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compensated saddle


espasonico

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I´m planning on buying an AJ I tried at a store. I liked the sound of the guitar very much but I was worried about the intonation issues on the B string. The luthier at the shop told me that he would compensated the saddle for the B string and I got quite surprised because I didn´t realise that this guitar doesn´t come with a compensated saddle.

 

How many of you are worried about non-compensated saddles and the intonation issues that comes with them ?

 

P.D: Excuse my poor english

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Welcome to the Forum espasonico! I have a True Vintage SJ that did not have a compensated saddle when I bought it new. It was bone, though. I changed it out, for the reasons you mentioned above, with a bone compensated saddle from Bob Colosi. No more intonation issues!

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Compensating a saddle is a fairly simple thing to do for a guitar tech / luthier. If you take your guitar for a setup and ask them to be sure to intonate the B string, it shouldn't cost you anything more as it is part of the setup. A little touch with a dremel tool, some buffing and you're done. :)

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Very few Gibsons must come with compensated saddles, in fact I personally have never seen one! With the scale length well less than 25" it's easier to get away with a straight saddle than on Martins with a 25.5" scale.

 

Brian

 

I think the AJ is one of the few with a 25.5" scale. Is that correct?

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Very few Gibsons must come with compensated saddles, in fact I personally have never seen one!

 

Welp, now you can take a look - - Here's my SJ-200, came straight from Montana with a compensated tusq saddle. I had Colosi copy it in bone and add bone pins -

 

08GibsonSJ200bridge.jpg

 

 

But as Brians356 indicated, some saddles come from the factory compensated and some don't. If you're having trouble with intonation and want a compensated saddle, it's not an expensive change to make.

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Welp, now you can take a look - - Here's my SJ-200, came straight from Montana with a compensated tusq saddle. I had Colosi copy it in bone and add bone pins -

 

08GibsonSJ200bridge.jpg

 

 

But as Brians356 indicated, some saddles come from the factory compensated and some don't. If you're having trouble with intonation and want a compensated saddle, it's not an expensive change to make.

 

Collosi's compensated bone saddles are beautifully crafted. I love the soft curve of the compensation.

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Welcome to the Forum espasonico! I have a True Vintage SJ that did not have a compensated saddle when I bought it new. It was bone, though. I changed it out, for the reasons you mentioned above, with a bone compensated saddle from Bob Colosi. No more intonation issues!

 

Did you send yours for him to "copy" ?

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I should have mentioned, I don't own any Gibson acoustic newer than 1959, so while I haven't noticed any Gibsons with compensated saddles, they are obviously a modern option. All the old Gibsons I have been around or owned came with straight saddles, and most break on the front edge (top of saddle sloped upward from back to front) as well.

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