Members Delmont Posted November 7, 2017 Members Share Posted November 7, 2017 Last year my D-35 got bone endpins for Christmas. This year I'm thinking of more upgrades to stick in its stocking. So: Are are its nut and saddle bone or plastic? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Etienne Rambert Posted November 7, 2017 Members Share Posted November 7, 2017 Great sounding guitar. In 1970, the D35's had bone saddles.Dunno about yours. If no one here can answer the saddle Q, you might try www.letstalkguild.com They're experts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Freeman Keller Posted November 8, 2017 Members Share Posted November 8, 2017 Most of the time a bone nut or saddle will have some filing and sanding scrapes, plastic is usually shiny and smooth. A good bone nut/saddle should be polished to a high gloss but many times they aren't. If it is the original saddle and is plastic it probably has some fairly good slots under the strings - bone will too but not nearly as bad as plastic. The one sure way to tell is to hit it on a grinder or belt sander - if its bone it will smell like burning hair. My wife hates that smell and can always tell if I'm working on a nut or saddle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Mikeo Posted November 8, 2017 Members Share Posted November 8, 2017 Last year my D-35 got bone endpins for Christmas. This year I'm thinking of more upgrades to stick in its stocking. So: Are are its nut and saddle bone or plastic? I don't know about the nut and saddle on your instrument. However if you want to do some really special for your guitar, go with unbleached fossilized woolly mammoth tusk. It does not change how a guitar sounds so much as enhances its natural voice while filtering out some of the edge and shrillness that might be present. Man made products like Micarta and TUSQ, might be more consistent, but trust me on the fossilized mammoth. I would even think out elephant or walrus ivory that could not be certified. At least you know mammoth ivory is at least 6000 years old, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Queequeg Posted November 8, 2017 Members Share Posted November 8, 2017 With a hemostat, hold a needle under a flame and see if you can pierce the saddle.YES = plastic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Freeman Keller Posted November 9, 2017 Members Share Posted November 9, 2017 Del, if you are going to go thru the expense and trouble of replacing your saddle and/or nut, be sure to get them carefully fitted for both your guitar and your playing style. You can tweak the string spacing and the offset from the edge of the fretboard, action at both ends of the guitar and intonation. I just had a guy bring two guitar to me - he said that his fingers felt good on one of them and cramped on the other - a new nut with exactly the same spacing as the one he liked fixed the "problem" And, for what it is worth, I don't and won't use any ivory products in anything I do - just me but I think plain old cow bone is just fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Tony Burns Posted November 14, 2017 Members Share Posted November 14, 2017 My guess is plastic -my 1978 D-25 was plastic ( but who knows what yours is) bone is not hard to to a replacement with -and bone will sound alot better ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Delmont Posted November 14, 2017 Author Members Share Posted November 14, 2017 Thanks, Freeman! Actually I wouldn't dare. There are several talented guit techs and luthiers around here. I'll probably take it to guy up in Waterville (Maine), Dennis Patkus, https://www.facebook.com/PatkusGuitars/. He's done a couple of other things for me that have come out well, including a mandolin saddle job that I thought was impossible. And not to worry: I wouldn't use ivory, either! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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