Members mic4h Posted March 27, 2012 Members Share Posted March 27, 2012 Blueridge BR-143-2, 000 size, 1 3/4'' nut I've had this instrument for maybe 5 years and I love it. Eric Schoenberg in Tiburon, CA sold it to me and set it up. I just decided it needs another set-up. I set up my electric myself (my own hand-filed nut, truss rod, saddle height, intonation, etc) but the acoustic is a little scarier. I figure I'll just find an old man to do it for me (maybe someone at McCabe's in Santa Monica, I don't know). The main problem is I don't know if I trust myself to hand-file my own saddle for intonation. Anyway, if I'm going to go to all this trouble, I want the action and intonation to be perfect, which means.... I have to commit to a string size! I chose 000 because I play a lot of flicky-poppy finger-style stuff, and when I use a pick, I focus on a lot on fret-hand muting while my pick-hand is in constant-16ths-mode, a la Dave Matthews etc. The smaller size makes it easier to man-handle. I guess I want to balance the lowest possible action and being able to slap the **** out of the thing without buzzing like a bee. How do I choose string size? ps: bone? tusq? micarta? Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Terry Allan Hall Posted March 28, 2012 Members Share Posted March 28, 2012 What guage are you currently using? Happy? Then keep using those! (I'd suggest a light set, .012 through .053 or .054, to get a fat sound...lighter may sound thinner, but you know what you like best.) Tusc is dependable, bone can be nice, but is sometimes problematic if your guitar has a UST. Fossilized walrus ivory is the best, but pricey. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Neal Posted March 28, 2012 Members Share Posted March 28, 2012 Well, I can tell you that nothing is perfect, especially intonating an acoustic guitar, and even if you set it up for light gauge, putting a set of medium on will be insignificant in the intonation department. No opinion on the bone, micarta, tusq. Most of that, again, is fairly insignificant, but that's just a person on the internet's opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Samilyn Posted March 28, 2012 Members Share Posted March 28, 2012 If you're a little less than confident about making your own saddle, I suggest you contact Bob Colosi. He is a very talented, well-established saddle guru. Fair warning - if you choose a bone saddle and decide to grind it yourself, it stinks to high heaven, smelling much like a tooth being drilled on. Yuk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members knockwood Posted March 28, 2012 Members Share Posted March 28, 2012 The saddle part is super-terrifically easy to do yourself, although you really do need to take your time with it. I'll confess I've broken at least one bone saddle during a swap by being a dumbass. Edit: This guy is an excellent source, by the way. And a very nice guy to deal with. http://www.guitarsaddles.com/ If you're having trouble selecting a material, I think bone is always a safe bet. Hard stuff. Nice clear tone. I think just about any of the popular materials make a good nut, but if you're going to go to the trouble and expense of making a new one, I figure bone is a good safe bet there, too. Hard to be dissatisfied with bone, IMHO. I wouldn't recommend trying to make your own acoustic nut without any experience (actually, that's kind of stupid advice since there's a first time for everything - I just mean maybe try it sometime as a side experiment rather than having to depend on the first nut you make... or something), but this can be a pretty expensive job to have done by a tech. Re. string gauge, do you tend to switch around a lot? From your description of your playing, I'm guessing that if you do a lot of fretboard gymnastics you may tend to lean toward light strings (?). If so, set it up for what you ordinarily use. I don't believe perfect intonation exists, so when I occasionally switch string gauges on my acoustics just to experiment, I never really notice any major diffs relative to nut setup or intonation. Switching from 13/56 to 10/48 might be an issue, but 13/56 to 12/54, or vice versa, for example... no big whoop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Grant Harding Posted March 28, 2012 Members Share Posted March 28, 2012 Just get a pre-shaped saddle with the intonation offsets already there. Then you just lower it by removing material from the bottom. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members katopp Posted March 28, 2012 Members Share Posted March 28, 2012 My personal preference is TuSQ. Soundwise I like TuSQ more than bone, as it it more homogenous. It's easier to work, too. Don't know about any ivory, don't touch that stuff, fossilized or not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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