John Lee Walker Posted November 13, 2008 Share Posted November 13, 2008 Browsing thru the Elderly site, I keep looking at the fossilzed walrus ivory saddle for Gibson jumbos at $75 and I am wondering about it. As previously discussed in an earlier thread, I know there are pros and cons when it comes to bone or ivory saddles. One being the natural density of the material which could be inconsistent in some spots due to the composition (or decomposition maybe) of its mass. Tusq mentions this and plays on it in their adds for their synthetic saddles, saying that there is no chance of degradation or dead spots in their plastic. I'm wondering what the difference is (in sound, of course) between fossilized ivory and bone and plastic and if it's even worth the hassle. Just what are the virtues of fossilized walrus ivory? Is it so high priced just because it is an exotic material, or because it the proven elite material for guitar saddles? Never used one before and just curious... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guitarstrummer Posted November 13, 2008 Share Posted November 13, 2008 Bob Colosi has a good description of each on his website. He also has the walrus ivory at a better price, in case you end up getting one and want to shop around. http://www.guitarsaddles.com/products.asp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jinder Posted November 13, 2008 Share Posted November 13, 2008 I have a Colosi FWI saddle that was sent to me by a fellow forum member a couple of years ago in a very generous and kind gesture that will not be forgotten. I often pop it in my Gibsons for recording... It sounds amazing acoustically, but doesn't mate very well with undersaddle pickups. Tonally, it has more kick in the lower mids than tusq, and sounds bolder. It sounds especially great with a fresh set of D'Addario EJ17s. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Lee Walker Posted November 13, 2008 Author Share Posted November 13, 2008 Hey, guitarstrummer, thanks a bunch for that info. He does have a mucho better price there. I'm sure he'll give me the info I need if I call. Bob is always a very pleasant and knowledgable guy when I deal with him. I'll give him a shout. He's great to deal with - when we spoke on the phone and I ordered the bone/abalone pins they were at my house 2 days later. Fantastic service. Jinder, thanks, too! Nice to hear from someone who's actually used one and likes it. One question, tho - just why does it not mate well with undersaddle pickups? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guitarstrummer Posted November 13, 2008 Share Posted November 13, 2008 You have to make sure that the bottom is perfectly flat, but that's the case with matching any saddle with an undersaddle pickup. Also, some natural materials have spots which don't conduct as well. That's why Gibson uses Tusq for most of their undersaddle pickup installations out of the factory. I don't know if that's what he's referring to or not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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