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Replacement Bone Saddle Question


Triumph1050

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While I like the tone and adjustability of the adj. saddle on my 60s reissue J-45 I would like to try a bone saddle. The TUSQ one sounds fine but it's fun to experiment. It came with a bone nut and I've already replaced the plastic pins with some Colosi bone ones.

 

Philadelphialuthiertools used to carry one but it's no longer available.

 

Does anyone have a lead on where to get the drop in bone saddle that works with the adjustable system?

 

Thanks.

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For what it's worth, I can guarantee you there won't be any discernable difference in the sound swapping bone for tusq with that setup. Fun is fun though so good luck.

 

My experience is the opposite and I had two guitars with ADJ tusq saddles. The bone sounded a lot different. That said, I didn't like it on either =). On my Hummingbird I liked the original rosewood - go figure! Both guitars are now gone... Otherwise I would have given you mine,

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Afraid I can't follow jedzep.

As I have it bone and tusq sound different. B clear and direct, T more rounded/mellow.

All in all the various materials of this component make huge differences to the guitar - might be a question of playing style to really hear it.

 

Got my bone insert on the Bay.

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Afraid I can't follow jedzep.

As I have it bone and tusq sound different. B clear and direct, T more rounded/mellow.

All in all the various materials of this component make huge differences to the guitar - might be a question of playing style to really hear it.

 

Got my bone insert on the Bay.

 

 

Em...you're talking about an adj in your case?

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I had a '65 J50 ADJ that I took to my guy and had him make a Brazilian insert and a bone saddle. Making a big replacement saddle only would probably be cheaper. Either way, just make sure you don't do anything that can't easily be restored to original condition. Re: the bone vs. Tusq-I really prefer bone myself.

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I had a '65 J50 ADJ that I took to my guy and had him make a Brazilian insert and a bone saddle.

 

 

You mean something like this? I did this one in about 1970, and it worked well. I still keep it in my parts box. Frankly, the big bone inserts you can get now are cheaper, and may be better.

 

 

boneadjustablesaddle.jpg

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Thanks for the replies but I'm still no closer to getting one.

 

Bob Colosi says he can't make one ....Philadelphialuthier tools say they are unavailable at this time and EM7 got his on eBay but I couldn't find any currently for sale their either.

 

Anybody else have these available as an insert for these adjustable bridges?

 

Just talking the saddle here not the whole bridge or the adjustabile hardware

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The original ADJ saddles on Gibsons from the 60's were made of either ebony or rosewood OR Ceramic. The ceramic saddles can be found on EBay from time to time, but are pricey (around $100.00 to $200.00). That ceramic saddle is what gave those guitars like Keith Richards' Hummingbird or Lennon's J-160e that "ping" sound which is so much different than the wooden saddle models. If you want a different sound than the Tusq saddle found on the Reissues offers, the ceramic is the way to go.

 

Bob

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  • 1 month later...

Thanks for the replies but I'm still no closer to getting one.

 

Bob Colosi says he can't make one ....Philadelphialuthier tools say they are unavailable at this time and EM7 got his on eBay but I couldn't find any currently for sale their either.

 

Anybody else have these available as an insert for these adjustable bridges?

 

Just talking the saddle here not the whole bridge or the adjustabile hardware

 

 

i went through exactly what you're doing. see earlier posts from a year ago. i ordered the tusq saddle insert that fits 'perfectly' into the adjustable bridge mechanism. for me, it didn't make a huge difference in sound. i think b/c the tusq was shorter vertical height than the rosewood so i had to keep the screws pretty far out to keep the strings from buzzing. a shim may have worked.

 

i talked to colosi, who could make a custom bone saddle, but said that for those, it's just too big a piece of bone and frankly, he could charge me, but it would sound like crap. his words not mine.

 

 

in any case, see another post of mine from today. that saddle guy pointed me to a hidden gem of a luthier named ron griffin.

i had the entire slot filled with rosewood and a bone saddle inserted into THAT. along with some braces that needed firming up/tweaking. just got it back yesterday and it sounds AMAZING.

 

gotta find someone great to do it for you and need to be ok with losing 'all original' status. if you plan on keeping the guitar and want it to sound as good as possible for your own pleasure, it's a no-brainer!

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Thanks for the replies but I'm still no closer to getting one.

 

Bob Colosi says he can't make one ....Philadelphialuthier tools say they are unavailable at this time and EM7 got his on eBay but I couldn't find any currently for sale their either.

 

Anybody else have these available as an insert for these adjustable bridges?

 

Just talking the saddle here not the whole bridge or the adjustabile hardware

 

 

i went through exactly what you're doing. see earlier posts from a year ago. i ordered the tusq saddle insert that fits 'perfectly' into the adjustable bridge mechanism. for me, it didn't make a huge difference in sound. i think b/c the tusq was shorter vertical height than the rosewood so i had to keep the screws pretty far out to keep the strings from buzzing. a shim may have worked, but in any case, see my post from today. i had the entire slot filled with rosewood and a bone saddle inserted into THAT. along with some braces that needed firming up/tweaking. just got it back yesterday and it sounds AMAZING.

 

gotta find someone great to do it for you and need to be ok with losing 'all original' status. if you plan on keeping the guitar and want it to sound as good as possible for your own pleasure, it's a no-brainer!

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Rereading this conversation I'm wondering why I took the position I did. I think I was somehow fixated on the nut when I said there wouldn't be a noticeable difference. That, or my meds were off. Saddles are, of course, another matter and changes in material there are most discernable for tone variance. Nothing new for all you bone swappers. I have to add though that the wood insert plus saddle, a la Nick's pic, creates nice results as you say jcm, but those brass inserts for the adj screws seemed to be preventing the slot from sitting right. My homemade rosewood slot perched on two thin dots (also rosewood) that sat on the threaded sleeves embedded in the top, for 2 point contact, stolen from banjo physics. A little extra clarity seemed to result...or is it a little less muddiness. When the bridge began to lift, I had the sleeves removed before the reglue of the orig bridge with the same slot/saddle rig. Back to muddiness, unfortunately.

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