Official Luthiers Forum!

This may fall more into the realm of personal preference, but still I'd like to what you prefer when you fit a new (or replacement) saddle. Do you arch it to the same radius as the fretboard? Or do you prefer to make it with a slightly more pronounced radius--say, a 16" radius FB, with a 14" radius saddle?
Or do you use an identical radius?
I can't see going the opposite direction, but since I've opened this up to preferences, we should list that as an option as well.

I've had success--and problems--with the first two choices. (Probably some bad fretwork.)

Anyway...ideas? Opinions?

Thanks,

Steve

_________________
From Nacogdoches...the oldest town in Texas.

http://www.stephenkinnaird.com

*edit* ..."I'd still like to hear what you prefer..."

_________________
From Nacogdoches...the oldest town in Texas.

http://www.stephenkinnaird.com

I do actually lean toward the opposite of what you mentioned if I vary from
the fretboard radius at all. In thoeryl, it's often appropriate to follow the
same radius as the fretboard, tilted to be from 1/32" to 1/16" higher at the
bass than the treble depending on the instrument and player's style. In
practice, I often find myself flattening out the radius slightly toward the bass
side. Loosely translated in to final string height, this would mean following a
linearly progressive increase in string height from the high e to about the D,
then raising string height slightly more than a linear increase would decide
for the A and the E. Again, it's slight, but If I lean one way or the other it
would be flattening the radius a bit to raise the bass strings more
aggressively. And it all depends on player style. I'm more likely to go this
route for an aggressive flatpicker than for a finger picker or folk chord
strummer.

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Eschew obfuscation, espouse elucidation.

Edit:

[QUOTE=David Collins] I do actually lean toward the opposite of what you
mentioned if I vary from the fretboard radius at all. [/QUOTE]

And by "you" I meant Steve's method, not Terry. Terry's description would
roughly line up with the same end results as mine.

And of course by "theoryl" I meant "theory".

That edit button should be back any day now, and I can't wait.

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Eschew obfuscation, espouse elucidation.

Thanks Terry, thanks David.
My question, better stated, would read something like "How do you lay it out"? I end up setting the high e, the low e, then plotting the same arch as the fretboard between those two points.
Then, like Terry, I shave a bit here, a bit there.
I suppose I'd like a bit more predictability in the approach.

Thanks again,

Steve

_________________
From Nacogdoches...the oldest town in Texas.

http://www.stephenkinnaird.com

I usually throw something in there that's about the same radius as the fb but tall, then measure the string heights at the 12th fret and calculate how much I need to remove at the saddle for my desired string height.
For example if I want to lower a particular string say 1/64 I'll remove a 32nd at the saddle.
I bet you know that though.

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Jim Watts
http://jameswattsguitars.com

To lay out the saddle arch, I set the saddle in the bridge ( making sure it is fitted properly & firmly seated).
Then I take a 24" rigid straight edge... on one end of the straight edge, I loosely tape a good sharp pencil so it sticks out 3/4" past the end of the straight edge. Lay the straight edge on a flat surface & position the pencil tip aproximately .085" above the surface & tighten the tape to keep it in place... Add more tape if needed.
Then it's a simple matter of sliding the straight edge across the fingerboard with the pencil touching the saddle.
Voila! A good place to start. After that the arch will be refined as required using string clearances as your guide.

Jim, Daniel, thanks for your contributions also!
Jim, it never hurts to remind anyone of the "obvious". (In my case, it's a fine idea.)
Daniel, I like your approach. It reminds me of Cumpiano's method of marking the nut with a flattened pencil to do the initial height adjustment.

Good stuff, amigos.

Steve

_________________
From Nacogdoches...the oldest town in Texas.

http://www.stephenkinnaird.com