Dave F Posted April 29, 2016 Share Posted April 29, 2016 I already posted this on the Arch Top Forum and thought I would share it here. I acquired a new L5 a couple weeks ago. A few members mentioned that an ebony saddle would look better. I was also told that it would change the sound. Now that I've switched, I agree with them. I set the intonation, measured the tune-o-matic, modeled the saddle and then programmed the part. I bought a block of ebony, had the shop split it, slabbed the thickness, cut the outer shape, snapped out the blanks then machine the compensation and some small string slots. Everything came out perfect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
btoth76 Posted April 29, 2016 Share Posted April 29, 2016 Hello Dave! That's superb! Great job!!! What are the changes in tonality You are experiencing with the ebony bridge? Best wishes... Bence Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aliasphobias Posted April 29, 2016 Share Posted April 29, 2016 Nice piece of work Dave. Beautiful. Looking forward to your reply to btoth's question. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C-RAM Posted April 29, 2016 Share Posted April 29, 2016 Very hi-tech - I'm a fan of ABR-1s, quite pleased with the sonic quality of my stock 165. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j45nick Posted April 29, 2016 Share Posted April 29, 2016 Nice job. Once you're sure everything is right, it might be nice to do a little hand filing/sanding to remove the machine tool marks and soften some edges. It's handy to have that sort of machining capability at your disposal! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave F Posted April 29, 2016 Author Share Posted April 29, 2016 Nice job. Once you're sure everything is right, it might be nice to do a little hand filing/sanding to remove the machine tool marks and soften some edges. It's handy to have that sort of machining capability at your disposal! I'm definitely planning on that. I need to know how to polish it to match the bridge Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j45nick Posted April 29, 2016 Share Posted April 29, 2016 I'm definitely planning on that. I need to know how to polish it to match the bridge Good question. I've never actually polished wood, but I know ebony polishes out well. I remember my father's ebony Marine Corps "swagger stick" when I was young. It had a dull glow that was beautiful. And it rang like a bell if you dropped it on a hard floor (which I did). Not sure he let me handle it after that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdgm Posted April 29, 2016 Share Posted April 29, 2016 Wow. Very impressive indeed. To me it looks absolutely great just as it is, including the hard edges and grooving. Congratulations on a superb job. From looking at your last pic it seems a bit lighter than the bridge base...but perhaps a bit of oil then a good polishing/buffing would get it darker and glossier...and soften the edges etc a bit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L5Larry Posted April 29, 2016 Share Posted April 29, 2016 ...I need to know how to polish it to match the bridge 400-600 emory cloth, and/or 000-0000 steel wool will soften the edges, corners and tool marks, and make it shine like glass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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