Cutting Regular 1-Slot Saddles for Jazz Spacing

[Bongolation]

How do you do it? The standard Fender style 1-slot saddles are set up for Precision spacing, not Jazz.

What's your methodology for getting proper pole alignment?

[Turnaround]

Slack the string until you can move it from side to side a bit at the bridge, pull it into the alignment you want, mark the string location on the saddle, and file.

But I wouldn't make a big fuss about getting the strings in line with the pole pieces. The double magnets provide a wide magnetic field so it's not a big deal. You won't hear the difference if the string lies exactly between the two poles or is off centre.

[walterw]

this is a pet peeve of mine; it may not make a big difference, but it makes a difference.

lose the single-groove saddles entirely, and just get some vintage-style threaded-rod saddles. they'll let you get correct spacing for jazz pickups, and in the process will cause the strings to push the outer saddles in towards the inner saddles, holding everything together tightly and improving sustain.

[Turnaround]

Walter - what differences do you experience other than the looks? I am not sure I have seen a discernable difference on a scope from a string dead-centre between the poles and one that is off a bit. What am I missing?

[walterw]

i like to run my fender pickups pretty close to the strings, and i hit pretty hard with a pick; what i feel (as much as hear) while playing is a little more evenness, a slight compression of the initial attack, when the strings are right between the magnet pairs where leo designed them to be.

with more distance to the pickup and a lighter attack, the difference is minimized.

i also hear a slight increase in sustain and "ping" when these threaded saddles are strung right (strings spaced slightly wider than the saddles are), so that the outer ones are getting forced in towards the inner ones, holding the whole thing together tightly.

finally, i see an obvious difference in the way the G saddle doesn't get forced away from the rest of them by the string, as happens with center-grooved fender saddles.

[Bongolation]

Originally Posted by Turnaround

what differences do you experience other than the looks?

None, but that's enough.

[Turnaround]

Originally Posted by walterw

i like to run my fender pickups pretty close to the strings, and i hit pretty hard with a pick; what i feel (as much as hear) while playing is a little more evenness, a slight compression of the initial attack, when the strings are right between the magnet pairs where leo designed them to be.

with more distance to the pickup and a lighter attack, the difference is minimized.

i also hear a slight increase in sustain and "ping" when these threaded saddles are strung right (strings spaced slightly wider than the saddles are), so that the outer ones are getting forced in towards the inner ones, holding the whole thing together tightly.

finally, i see an obvious difference in the way the G saddle doesn't get forced away from the rest of them by the string, as happens with center-grooved fender saddles.

Thanks Walter. We play quite differently, so I haven't experienced these differences. I don't like my pickups to be very close th the strings, I play just with my fingers with a light touch.

I do agree that the threaded saddles have some advantages - the sustain and ping you talk about as well as the way the saddles get forced together. But I've also run into buzzes and rattles when the saddles touch, but that can happen with both plain and threaded saddles.