Silvercrow Posted September 10, 2015 Share Posted September 10, 2015 Hey All! Weekend before last I took all the strings off my Gibson LP Studio, dressed the fret ends and oiled the 'board. Put a new set of strings on and about two hours later I finally got the action right AND the buzzes out of the saddle! Had a conniption (a fit). I've got a setup that is perfect for me, but I'm pretty sure the rattle(s)will come back sometime in the future... The guitar will be 16 years old and I'm looking into getting a TonePros replacement bridge in nickel with notched saddles. I'm not inclined (too cheap and too scared) to buy a set of files from StewMac and notch them myself. I'd like to have a locking bridge as I am sure, besides the bridge being old, that I inadvertently spun the posts when cleaning / working on the guitar. The notches in the saddles presently are very slight- I play .009 gauge and have not had problems with strings popping out, etc. I'm wondering what experiences you may have had with notched saddles, if any? I did read through the past posts here but didn't really see anything specific as to factory notching adequacy- other than some say it's not all that hard to notch and of course un-notched saddles allow one to set string spacing exactly. Thanks for any experiences / advice! BTW_ I did look into getting a Faber "old style" bridge made for guitars w/ Nashville bridges- but I don't want to mess with the inserts in the guitar. Thanks (again) for the help! Brian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabs Posted September 10, 2015 Share Posted September 10, 2015 The notches in the saddles presently are very slight- I play .009 gauge and have not had problems with strings popping out, etc. I'm wondering what experiences you may have had with notched saddles, if any? The bridge saddles only need a slight notch to keep the strings in place... string tension does the rest Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zentar Posted September 10, 2015 Share Posted September 10, 2015 Notching saddles to set your string spacing has two types. Progressive and linear. Most guitars come with progressive spacing on notches. I have set string spacing by both methods and don't feel a difference. However, your first attempt at notching saddles is time consuming and troublesome. Unwound string depth should sit covered in the notch and wound strings halfway in a notch. Polish smooth the notches when you finish. It's all exceedingly simple and difficult at the same time because you want the notch to be exactly where it should be and you also want the notch an exact depth. Go look closely at other guitars at their string spacing to get an idea at what the notch in the right place accomplishes. Notice also that strings are generally not spaced evenly on purpose. It certainly helps to have a couple of extra saddles in case you mess up the depth or location of the notch so you can do it right the second time. A saddle cut too deep will buzz. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. C.O. Jones Posted September 10, 2015 Share Posted September 10, 2015 Two day's ago I installed a Tonepros bridge on my Trad. Truth is they are in comparison to the stock bridge very slightly nothed. I use 10's on both of my Lesters. Both with TP Nashville style bridge, and it never happened that the string poped out. And since I installed them I had no more string breakage. Had to replace the stock bridge on my LPJ because of a broken screw head happened during intonation, and with no string tension!!! About all that magic they tell of more sustain better vibration transfer etc. Well I noticed that I can feel the body of my guitar vibrate significantly more. Sustain, maybe a bit, but they did well with stock. Adjustment is really nice once intonated I never had to touch the saddles again everything stayed where it should. Unless you change string gauche, or some heavy climate changes, you can forget about it. On my Trad I installed a Aluminium TP, but that one I have to test a bit more. Almost ordered the NVR2 bridge for my Trad (ABR1 style but fits on Nashville studs).Decided against it because it would have been only a cosmetic change, and I'm happy with how well the Nashville performs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparquelito Posted September 10, 2015 Share Posted September 10, 2015 I must confess, I must just be lucky. I have been playing guitar for about 40 years now, and I have never had a string break. (And I am talking about many years of playing electrics and acoustics, and dozens of brands and models of guitar.) I did have one pop apart while mounting a brand new set of D'Addario's on an acoustic a couple of years ago. But it was clearly a factory-defect. It was the G string, and as I was tightening it up toward proper tune, it snapped. I examined the ends where it broke, and there was some sort of funky crimp visible. I mailed the broken string to D'Addario, and they promptly sent me a brand new set of strings, along with a letter of apology. Great company! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. C.O. Jones Posted September 10, 2015 Share Posted September 10, 2015 On your RED Studio? Man you will love it. Nickel on red guitar=really best, face-melting, superior TONE you ever heard! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rct Posted September 10, 2015 Share Posted September 10, 2015 Hey All! Weekend before last I took all the strings off my Gibson LP Studio, dressed the fret ends and oiled the 'board. Put a new set of strings on and about two hours later I finally got the action right AND the buzzes out of the saddle! Had a conniption (a fit). I've got a setup that is perfect for me, but I'm pretty sure the rattle(s)will come back sometime in the future... The guitar will be 16 years old and I'm looking into getting a TonePros replacement bridge in nickel with notched saddles. I'm not inclined (too cheap and too scared) to buy a set of files from StewMac and notch them myself. I'd like to have a locking bridge as I am sure, besides the bridge being old, that I inadvertently spun the posts when cleaning / working on the guitar. The notches in the saddles presently are very slight- I play .009 gauge and have not had problems with strings popping out, etc. I'm wondering what experiences you may have had with notched saddles, if any? I did read through the past posts here but didn't really see anything specific as to factory notching adequacy- other than some say it's not all that hard to notch and of course un-notched saddles allow one to set string spacing exactly. Thanks for any experiences / advice! BTW_ I did look into getting a Faber "old style" bridge made for guitars w/ Nashville bridges- but I don't want to mess with the inserts in the guitar. Thanks (again) for the help! Brian Several hectares of overthinking here. I've been at it...44 years now, all over the place, all kindsa stuff, hundreds of guitars, never notched a saddle on either kind, never had saddles give me problems, never even had to think about it. As for the spinnys moving well, I've never been wedded to a micrometer for the "action", I can pretty much look at it as I put on the first string and get them right enough because honestly, I won't think about it in about twenty minutes. I do say it probably too much, and people get pissed but hey, it's just a guitar. rct Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silvercrow Posted September 10, 2015 Author Share Posted September 10, 2015 Several hectares of overthinking here. I've been at it...44 years now, all over the place, all kindsa stuff, hundreds of guitars, never notched a saddle on either kind, never had saddles give me problems, never even had to think about it. As for the spinnys moving well, I've never been wedded to a micrometer for the "action", I can pretty much look at it as I put on the first string and get them right enough because honestly, I won't think about it in about twenty minutes. I do say it probably too much, and people get pissed but hey, it's just a guitar. rct It's all good Bro. Yep, it's just a guitar, but whether we admit it or not, by virtue of us being members here and possibly members on other (shudder) boards,hundreds or thousands of posts, guitars mean more to us than, say, the brand of toilet paper we use... If in fact, it were really 'just a guitar'- we'd all own middle of the road 'adequate' guitars, never desiring more. I hear you to a point. For the majority of 40+ years I've been playing, I was blissfully happy with the action that existed on my acoustic and electric guitars "as is [were]" from the factory or guitar shoppe. I suffered through, compensated, etc. I started to advance, including playing lead, late in life. Started to have guitars set up properly and, jeez, a revelation- I can play better and with less strain! Like so many other things in life, you open up pandora's box and... Being a Fender guy all these years, I never had to even consider "notching a saddle". Now that my #1 is a Gibson, the action is set to my liking AND unfortunately it developed a buzz and a rattle, coupled with the fact that cash flow ain't what it used to be...there you have it. Gonna learn this stuff myself. Once you've owned a Lexus (or Jaguar) you can still drive a Kia, but it ain't quite the same. (NO OFFENSE intended to any person /car brand- just a point). Real or imagined, I'm at a point where I know what I like and want; I do notice the difference. I'm not skillful enough (or willing to accept) action that I set by "eye". My eyes just ain't that good! Brian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silvercrow Posted September 10, 2015 Author Share Posted September 10, 2015 On your RED Studio? Man you will love it. Nickel on red guitar=really best, face-melting, superior TONE you ever heard! Heh, heh...yeah! I did fall hard for that guitar! Thanks...I agree the nickle should look really sweet. So on it goes- I'll need a nickle stop bar... My wallet needs to be fatter... Truth is I'm really happy with the tone and sustain as is- it's just the rattle and my "preventitive" nature causing me to be willing to go through this one more time. Could it actually be I'm a 'glutton for punishment'? Brian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabs Posted September 10, 2015 Share Posted September 10, 2015 Like so many other things in life, you open up pandora's box and... Yes... thus the expression.. Ignorance is bliss :) I too have never had to worry about saddles... in fact on my Gibsons ive never had to adjust a trussrod or do any work on them at all apart from setting the bridge height to my preference and then intonating... Maybe ive just been lucky? Even on the guitars I make.. I get pre slotted nuts and bridges and they have always so far been fine.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surfpup Posted September 10, 2015 Share Posted September 10, 2015 Cutting (or enlarging) bridge saddle notches is much easier than nuts. A cheap set of files will do (unlike nuts). You just need enough to hold the string in place (as long as the curvature of the bridge matches that of the fretboard radius - usually 12 inches on a Gibson). If you need to adjust the radius you just cut the required slots deeper. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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