GraphTech String Saver saddles, for those of us who like progress.

[honeyiscool]

I've been using them on my black Hello Kitty guitar, and no, that hardtail bridge never had problems to begin with and it's always stayed in tune, but I still thought I could get some extra performance out of that thing, which is one of my lightest and most favorite of all guitars. I gotta say, I like them. I like the fact that they never rattle randomly. The thing is, cheap saddles, they work and they're fine, but occasionally you find rattles on certain notes you just can't get rid of.

 

GraphTech saddles really eliminate that, and with the nut all lubed up (that's what she said) and these GraphTech saddles, even new strings stay in tune and it takes much less stretching to do so, which tells me that there's less to be stretched, i.e. I have less binding at either end. I don't know if they're worth $40, but I got them used for $20, and I can't complain.

 

Not only that, I cut the treble E string a tiny bit short and I only ended up having about a winding and a half worth of windings on it. Now, on standard Squier Ping tuners, this can be an invitation for the string to suffer a premature break. However, the string is definitely holding.

 

As for tone, I don't know, I changed strings at the same time and who the hell knows. But I have to think that if you don't have light metal saddles that aren't taking away vibration from the strings, that you'd have a fuller sound. Does it come through the amp? Who knows. I like progress. I figure if I've lost a bit of brightness, I'll just naturally pick a centimeter closer to the bridge and turn up a little treble on the amp.

[Snambo]

I put some on my MIM stratocaster. A vast improvement over the original vintage style saddles. I don't notice any tone difference but what I do notice is comfort. They don't bite into my palm the way the original saddles did.

[cratz2]

...for those of us who like progress.

 

[Help!I'maRock!]

 

don't you like progress?

[cratz2]

I guess I don't like the insinuation that if I don't have plastic saddles on all of my guitars that I'm living in the Stone Age.

 

Sounded like one part propaganda, one part sales pitch.

 

I've have one guitar with Graphtech saddles (and previously had another) and I have zero beef with them, but I also have several guitars with folded type saddles and three with quality block saddles and don't have tuning issues, string breaks or random rattles.

 

 

And I'm also trying to come to grips with how the OP basically insinuates that Graphtech saddles will cure all the ills on a problem guitar, yet might not be worth $40.

 

Seriously, honeyiscool... I dig you. I think you're a cool guy and I like your taste in music... but you very often come across, at least to me, as if you've listened to too much Stephen Colbert.

 

'Graphtech saddles? Great saddles or greatest saddles?'

 

[Doctor Morbius]

I have a set of Graphtech Strat saddles. At one time I had them on my MIM '80s Rocker, but the saddles were just a skosh too long and I couldn't intonate the low E string properly. Ended up putting the stock bent steel saddles back on and it solved the intonation problem. I would have really liked to have been able to leave them on that guitar for palm muting, but alas, no can do.

 

I also have a set on my AVRI Jazzmaster. I bought them on the behest of Doc Jeffrey's recommendation. I like them over the stock saddles and I like the fact that they are smaller than Mustang saddles and are height adjustable.

[honeyiscool]

You're insinuating a lot, then. I said I didn't have any problems with this guitar before, and I don't now. I said it cured a few random rattles (that never came through the amp anyway) and helped the string not break in what is usually a problem area for a similarly equipped Squier Strat. That's why it might not be worth $40. It won't solve all your problems but it does put the cherry on the top.

 

I'm fine with well-made stamped steel saddles, high mass block saddles, at some point I've sung the virtues of above. If I had either of those on the guitar, I wouldn't have bought the GraphTech saddles.

 

As for the whole "those who like progress" thing, it's called a joke.

[honeyiscool]

 

I have a set of Graphtech Strat saddles. At one time I had them on my MIM '80s Rocker, but the saddles were just a skosh too long and I couldn't intonate the low E string properly. Ended up putting the stock bent steel saddles back on and it solved the intonation problem. I would have really liked to have been able to leave them on that guitar for palm muting, but alas, no can do. I also have a set on my AVRI Jazzmaster. I bought them on the behest of Doc Jeffrey's recommendation. I like them over the stock saddles and I like the fact that they are smaller than Mustang saddles and are height adjustable.

I did notice that they're slightly longer than standard saddles. I wonder what's the story with that.

 

I don't like the Jazzmaster ones because they're too small horizontally.

[cratz2]

I don't think the recipient can insinuate, can he?

 

I guess my take on the 'saddles for a Squier' issue is that, unless going the used route, Graptechs cost roughly four times as much as the GFS stainless steel saddles that are as good as what comes on Fender Deluxe Strats and came on Standards for ~15 years.

 

If they serve a specific purpose like adding height adjustability, then I'm all for them. In general, they seem VERY overpriced to me... and I have nothing against Graphtech. I think I've only bought one non-Graphtech nut in the last five years.

[Doctor Morbius]

I guess I don't like the insinuation that if I don't have plastic saddles on all of my guitars that I'm living in the Stone Age. Sounded like one part propaganda, one part sales pitch. I've have one guitar with Graphtech saddles (and previously had another) and I have zero beef with them, but I also have several guitars with folded type saddles and three with quality block saddles and don't have tuning issues, string breaks or random rattles. And I'm also trying to come to grips with how the OP basically insinuates that Graphtech saddles will cure all the ills on a problem guitar, yet might not be worth $40. Seriously, honeyiscool... I dig you. I think you're a cool guy and I like your taste in music... but you very often come across, at least to me, as if you've listened to too much Stephen Colbert. 'Graphtech saddles? Great saddles or great est saddles?'

Well Cratz2, you're obviously mistaken. Just think about how much better all of those old timers could have had it if they'd lived in the modern scientific age.

 

Actually, I have a hard time coming to grips with a lot of the spew that gets passed off as fact. Left handed Tele control plates. For Pete's sake!

[Doctor Morbius]

I don't think the recipient can insinuate, can he?

No they cannot. A speaker insinuates. A listener infers.

[honeyiscool]

I'll say that I think those GFS stainless block steel saddles are mediocre, though. They do their job and the construction is fine but the point of contact with the string could be more curved as to minimize the string angles. The GraphTech saddles don't do that either but they're self-lubricating. The Wilkinson steel saddles, meanwhile, have no binding whatsoever, even without any lubrication at all.

[smorgdonkey]

I tried them before and found that they made the guitar sound less full or thinner. Strange that I do read that some people find that their guitars sound darker with them as the one that I had was definitely more 'plinky'.

[Doctor Morbius]

 

I did notice that they're slightly longer than standard saddles. I wonder what's the story with that. I don't like the Jazzmaster ones because they're too small horizontally.

I don't know.

 

On the Jazzmaster ones, I think there is actually a smallish piece of plastic that is supposed to separate the saddles. I didn't know what they were and sanded them off of mine before installing them. They still work fine though.

[Mind Riot]

Well Cratz2, you're obviously mistaken. Just think about how much better all of those old timers could have had it if they'd lived in the modern scientific age. Actually, I have a hard time coming to grips with a lot of the spew that gets passed off as fact. Left handed Tele control plates. For Pete's sake!

 

I bought a left handed Tele control plate by mistake one time. I turned it around to use it as a righty, but now everything I play comes out backwards.