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Author
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Topic: Bone Saddle Charge?
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Calbrit3!
Member
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posted 03-09-2004 10:17 PM
   
What have is a reasonable charge by a Luthiers/Guitar repair shops for making and fitting a bone compensated saddle? Also is it worth having the nut replaced.I'm thinking of having this done to a Martin 00015S. Most forum posts say that replacing a standard saddle with a bone version makes a significant audible difference. Is this just better sustain? Finally, I would be interested in hearing from anyone who had this done and actually preferred the original saddle. |
Paul Hostetter
Member
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posted 03-09-2004 11:36 PM
replacing the saddle is far more important than the nut. A reasonable price (I think) would be about $45, parts and labor, for just that. However, I would hope whoever did it would spend a bit more time and clean up the nut, the frets ends, and so on. Think about more like $60. Bone makes it all sound better; it's not just sustain. The process also results in better intonation. |
guitone
Member
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posted 03-10-2004 02:54 AM
I put a bone saddle on my 000 rosewood guitar and it really was a nice change. I also started to use ebony pins at that time to soften up the trebles. I think I paid around $60 for all of the work that Paul recommends. I wonder how a bone saddle would do on a 000 mahogany that is a wonderfully warm guitar? I am hoping to try it but wonder what it will do to the trebles?Joel Stern [This message has been edited by guitone (edited 03-10-2004).] [This message has been edited by guitone (edited 03-10-2004).] |
35fingerpicker
Member
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posted 03-10-2004 06:48 AM
For me, it's been a pretty guitar specific thing. I put bone saddles and Tusq or bone pins in my Rosewood Martins with pretty great results but when I tried them on my 000-15, I went back to Micarta/Ebony because the trebles were too harsh. I think the nut should be the last "upgrade" because once your fret a string, the effect of the nut is gone.
As far as price, if you have a Martin, you can get a pre-compensated bone saddle that drops right in from http://www.maurysmusic.com/ for $20. You do have to sand it down to the right height but that's easily done with a piece of sandpaper and a flat surface. Martin saddles are 3/32" thick and some others on the market are 1/8". If you have a Dremel with sanding drums, it's not that difficult to make your own saddles(although a belt sander is also very helpful) and bone blanks are relatively inexpensive($3-$6). It's one "upgrade" you can do for yourself rather inexpensively with a little time and the right tools. Maury's bone saddles are great, very well made and worth the money, but with 7 guitars, I didn't want to spend $140 just on saddles. [This message has been edited by 35fingerpicker (edited 03-10-2004).] |
Calbrit3!
Member
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posted 03-10-2004 07:13 AM
Many thanks, these were just the sort of answers I've been looking for. I have been quoted $100 to make and fit a bone saddle by a local Martin Luthier. He's worked on my guitars before, but I just thought this was somewhat expensive. Having said that, he starts with a blank and has to spend time shaping and forming the thing - rather him than me, but $100?A pre-made version sounds the way to go, I can handle getting the height right. The question is, do the existing saddles come out relatively easy and how easy is it to locate the new one (especially if you have to take it out again to tweak).
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rutledj
Member
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posted 03-10-2004 08:57 AM
I don't think you will have a problem pulling the old one out. I think you want them to fit snug but you can use a pair of diagonal cutters or pliers to gently remove it. I think there is some info at www.frets.com
that shows how to make a saddle. Good info to reference even if the saddle isn't exactly like yours. I usually take a sharpie marker and put marks on the bottom of my original saddle so if I want to use it again or need it for size reference I can easily identify it. I just ordered a saddle from www.guitarsaddles.com. About $17. Supposedly, the guy creates the correct top for your brand guitar and leaves it up to you to sand the bottom and sides to fit correctly. Not sure if this is really any better than the drop-in models already shaped, We'll see. Good luck
Rut |
Rick Turner
Member
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posted 03-10-2004 07:05 PM
How much rent does your luthier pay? Mid-town Manhattan saddles will cost more than those in East Obscurity, Montana...The afore mentioned Frank Ford did a study one year on his time. 50% of his time was true bench time; the other 50% was talk, talk, talk time, unavoidable in lutherie or retail. So whatever you're being charged, understand that some of that goes to pay for the time you spend yakking with your luthier. So if it takes him or her $5.00 worth of bone and an hour of time...well you do the math. The luthier isn't doing as well as a Volkswagen mechanic... |
guitone
Member
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posted 03-10-2004 07:40 PM
The bone saddle I had put in was a blank before my guitar repair person started the project. My guitar intonates perfectly and the sound of the bone brings much out..the entire guitar was gone over as I mentioned above for about $60...$100 sounds high to me.[This message has been edited by guitone (edited 03-10-2004).] |
Stephen Kinnaird
Member
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posted 03-10-2004 08:04 PM
quote:
Originally posted by Calbrit3!:
Many thanks, these were just the sort of answers I've been looking for. I have been quoted $100 to make and fit a bone saddle by a local Martin Luthier. He's worked on my guitars before, but I just thought this was somewhat expensive. Having said that, he starts with a blank and has to spend time shaping and forming the thing - rather him than me, but $100?
Ouch! I usually charge $35 for a bone compendated saddle. Of course I live here in fly-over country (and under a bridge). So my costs aren't as great as the Manhattan luthier. You could drive down here, Calbrit, but that would significantly add to the price of the saddle! |
Big Joe
Member
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posted 03-10-2004 08:37 PM
At the Gibson Factory repair facility in Nashville we charge $75.00 to build and install a bone saddle. That included a professional set up also. We don't use dropin saddles that are generic and may or may not fit the saddle slot perfectly, but take the time to make the saddle from scratch and ensure it fits properly. We repair any brand and any kind of guitar, mandolin, banjo, bass, upright bass, fiddle, electric guitar, whatever. |
rutledj
Member
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posted 03-12-2004 04:08 AM
Just a follow-up on this saddle I ordered and installed from www.guitarsaddles.com. When I opened the package I was surprised how closely the bone saddle resembled the precompensated bone saddles available online for around $5.00 (I paid $17.50). It looked just like one with the exception that the top had been "hand shaped". I believe I could have done this with the cheaper model. I sanded the bottom, rounded the corners, sanded to correct thickness, and installed it in my Legend D102PW (which previously had a Tusq saddle). First thing I noticed was increased sustain, particular on picked harmonics. There is a Tony Rice version of Danny Boy where he picks the harmonics of the G and B strings on the 19th fret. I could never get the B string to make much sound. Now it does much better. Was it worth the $17.50? I guess so since it bettered the sound. I still think I could have accomplished the same thing with the $5.00 saddle. In all fairness, they do offer various styles of saddles ("aged" look, fossilized warlrus ivory, etc) that you probably couldn't order elsewhere (with the correct top profile already formed). And since, after paying another $4-5 postage on the $5 saddle, you are really only talking about a difference of roughly $7, it's not such a bad deal (His price includes postage and detailed instructions). So if you are wanting to change your saddle and your carpentry skills (bonery skills?) aren't that great, this might be just what you need. Rut |
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