Saddles...Tusk or Bone?

[GuitarLight]

Which saddle material do you believe yields the best over all sound, tone, volume, clarity and depth? Graph Tech Tusk, or Bone?

[GuitarLight]

Which saddle material do you believe yields the best over all sound, tone, volume, clarity and depth? Graph Tech Tusk, or Bone?

 

There's still time to vote!

[Doug the Old Geezer]

Heck, my new J-35 sounds so much better than my other guitars, that right now I wouldn't consider changing my tusq nut or saddle or pins. Maybe if I sat next to someone with another 35 that had bone everything and it made it sound like a harp from heaven, I would consider it.

[BluesKing777]

I prefer bone everywhere, but I'm also like Doug above....if it sounds good, leave it.....(Tusq that comes with Gibson Standards).

 

BluesKing777.

[GuitarLight]

Heck, my new J-35 sounds so much better than my other guitars, that right now I wouldn't consider changing my tusq nut or saddle or pins. Maybe if I sat next to someone with another 35 that had bone everything and it made it sound like a harp from heaven, I would consider it.

 

Doug, I think your right, if tusk sounds best on your J-35, then I would keep it on also. I understand that many Gibsons today come with tusk instead of bone, not sure why the switch.

[slimt]

Bone saddle and Nut...... crisp and clear tone..

[MR GIBS]

Heck, my new J-35 sounds so much better than my other guitars, that right now I wouldn't consider changing my tusq nut or saddle or pins. Maybe if I sat next to someone with another 35 that had bone everything and it made it sound like a harp from heaven, I would consider it.

After I changed the tusk nut&saddle and the plastic bridge pins with bone ones my J35 rings more, sounds deeper and firm and less crunchy.

Bone for me, please.

 

 

[ajsc]

Wouldn't this poll depend on the guitar? I like bone on some guitars, & tusq on others.

[dchristo]

I have changed a few saddles from tusq to bone and visa versa and I couldnt tell enough difference in the sound to waste the time or money to change them

[B1ues Boy]

I have changed a few saddles from tusq to bone and visa versa and I couldnt tell enough difference in the sound to waste the time or money to change them

I agree with this, I voted Bone but on one of my guitars I put a bone saddle and it lost some mids but it still sounds very nice

[chasAK]

When I change out my J45 MC to bone it had greater sustainand not clarity. It also got a bit brighter which I did not care for. Iswitched to PB from 80/20 strings and am now very happy and would do it again.But this was my only experience with this.

 

[Tarrr]

bub bub a bone

[ChrisM]

Heck, my new J-35 sounds so much better than my other guitars, that right now I wouldn't consider changing my tusq nut or saddle or pins. Maybe if I sat next to someone with another 35 that had bone everything and it made it sound like a harp from heaven, I would consider it.

I was in the same boat as you. I upgraded a few things and the difference was quite something.

http://forum.gibson.com/index.php?/topic/110131-j-35-upgrades/page__p__1488991#entry1488991

[Phelonious Ponk]

Not to be difficult, but I'm not really sure it's even a valid question. There is so much variation in bone that the legit question would be "Tusq or this piece of bone?" Tusq is going to sound better than some bone on asome guitars. And some bone is going to sound better than Tusq on some guitars. The only real answer is "it depends," and the fact that so many people chose bone and hear it as soooo much better is a testimony to our ability to hear what we expect to hear.

 

With that said, I've got bone, nut and saddle, on my OJ. Night and Day, baby. Tusq ain't even in the same league." Just kidding. It's never had Tusq on it, and like the guy above with the Tusq on his J-35, it sounds so good I'm not inclined to mess with it.

 

P

[Smurfbird]

Interesting, no votes for the plastic that so many nice Gibsons come with. (Never understood why Gibson wouldn't feature Tusq or bone automatically.)

[zombywoof]

To be honest I do not give any thought to what the saddle material is unless it is wood or ceramic which I do not like. Tusk, bone, plastic all will work fine and I do not have a marked preference for one over the other. But plastic saddles remain the most common on my guitars so I guess that would have to be my choice.

[GuitarLight]

To be honest I do not give any thought to what the saddle material is unless it is wood or ceramic which I do not like. Tusk, bone, plastic all will work fine and I do not have a marked preference for one over the other. But plastic saddles remain the most common on my guitars so I guess that would have to be my choice.

 

I think your on to something Zombywoof...I actually prefer the cheaper plastic saddles on some of my guitars, more than I do the tinsel sounding Tusq now featured on many new guitars. Bone is my first choice. But the Tusq has a tinsel tingly cheap sound to my ears...and Tusq actually hurts my ears because although it sounds brighter..it is almost to bright, too harsh, not warm at all, and artificial.

[JuanCarlosVejar]

I don't really care what comes on the guitars.

 

 

 

 

As long as it sounds good

 

 

 

JC

[BluesKing777]

Is there a sneaky, foolproof way of telling the difference between Bone, Tusq and Plastic, preferably without drilling?

 

 

Not on the real old guitars, but some of my bone saddles/nuts look like Plastic or Tusq and other times the Tusq looks like Bone - the Tusq must ave a vintage look sometimes.

 

 

 

BluesKing777.

[michaelnel]

Is there a sneaky, foolproof way of telling the difference between Bone, Tusq and Plastic, preferably without drilling?

 

 

Not on the real old guitars, but some of my bone saddles/nuts look like Plastic or Tusq and other times the Tusq looks like Bone - the Tusq must ave a vintage look sometimes.

 

 

 

BluesKing777.

 

Bone has a distinctive odor when you sand it or otherwise cut/shape/file it. Take it out and run a few swipes across a sheet of 400 grit sandpaper and you should produce that aroma if it's bone.

[Tarrr]

Just have the canine do a stiff test... he'll go for the bone every time, me too.

[Aster1]

Unless it's just a notion, I believe the bone sounds best on most of my acoustics. I did get a bone adjustable saddle for my Gibson J-160E (Fuller reissue style) and Didn't like it at all. Bought a new Tusq Brand version and liked it about the best. If the stock one is really Tusq they sure don't sound the same when you drop them on a hard surface. The Tusq sounds more like ceramic which is what I'd really like to have on my 160. I just won't pay $100 for one that's all ragged out looking and sometime hairline cracked just because "it's vintage!"

 

Aster

[retrorod]

Bone it is!