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I'm just about to make the bridge for my first ukulele and was about to angle the saddle slot like I would on a guitar, but then realised I didn't know if ukuleles actually had angled saddles or not! Looking at a few pictures it would seem most don't, but don't the same principles apply?

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Hi Peter.

On the face of it, I agree the same principles apply. But with the short scale length and (not to be unkind) the type of music played its probably not worth trying to sort out an accurately compensated bridge.

Having said that my current project is a floating bridge Uke, to will be adjustable to suit.

I’m sure more knowledgeable opinions will be along to illuminate further.

All the best

Steve.

If you plan to use linear tuning then a slanted saddle is OK.

However, most ukes are tuned re-entrant gCEA, and there a slanted saddle is a problem because there will be too much compensation on the high g. If the uke might be strung either re-entrant or linear, a straight saddle which can be compensated later is probably the best choice.

I deal with the problem by using a straight saddle and filing back the peak to achieve my compensation. If the front of the saddle is about right for the g and A, then for a soprano I'll need 2mm-2.5mm for the C and less for the E. So a 3mm (1/8 inch) saddle is fine. Longer scales need less compensation, so a tenor only needs around 1-1.5mm for the C.

One sophistication is that, because uke strings are very stretchy, the player's fretting technique plays a huge part. If I were building for a heavy-handed player I might under-compensate the saddle a little because heavy finger pressure can raise the pitch by nearly 1/4 tone! OTOH, I've noticed that if the uke actually plays in tune with correct finger pressure, this can persuade the heavy-handed to lighten up (a cheap, badly-compensated uke will usually play flat up the neck, so some people with good ears unconsciously learn to fret hard in order to get closer to the right note!).

Thanks that makes sense. I thought there must be a reason they were mostly straight. I'd forgotten about the high g!

Sent from my Moto G (4) using Tapatalk

_________________
"I am always doing that which I cannot do, in order that I may learn how to do it."
Pablo Picasso

https://www.facebook.com/FenskeGuitars

1/8” saddle is enough to compensate for a low g Tenor. 3/32” for high g. I’ve seen some will use 3/32” for low g as well.

Typically a low G is slanted but a high G is not fyi. What Aaron said.

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