Hummi Posted January 12, 2014 Share Posted January 12, 2014 Good evening together, I'm new on this forum, so hi everybody! I'm 38 years old and playing guitar since more than 20 years. I own a Gibson Les Paul, a Fender Strat and several other (cheaper) guitars. I bought a new Hummingbird about two month ago. There a two things I'm not shure about: The saddle is leaning forward towards the neck, just a bit I would say. Is that ok? Theres a very small gap at the backside, ahout 1/10 milimeter or so. Hope you can see it on the pictures. What would you say? Is that normal? The other thing is, that I can hear a "tictac" sound when moving or (gently) shaking the guitar. Comes from the Bridge or sptrap jack area. Hars to say. Anyone else having that? I'd really appreciate any answer. Didn't find anything in the net and I really don't want to send that Guitar back as I actually like it very much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GuitarLight Posted January 12, 2014 Share Posted January 12, 2014 Hi and welcome to the Epi forum. Congratulations you your beautiful Hummingbird! The saddle tilt in your picture appears very small....and assuming that your action is good, and you have no trouble with amplification from the Pro Esonic unit, and your are satisfied with both the sound, and tone, and action all the way up and down the neck, then I would say it is not a problem. To straighten the saddle by filing it, or replacing it, you would likely need a set up expert look at it, or have them put a new saddle in it. Unless you are familiar with doing this, it should be left to an expert. If your Hummingbird is a new Pro model, the pick up is placed under the saddle and great care must be taken when removing and replacing it, lest amplification problems could occur. Theoretically, the saddle should not be angled, although your angle seems very small indeed, and if you are not finding any problems with the above mentioned things during play, and if the very tiny tilt does not bother you, I would let it go, no one listening to you play will ever see that at all. Now depending upon where you bought it..like a Guitar Center...they may look at it for you, eyeball it, and fix it if necessary, because it would be under warranty, or replace the entire guitar for you if you wish, if the problem can not be fixed .....as to the tictac sound you hear inside your Hummingbird,..it could be one of two things....a small piece of wood from manufacturing could simply be in there and you could shake it out the sound hole by turning the guitar upside down and carefully shaking it out....or, it may be just a loose wire moving around in there which connects the Esonic to the saddle, and to the out put at the very bottom of the guitar. This would also be a simple fix from the people you bought it from, and any GC or music store could fix that. I am a big fan of the Epiphone Hummingbird models. They are probably, and easily, one of the most beautiful guitars on the planet, and the most well known. They also have that sweet and bright and crisp hum that only a Hummingbird can give. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Morkolo Posted January 13, 2014 Share Posted January 13, 2014 If your saddle is tipped forward like that under pressure there's a good chance with the strings off there's a fair bit of movement... by no means does a loose saddle enhance the tone of your guitar. Take this as the perfect opportunity to upgrade the saddle and the nut to bone, this upgrade isn't expensive and makes a huge difference in the tone of your guitar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GuitarLight Posted January 13, 2014 Share Posted January 13, 2014 I agree with Morkolo. A fresh new bone saddle, and a fresh new bone nut will transform your Hummingbird into a completely different guitar and enhance the sound volume and tone, all three. You presently have a plastic nut and saddle which is well know to restrict tone and vibration. Epiphone uses plastic because it is cheaper. Bone is normally reserved for more expensive acoustic guitars....but that doesn't mean you still can't get it put in... Bone enhances the tone of any guitar. They would automatically also set your guitar for easy action at that time.While this may take some cash, it will be well worth the price. Your Hummingbird will be set to perfection, for life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hummi Posted January 13, 2014 Author Share Posted January 13, 2014 Hey, thanks a lot to you two! That was really quick and helpful! Today I was at a local guitar shop and found out, that you can find a saddle tilt on guitars from sigma over takamine to martin and gibson. Really. I'm not kidding. One j45 has it, the other doesn't. I'm now really thinking about changing the saddle and nut. I'll talk to my luthier about that and hope he's not to busy (which he usually is), and I hope it's not to expensive. Actually I still have guarantee on that guitar, I guess I could forget that after those changes... I actually wanted to start with the bridge pins days ago already, ordered some nice ones from graph tech. Unfortunately they stick quite a bit out. You don't know by change any good bridge pins that will fit into my guitar without me having to sand them? Thanks again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GuitarLight Posted January 13, 2014 Share Posted January 13, 2014 Hummi...I put Planet Waves black Abalone Ebony pins on my Hummingbird. They fit most of the string holes, but I did have to file the grooves in two of them to make them fit on the thicker 5th and 6th strings. I did this by holding the pin firmly with a pliers wrapped with fabric so the wood pins don't get scratched..then I used a drill with a small bit, and ground the grooves deeper so they would go down on the thicker strings...sometimes this is not needed and the pins will go in as needed. But they look beautiful, and give a better tone than the Graph tech..which I have already tried. Ebony is real, all solid black wood from Africa, and is very hard wood which, in my Hummingbird, made it sound a tad deeper and more balanced, The graph tech pins made it sound too shrill and I removed them. Ebony pins are a good choice to keep your guitar all wood. And here is the MF site which I bought them..be sure to "select a style" in the box to choose the color tips you want to buy on the ebony pins..all blac, white, Abalone..which is colored mother of pearl..etc.. http://www.musicians...dge-end-pin-set ...bone pins are also an option and can probably be ordered by the person putting in the saddle and nut. I have not changed the nut or saddle on my Hummingbird, and still have the original plastic nut and saddle...and I am very happy with the sound....all I changed are the cheap plastic pins to abalone ebony..as much for looks as anything. My bird sounds perfect as is..I hope yours does too! ....One more thing to remember..is that Hummingbirds are bright clear, and sweet toned guitars by design...some describe their tone as "Nectar" because it is sweet and clear, and lush like honey! .....a graph tech nut, saddle or pins...could alter that to make it TOO bright and TOO shrill, that is why I did not change mine. But that decision is up to you. If you are delighted with the tone of your Hummingbird as it is, and see no need to improve it, then you might hold off on the bone alterations till you are sure it is worth the cost. ....Some will continue to insist that new pins make no difference in tone. ...They do. ...The tone is transferred down the string after being struck, then the vibration travels THROUGH the pin itself, then out the other side of the wooden pin, and finally into the supporting structure of the bridge in which it is inserted. From there the extra tone is transferred to the top of the acoustic guitar. Plastic pins do not transfer this tone as efficiently. Ebony and other natural pins do. Still you may wish to add them only for looks and beauty, since the amount of actual tone transfer will be rather small, and in some cases not detected by the human ear, particularly if an older experienced guitarist suffers from a general hearing impairment to any small or great degree. But they do look beautiful because natural wood or bone pins can be visually attractive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted January 14, 2014 Share Posted January 14, 2014 In 50+ years I have never heard any noticeable difference in sound when trying bridge pins made of different materials. The bulk of the energy transferred to the top is from the downward pressure of the strings on the saddle. One of the reasons you will hear a difference between a guitar with a fixed and trapeze bridge is the latter transfers the energy more to the sides of the guitar than the top. There are certainly some bridge pins though that look better than others. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hummi Posted January 17, 2014 Author Share Posted January 17, 2014 Thanks again for all your help! I'm really thinking about those Planet Waves Pins. The only thing is...., they are black... Nevertheless, I'll visit my luthier later (hope he is there) for my Les Paul and ask him about the saddle/bridge/pins issue on my Epiphoen again. Enjoy your weekend! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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