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Gibson LG-0 never had a compensated saddle


Stevi q

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Every Lg-0 I come across doesn't have a compensated saddle from the factory.I like my Chords to ring as true as possible .10 to 12 cents sharp on the b string,and 7 on the 1st string etc... is ugly sounding to me.Especially when playing and D major chord I really hear it and it's a sour sound .Why wouldn't they take the 15 -20 minutes to file the saddle and make the guitar sound beautiful .The most important thing when your first learning is to tune the guitar.I am beginning to think most folks can't tell if the intonation isn't dead on.I love Gibson guitars .I look fowardc to getting more Gibsons.Only a Gibson

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It's not unlikely that the LG-0 guitars you've met predate the general use of compensated saddles by quite a ways. It began to be more common in the 1980's and was pretty well expected through the 1990's. And you're right - b and high e strings can be contrary. Most of us old timers were always trying to get a halfway good compromise going with them and, yes, we were well aware of what we were hearing when a guitar was a bit untuned. Technology has done a lot to improve tuning and intonation on more current instruments and has also led to a set of expectations for those things that weren't typical 'back in the day'. If you meet an LG-0 that you like, a good luthier can fine tune it for you, or you could make a compensated saddle yourself if you are inclined toward those skills. Glad you enjoy Gibson guitars - most of us around here share the same bias☺

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Every Lg-0 I come across doesn't have a compensated saddle from the factory.I like my Chords to ring as true as possible .10 to 12 cents sharp on the b string,and 7 on the 1st string etc... is ugly sounding to me.Especially when playing and D major chord I really hear it and it's a sour sound .Why wouldn't they take the 15 -20 minutes to file the saddle and make the guitar sound beautiful .The most important thing when your first learning is to tune the guitar.I am beginning to think most folks can't tell if the intonation isn't dead on.I love Gibson guitars .I look fowardc to getting more Gibsons.Only a Gibson

 

My experience is that the only time a compensated saddle actually makes a potentially meaningful impact is when playing individual notes or chords on the 12th fret and above. First position chords or notes are minimally or non-existently impacted because the guitar is tuned to the open fret position and the possible intonation issue does not surface as a result until well way up the neck from where the guitar was tuned to at the open position. Likewise, if one tuned in reverse to the 12th fret position, then a possible intonation issue could occur in the first position.

 

On the other hand, I have found that on some guitars, a well made and good material intonated saddle just sounds better in first position than an average non-intonated saddle, but that likely is more because of it being an above average made and material saddle. On other guitars I have noticed no affect.

 

Of course, poor intonation can also result from too high of a saddle or nut or poor placement of either, also, (but that should not be a factor in a Gibson flat top guitar which have factory precision in their making and have fixed bridges and nuts as opposed to an archtop's floating bridge)...as intonation is driven also by string length besides the slight variation of equal temperament in the scale. Although a poorly placed replacement bridge or its saddle angle can certainly cause such a problem. Or, a swollen or sunken top (from say a bad bridge plate) on a guitar that can cause the bridge and saddle to also be out of alignment from where they should be, changing the string length.

 

There are a few books out there on the subject of equal temperament and intonation and how non-perfect intonation came about in the the scale due to equal temperament and standard instrument tuning as one goes up different octaves. I spent a little time reading about it years back. Worth reading up on...

 

Just my experience.

 

QM aka Jazzman Jeff

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My experience is that the only time a compensated saddle actually makes a potentially meaningful impact is when playing individual notes or chords on the 12th fret and above. First position chords or notes are minimally or non-existently impacted because the guitar is tuned to the open fret position and the possible intonation issue does not surface as a result until well way up the neck from where the guitar was tuned to at the open position. Likewise, if one tuned in reverse to the 12th fret position, then a possible intonation issue could occur in the first position.

 

On the other hand, I have found that on some guitars, a well made and good material intonated saddle just sounds better in first position than an average non-intonated saddle, but that likely is more because of it being an above average made and material saddle. On other guitars I have noticed no affect.

 

Of course, poor intonation can also result from too high of a saddle or nut or poor placement of either, also, (but that should not be a factor in a Gibson flat top guitar which have factory precision in their making and have fixed bridges and nuts as opposed to an archtop's floating bridge)...as intonation is driven also by string length besides the slight variation of equal temperament in the scale. Although a poorly placed replacement bridge or its saddle angle can certainly cause such a problem. Or, a swollen or sunken top (from say a bad bridge plate) on a guitar that can cause the bridge and saddle to also be out of alignment from where they should be, changing the string length.

 

There are a few books out there on the subject of equal temperament and intonation and how non-perfect intonation came about in the the scale due to equal temperament and standard instrument tuning as one goes up different octaves. I spent a little time reading about it years back. Worth reading up on...

 

Just my experience.

 

QM aka Jazzman Jeff

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My experience is that the only time a compensated saddle actually makes a potentially meaningful impact is when playing individual notes or chords on the 12th fret and above. First position chords or notes are minimally or non-existently impacted because the guitar is tuned to the open fret position and the possible intonation issue does not surface as a result until well way up the neck from where the guitar was tuned to at the open position. Likewise, if one tuned in reverse to the 12th fret position, then a possible intonation issue could occur in the first position.

 

On the other hand, I have found that on some guitars, a well made and good material intonated saddle just sounds better in first position than an average non-intonated saddle, but that likely is more because of it being an above average made and material saddle. On other guitars I have noticed no affect.

 

Of course, poor intonation can also result from too high of a saddle or nut or poor placement of either, also, (but that should not be a factor in a Gibson flat top guitar which have factory precision in their making and have fixed bridges and nuts as opposed to an archtop's floating bridge)...as intonation is driven also by string length besides the slight variation of equal temperament in the scale. Although a poorly placed replacement bridge or its saddle angle can certainly cause such a problem. Or, a swollen or sunken top (from say a bad bridge plate) on a guitar that can cause the bridge and saddle to also be out of alignment from where they should be, changing the string length.

 

There are a few books out there on the subject of equal temperament and intonation and how non-perfect intonation came about in the the scale due to equal temperament and standard instrument tuning as one goes up different octaves. I spent a little time reading about it years back. Worth reading up on...

 

Just my experience.

 

QM aka Jazzman Jeff

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