Bone Saddle on HB

[jw3571]

I took my HB in to my tech for a setup and he really recommended a bone saddle? Opinions? What will this do to the tone?

[Motherofpearl]

Your hummingbird should already have a bone nut and saddle?

[Motherofpearl]

Sorry I'm wrong just looked it up. Tusq for both.

In regards to tone I find every guitar I've replaced a tusq saddle for bone to have different results. But better sustain I have found for sure

[jw3571]

We must've looked it up at the same time. Tusq for both. I'll let you know how it is after the setup

[Sitedrifter]

When I added the bone saddle (Bob Colosi) to my J-200 it made a difference in tone (for the better which I did not think it possible. LOL). I did not change the nut (still tusq) since I read that makes not much to no tonal difference and since the TUSQ nut is in perfect shape I saw no need. However, the nut and saddle on my SWD are getting changed this weekend to bone. The saddle for tone and the nut because the slots are too deep from the factory and my 5* filled them with a mixture of bone dust and super glue. While that corrected the low action, I decided I would rather have a new nut custom shaped and slotted for my SWD.

 

Go for at least the saddle replacement to bone, you will like the results.

[Fullmental Alpinist]

We must've looked it up at the same time. Tusq for both. I'll let you know how it is after the setup

 

I don't think you've told us what year your bird is. If it's recently built and has an electric pick up it will have a Tusq nut and saddle. (The first and fifth digits of your serial number will tell you the year.)

 

Sometime before last year, that same guitar was made with a bone nut and Tusq saddle. Not sure when the nut became Tusq but it just showed up that way one day.

 

I found the sound to be much richer with the bone saddle, but the trade off was that the LR Baggs piezo didn't work as well. Not a big deal for me since I use a mic when I want to record. If your luthier is adding the saddle he'll probably be able to get a better match up with the saddle and the pick up than I could.

 

And while you're throwing money around, replace the plastic bridges pins with bone too. Just because.

 

And relax a bit: the best way to improve the tone of a Hummingbird is to play it a lot and let it age. Mine is three years old and it's still getting better.

 

FMA

[jw3571]

Mine is a brand new 2013 model HB

 

 

I don't think you've told us what year your bird is. If it's recently built and has an electric pick up it will have a Tusq nut and saddle. (The first and fifth digits of your serial number will tell you the year.)

 

Sometime before last year, that same guitar was made with a bone nut and Tusq saddle. Not sure when the nut became Tusq but it just showed up that way one day.

 

I found the sound to be much richer with the bone saddle, but the trade off was that the LR Baggs piezo didn't work as well. Not a big deal for me since I use a mic when I want to record. If your luthier is adding the saddle he'll probably be able to get a better match up with the saddle and the pick up than I could.

 

And while you're throwing money around, replace the plastic bridges pins with bone too. Just because.

 

And relax a bit: the best way to improve the tone of a Hummingbird is to play it a lot and let it age. Mine is three years old and it's still getting better.

 

FMA