Don't you do that ?:
Great question. We make a lot of different saddles, compensated, non-compensated, blanks, and thicknesses. Easiest way to navigate through a lot of options is download our online catalog, the last 20 or so pages are life size line drawings... find some models that are close to what you are looking for and print them at 100% and just match up your existing saddle for radius... saves buying a radius gauge for a one off install... thanks again!
6:22 6:22 @@GraphTechGuitarLabs
Disclaimer: I’m not a luthier. But for 40 years I’ve done my own saddles, I adjust string height across all 6 strings by notching the ALMOST finished saddle to the exact height I want with nut saws. With this method I can adjust intonation as well by moving the cut fore and aft on the saddle.
You should have said it will take 2 hours to sand a saddle using 100 grit paper.
This demo assumes you are duplicating a perfect saddle to begin with which is rarely the case :( Even new, name brand guitars are rarely setup properly from the factory. What then? I guess you buy a half dozen saddles and resort to trial and error if you're not starting with a perfect saddle?
You’re correct on no two guitars are the same.. I think if you get into the 3 minute mark of the video, Nicole gets into how to adjust for your particular guitar. Thanks for mentioning about this 👍
#Drvn Lp this is not any science though. its so easy and non risky i do it by sight and feel i dont bother measuring it.
@@joaquinodriozola4963 Yea, it looks like if you put a straight edge on a straight fingerboard it will line up at about .120" below the saddle nut when the strings are off. I haven't confirmed but that looks about right. This is the kind of answer I was looking for so I am posting in case anyone else is interested :)
Excellent video except for the musical background. Just distracts from listening to your discussion.
sanding all that material off the bottom is too much work... better done with a saw and a simple jig to make an initial cut and then fine sand to height. Even a cheap mitre saw kit will get you close and ready for final sanding the bottom...
Intonation???
never sand your saddle like that...