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A R T I C L E S
Everything You've Always Wanted to Know About Saddles, But Were Afraid to Ask
by Bruce Morrison
The saddle is one of the guitar's most important components. While its functions of helping to set the action and determine the intonation are familiar, the choice of materials, the fit, the amount exposed above the bridge, the radius, and the shape of the cross section are frequently overlooked despite their important roles in producing optimal sound and playability.
Bone is the preferred material for acoustic guitar saddles. Its hardness and density make bone an excellent transmitter of string energy. While many of the modern synthetics are somewhat easier to work, they don't produce the tone of bone nor do they have its durability. Plastic is a poor choice because lacking hardness and density it absorbs string energy, wears out more rapidly, and is prone to being bent forward by string tension. A guitar cannot sound its best with a plastic saddle.
The importance of the fit of the saddle cannot be overemphasized. For a guitar to produce its optimum sound, the saddle must fit the bottom and all sides of the saddle slot perfectly. When a saddle is loosely fit, its motion within the slot dissipates considerable string energy rather than transmitting it to the bridge. Any gap whatsoever between the saddle and the slot denotes an imperfect fit. Mechanically, the guitar is inefficient. Only 5% or less of string energy is turned into sound. If 6% of string energy could be turned into sound, the guitar's efficiency would be increased by 20%, as 6% is 20% more than 5%. The key to a more efficient, better sounding acoustic guitar is a precisely shaped bone saddle which fits perfectly into an accurately routed saddle slot.
The requirements change with the installation of an under saddle pick-up. Since the pick-up senses the saddles' vibration, a saddle which is fit not quite as snugly is able to send more vibrations to the pick-up. With under saddle pick-ups, saddles made of Micarta, a synthetic less dense than bone but with a more uniform density, seem to produce a better sound when amplified. However, the same guitar won't perform as well un-amplified due to the looser fit, and use of a less dense material for the saddle.
The saddle is the fulcrum over which string tension applies torque to the soundboard. Ideally, between 1/8th" and 3/16th" of the saddle should be exposed above the bridge. That produces an angle of downbearing of around 35 degrees. Formed as a string bends across the saddle, the angle of downbearing determines how much torque loads the soundboard. Too low an angle applies insufficient torque producing action which feels rubbery and a noticeable loss of tone and volume. Too high an angle overloads the soundboard not allowing it to vibrate as freely as it should, inhibiting tone and volume. If the action is set correctly, but the right amount of saddle is not exposed, a neck set may be needed to provide the correct saddle height above the bridge.
The arch or radius of the saddle from bass to treble must match the arch of the fretboard. When the saddle's arch is less than the fretboard's, the inner strings are prone to buzzing because they sit too close to the frets. When the saddle's arch is higher than the fretboard's, not only may the inner strings be more difficult to fret, but intonation problems may arise too. The back edge of the saddle's cross section should be rounded to ensure maximum string contact. More string contact means more string energy is transmitted to the bridge.
With so many functions to perform, a precise saddle can improve the sound and playability of a guitar, while a faulty one will prevent an instrument from sounding and playing its best.
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