John A Posted October 17, 2014 Share Posted October 17, 2014 Hi there, First post, and I thought I'd share a recent repair/upgrade experience. I have a '69 Blue Ridge. This is a square shouldered dread with a 25 1/2" scale length and rosewood laminated on maple back and sides. It came with a rosewood bridge and adjustable rosewood saddle. I've read a lot of stuff about how this is not the best style of bridge, so I did a bit of research on alternatives and decided to try one of these (http://www.graphtech.com/products/brands/tusq/product-detail/pq-9016-00-tusq-gibson-style-adjustable-acoustic-saddle) Tusq saddles that is designed as a drop-in replacement. I was going to do the work myself, but it turned out that one of the adjustment screws was frozen (I keep them bottomed our and hadn't touched 'em in years), and I couldn't remove the saddle. So I wound up taking it to a shop to get the bridge sorted out and installation done, which is now complete. When I first tried it out in the shop when I picked up the guitar, it didn't seem dramatically different, but there was a lot of noise in the shop that was masking things. Once I got it home and had a chance to play in a quieter environment, I found that it actually made quite a bit of difference. The guitar is a bit louder, and there's an overall somewhat harmonically richer and more sustaining sound. It still has the same basic sonic fingerprint it had before, but a bit more of everything I liked about the guitar. So for those contemplating this upgrade, I think it's worthwhile. Curious about others' experiences. Cheers, John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E-minor7 Posted October 17, 2014 Share Posted October 17, 2014 Hello John A - Always interesting to hear about this specific topic. As you imagine, there's tons of post/threads to be found on the pros and cons etc, if you roll back these pages. My personal experiences are many and nuanced - fx I just slipped the original ceramic back into the avatar 1963 SJ slot. I go back'n'forth between that and a wood/bone combo normal sized saddle in a wooden insert on that particular guitar. But regarding the tusq insert, my thought is that it's slightly dull. Recommend you try a bone version also - they are affordable and the exchange won't harm a fly. . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QuestionMark Posted October 17, 2014 Share Posted October 17, 2014 I have a custom shop reissue with a tusq adjust saddle that I liked a lot, but then I tried a replacement bone adjust saddle and once I put it in I haven't taken it out. As good as the tusq is, I found the replace the bone saddle even better. Very easy to change from the tusq to the bone saddle. I think it cost $25 and easy to do on one's own. Worth a try after you get used to the tusq one. I waited 2 years . Jazzman Jeff aka QM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John A Posted October 18, 2014 Author Share Posted October 18, 2014 But regarding the tusq insert, my thought is that it's slightly dull. Recommend you try a bone version also - they are affordable and the exchange won't harm a fly. . So far, I'm liking the tusq, and this is a relatively bright guitar to begin with, so I think I'll stick with it for a while. But who knows ... John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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