Everything You've Always Wanted to Know About Saddles, But Were Afraid to Ask

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 d o 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 unamplified 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.

The Editor's Ego

It's getting to be tax time. As you may have read in articles from previous years, your membership donation to the Folk Guild can be claimed as a tax exemption. This is possible because the Hudson Valley Folk Guild is a registered New York State charity and a federally tax-exempt, not-for-profit corporation. We are also eligible for matching grant programs. Just another benefit of membership!

Speaking of membership, our renewal drive is still going on. We haven't quite reached our goal, so if you're considering becoming a member, now's the time.

In Andy Ferraro's previous article on sound reinforcement, I inadvertently obfuscated (I always wanted to use that word!) his explanation of standing waves (i.e., "feedback"). Feedback occurs when a sound wave x feet long is produced in a place that is exactly x feet long. I somehow changed the second "x" to a "y", thus eliminating the feedback, unless x has the same value as y. Got it? Good. The exam will be in the next issue.

Psychoacoustics: The Human Experience of the Physics of Sound

Now that a sound can be produced or sent, it has to be recieved! One important thing is for sure in sound: every one DOES NOT hears the same - eithe due to physical attributes or room positioning..... Let's talk about how we (...as carbon-based life-forms) experience sound.

Technically, we humans can hear somewhere near a range of approximently 20 Hz to 17K Hz (Hz=Hertz, or cycles per second. Aren't you glad you studied?!); some more, some less. For some of the nuances of a given sound to be heard, some experts will say that 20 Hz to 20K Hz is more like it.

Problem: Are any humans exactly alike? Do we all grow hair as fast one another? Do we all have the same pain threshold, for example? Haven't you ever felt "stuffed up" from a head cold and couldn't understand someone's words? WE are ALL built differently, and our hearing mechanisms are, likewise, all different.

Why do people end up wearing hearing-aids? They can't "hear" anymore? Not exactly.

What happens to the hearing as a function of age, abuse at high volumes (at all or at particular frequencies even), or illness and defects is complex - and is the expertise of audiologists and hearing aid manufacturers. Suffice to say that, over time we all lose sensitivities not to volume per se but, rather to particular frequencies.

In a perfect world, our hearing from the start of life is not perfect either. Our sensitivity (or ease of hearing) to frequencies across that spectrum of 20-20K Hz is NOT EVEN throughout the range. If you graph the actual sensitivity responses for an average healthy young adult, marking out the lowest to highest frequencies on the BOTTOM and then, then mark the verticle axis (the SIDE of the graph) from the bottom with numbers by 5's, up to 100 you will note that, the bass frequencies will start out considerably lower on the graph in ease of hearing than the "mid-range frequencies" do (those that are the easiest frequencies that humans can hear in the 1k-4k range) Next, the sensitivity INCREASES going up to the mid-range. Following the midrange, however, the sensitivities trail-off (or "slope") much faster to being lower than the bass frequency's sensitivity are. The resulting lop-sided curve is known as the "equal loudness curve".

With age (or any other illness, defects or abuses), we tend to lose the sensitivity in the upper frequencies earliest. Yes, in the lower Hz too but to a lesser extent. This explains why the older we get, the easier it is to miss the "S"s or "T"s (in the range of "sybliant" sound) when someone is speaking or the defining sounds of a guitar string or a cymbal. To compensate for this, a "hearing aid" is made to selectively accentuate those frequencies individual is lacking.

Another word for 'accentuate' in that case is AMPLIFY (boost); and in this case it is or boost ONLY those frequencies that are lacking in that person's experience of sound and hearing. This selective amplification is called EQUALIZATION, and it is an important part to become familiar with.

Now for an aging person this is how and why a hearing aid is made for them. If you are "stuffed-up" - what is that about? Without getting too medical, the ability of the inner-workings of your, otherwise, healthy ear is muffled, impaired, congested. Therfore, it's FLEXIBILITY becomes retarded (Remember "Flexibility" is the ability of something to vibrate and thus, transfer [sound] waves).

Even in this case, the HIGHER frequencies are the first to suffer. Due to the energy used to produce them, they will need even MORE help or amplification to be able to continue, right? (remember too, that YOUR angle to a speaker DOES dictate how YOU hear the treble frequencies differently than someone smack dab in front of it or behind you - FOR THE SAME REASON*)

Now, as the Receptors of sound, we are subject to the same laws of physics in OUR OWN ability to vibrate. That is how we "hear" (along with some more confusion about it becoming "transduced" or encoded into electical energy to be DE-coded by our brain receptors. .....complicated)!

Important to note is that the "Equal Loudness Curve" and the Physics of a particular venue come together for us to "experience" sound. Referring to the graph, to be able to hear the bass player (LOW frequencies), and hear the "S"s (make out the words), and make out the guitar, the mandolin, and be warmed by the dolcet tones of harmonies - : "something" needs to be done to HELP us to "reinforce"/"re-enforce" the full frequency range of sounds to hear them at once! Answer: EQUALIZATION. Through an "Equalizer" we are able to Boost (amplify) frequencies that WE need a little help in hearing) and Cut-back (Attenuate) the ones that are TOO LOUD. Utilizing the "Equal Loudness Curve, this stands to reason that the Bass Frequencies need a boost and the Treble will need even more.

The frequencies that are normally cut are normally in that mid-range I mentioned. You can already hear these easily enough, and when they are too loud, the overall problem is a sound much like the tiny speaker on an old transistor radio - whiny, thin, and altogether too "narrow sounding".

So, with cutting the mids, and boosting the highs and lows, we "equalize" the overall sound. Of course, it isn't that simple (you were waiting for that, I can tell).

Remember "FEEDBACK"? How about "Standing Waves"? Remember that those are when a sound wave is X wide and a space it is produced in is also X (or 2X, or 4x, etc.).

The English call it "Howl-round"; well named, I'd say. You have to deal with that too. As we noted, all venues are not created equal. They are of different sizes (X or Y?), dimensions (Height and Width?), materials (hard woods?), textures (matte finish or..?), reflectabilities (walls?), absorbancies (rugs? -how about the number of absorbant PEOPLE in a room, in front of the speaker?), angles (curved vs. flat?). This is where "attenuating" frequencies on an equalizer is essential and tricky. Without careful consideration of a room's target frequencies for feedback, an important-manipulation-missed yields disasterous results. and you probably don't need me to, right!

[There are a number of ways to prevent THAT problem, using Equalization and modifications to a venue's space &/or electronic tricks BUT, I will save that for in-person demonstrations. OK?]

*Except for the Feedback (which is a whole-room experience) do you think that this equalization applies to hearing in any and all parts of the room? Nope. Remember, the confounding influences of distance; or the angle of the speaker-cabinets; how about the the speakers Strength and/or sensitivity (in this case it is a measure of a speaker's efficiency or it's level of ease at producing a particular frequency at a certain power that is fed into the speaker)?

In this second part of articles on sound, I have only STARTED to tell y'all about the overlapping influences on how sound is produced and influenced. But, there is MORE still: How about the differences and uses of Echos and Reverb? How more on the uses and variables in Equalization? How about the musician's use (Errr, really, their MIS-use) of sound equipment in this equation of sound? What of the EQUIPMENT'S functionality in the process?

So, do you still think the sound person has an easy job of "doing it right"? Let's talk again. More on Psycho-acoustics and Production next time.

Wanted: Newsletter Editor

Friends of Fiddler's Green Chapter News

by Lyn Burnstine

On December 4, Pat Humphries brought her powerful songs and loyal feminist following to FFG. The audience rose spontaneously to their feet to join Pat in singing her anthem, "Never Turning Back," confirming for this reviewer that Pat's songs are the equivalent of "We Shall Overcome" for the 90s, as she musically challenges us to honor and respect both our differences and our commonalities. Truly a memorable evening for the Friends of Fiddler's Green chapter.

On December 18, 22 performers - handpicked from the Folk Guild roster in appreciation of their support of the FFG chapter - took the stage to present a stellar concert. A story by storyteller Mary Summerlin and a dramatic reading by Steve Allen complemented the following musicians, who performed in solos or ensembles: Linda Breithaupt; Lyn Burnstine; Denise Finley and Joe Murray; Don Haynie, Sheryl Samuel and son, Seth; Eli Jaffe; Blair Shepard; Irish Rain (Bill Wemmerus, Steve Otlowski, Tom Walker and Barbara Mahon); Lazy River (John & Rebekah Martucci and Barbara Mahon); The Raggedy Crew (Amy Strom, Pat LaManna and Tom Walker); and a trio of Carol Hotte, Peter Martin and Greg Neaga. Besides having a great good time, we raised $350 for our sound system - thanks everyone!

(Old Man Winter prevented the Amy Fradon concert from happening January 8. We will try again next season.)

Multi-talented instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, Mark Rust, turned a church hall into a living room, and an audience into old friends (many already were) on January 22. Mark displayed humor, charm, and open friendliness, as he spun musical tales of growing up in the Hudson Valley in a musical family, and of cutting his folk music teeth at the Family Sing Coffeehouse (the forerunner of the Folk Guild coffeehouse run by yours truly in the 60s, 70s and early 80s). The large audience went wild when Mark's 93-year-old grandmother, "Swiss Trudy," the matriarch of his musical family, took the stage to sing a song with him - just as her mother had done at my coffeehouse nearly 30 years ago.

The warm family/community feeling continued on February 5 with Hyde Park's native son, Eric Garrison, in performance. Eric was in fine form as he entertained us with his hysterically-funny sagas - some of growing up in Hyde Park. He thanked and introduced his high school music teacher in the audience (reminiscent of Mr. Holland's Opus) and told of how his last appearance on that very stage was in a rock-and-roll band nearly thirty years ago! Eric's voice, guitar and mandolin, as well as his songwriting, were exciting, with the welcome bonus of the songs and harmonies by the exquisite-voiced Mae Robertson.