Saddle Trouble

[daveze]

I have a bit of a dilema regarding one of the saddles on my bridge. I corrected the intonation on the B string the other day (by about half an inch, don't ask, I dunno how, I just avoided the B string any further than the 5th fret if I could) and now the saddle is so far back it sits on its own, not butting up against anything (a tiny bit of the corner is actually behind the E saddle)

I don't particularly want to leave it this way cause I'm thinking it'll lose some of the vibrational energy. What should I do? The saddles are like the simple little barrel types, I was kinda considering getting some bigger after-market saddles but I'd prefer to not have to.

Josh D

[merlin]

I had this with my bass. Then i decided i had enough and went extreme. As you do.. I loosened the B string and wound the saddle forward, beyond where it originally started off. I tighted up the string and retuned. Checked intonation on my tuner and found it to be fairly close. I tweaked it forward a little more and it settled down.

So i did this with all the other saddles. I looked back at it and saw the saddles ended up only a little bit closer to the neck in comparison to the middle.

I raise the question:

Is there more than one intonation area on a bridge?



Merls

[htdesigns]

Surely the intonation spot on the bridge is going to be affected by how much the strings have stretched through use, and the gauge of string being used? Perhaps look at changing the gauge on the B string? I dunno I am only working from theory as opposed to hard facts, but in my experience you allways have to set the intonation when you change string gauge.

[bizzaro]

Here's a theory: The B String is so thick, and the saddle was further up the string toward the neck before, the kink the saddle made in the string is preventing it from vibrating it's full length properly! I am thinking it is a problem with the string, and not the saddle.

[lowendtheory]

maybe your strings are too old. they do sound a bit ordinary. put on a set of ernie ball's and she'll be apples. and a badass

[daveze]

Changing the gauge will mean that it'll change the intonation. I don't entirely understand how the whole thing works, has to do with compensating for how the string breaks over the nut and bridge. I was thinking of getting a new set of string but chances are that if it happened with these, similar strings (non-tapers) will have a similar effect.

I'm gonna head in town tommorrow to see what the music store (Allans) there has in the way of some saddles I could put in, get some long, fat, heavy suckers.

Merlin, I can't see how there could be two places for the intonation to sit and be accurate. Operating on ideal-world style physics I'm almost dead certain that there couldn't be two places, though I might be missing something about the nature of the strings that messes with it.

Josh D

[merlin]

Originally posted by daveze

Merlin, I can't see how there could be two places for the intonation to sit and be accurate. Operating on ideal-world style physics I'm almost dead certain that there couldn't be two places, though I might be missing something about the nature of the strings that messes with it.

Josh D

I didnt believe it either. As i had intonated almost right back. I thought "nah that sucks" and got annoyed so i wound them forward. And Yeah intonated further up.



Merls

[permagrin]

FWIW, I had trouble intonating my B string, saddles moved all the way back, ... but it was fixed by using tapered strings.

[bizzaro]

Originally posted by permagrin
FWIW, I had trouble intonating my B string, saddles moved all the way back, ... but it was fixed by using tapered strings.

That is in a sense what I am getting at also. The problem isn't really with the saddle but more the thickness of the "B" string. If it is kinked or otherwise compromised somehow, it will not vibrate as intended. I was going to suggest trying tapered strings, though doing that really limits your selection of strings.