Bone saddle problems on acoustic/electric...ripping my hair out!

[dave mercier]

I know most of you are oppossed to acoustic/electrics and I wholeheartedly agree.

My problem is with unbalanced string output when install bone saddles, and the culprit is usually the hole that was drilled to fish the wire through. I've tried shimming, plugging the hole, looser fitting saddles,sacrificing a chicken...nothing gives me the results I'm looking for. I'm hoping one of you experts could point me in the right direction. Any advice is appreciated.

[Gary Fried]

Sounds like you have a problem with the bottom of the saddle being flat and perpendicular to the sides. I generally sand the bottom of saddles on a disc sander that I know is set square. After that I usually give it a couple passes on my marble stone covered with 120 and then check flatness against my straight edge. If I can see any light coming between my straight edge and the bottom of the saddle I know I will usually have some uneven output. Or you may have stumbled upon one of those guitars that puts up a fight and tests your patience. 

[dave mercier]

Thanks Gary I'll try that.I did check mine with a metal ruler and saw light.

But have you ever noticed the hole to be a problem? For example, the factory drills the hole for the wire above the low E. The low E is where I'm getting weaker signal. I think it's due to there being LESS reinforcement under the UST at that point in the slot. What do you think? I'm sure you have done more of these jobs than I.

[Len Biglin]

Hi Dave , I don;t know how many times I have been thru this , I would first try a plastic saddle , that will tell you if it's a bone issue and bone can be cranky uneven stuff.Make sure all strings have some break angle over the saddle , if you have tried shimming it is probably not a saddle slot problem.That leaves the pickup itself , try substituting a new one.Thats all I have Len.

[dave mercier]

The plastic saddle works well. So does the pickup and preamp. I have come across your break angle theory

on other guitars.Thanks Len.

[Jeff Highland]

I had this problem the other day on a customers guitar in for action lowering and inotation

Got it playing and sounding great acoustically, then plugged it in and lots of dead notes.

After a lot of trial and error with shaping the bottom of the saddle for better contact, I finally tried this-

I cut the saddle into three segments, beteen the B and G and between the A and D strings

Each segment only has to contact the transducer under 2 strings rather than all 6.

It worked great a huge improvement

[dave mercier]

That's a good idea Jeff. I might just try that. Did you leave space between the saddles or where they butted against each other.

[Jeff Highland]

I just cut the existing saddle  with a fret slotting saw and left the thin gap between segments.

[FRANK]

I am sure we all share this problem from time to time I was told by Gryphon instruments to thin out the saddle it self so that It dose not squeeze so tight in the saddle slot and not so that it is like the leaning tower of Pisa. I like it to drop in and pull out with out a hand tool just the finger tips and was also told to bevel the saddle bottom a bit .

[dave mercier]

These are all great ideas. Thank you everybody.

[Chris Rochow]

Did you check to make certain that the bridge slot is absolutely flat? Placing a perfectly flat piece into the slot to see if there is ANY rocking of that flat piece ( I use a Stewmac fret rocker) about half the length of the slot, move it along slowly the entire length. If it has any rocking, there's the problem. Use a dremel router to flatten the slot.

[dave mercier]

Thanks Chris, I too have Stew-Mac fret rocker.I'll check that.

[STGuitarworks]

When ever I setup a client's acoustic I level the bottom of the saddle and also the slot. I would level the saddle slot by using a razor blade the same length as the slot scraping back and forward. Pencil the slot to see where the high and low points are (maybe low under your E). If the problem persists after the saddle and slot are level consider masking tape directly under the string with weak output, yes?