hypothetical saddle question

Blackdog131

Blackdog131

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Hello all,

I recently lowered my action, my uke now feels exactly wonderful to my weathered hands. It is pretty much as low as can be without buzzing. If say i had lowered the action to low, and did as most suggest 'jimmy' a piece of paper under the saddle to correct my 'hypothetical' wrong doings, surely tone and volume would take a hit as the saddles contact with the bridge would essentially be muffled by a less resonant, less dense material?

please could someone correct my thinkings!

Thank you!
 
Last edited:
Only just a bit. Because:
- Paper is thin. Paperthin, in fact.
- Paper does conduct sound, just not as good as wood. In fact, it contains some wood. The denser the paper, the better (think photo grade paper).
- The bottom of the saddle is less crucial than the top: put paper between strings and saddle, and the loss will be bigger than if you put the paper at the bottom, simply because the saddle vibrates in all directions, so also to the sides. It mainly affects the downwards/upwards vibrations, not the sideways ones.

I haven't done it with ukuleles, but I've played guitars with paper stacked under the saddle, with no significant loss.
 
I use strips of plastic food packaging, think yoghurt pot, margarine tub etc.

Paper may compress (a little) under the pressure of the strings, especially given the amount of strips of paper one is likely to need to make a significant difference.

Just remember that to achieve 1/2mm of change at the 12th fret you need to make 1mm of change at the saddle, so the thickness of the material used is a little less critical than one might initially anticipate. ;)
 
ukulelekarcsi said:
Only just a bit. Because:
- Paper is thin. Paperthin, in fact.
- Paper does conduct sound, just not as good as wood. In fact, it contains some wood. The denser the paper, the better (think photo grade paper).
- The bottom of the saddle is less crucial than the top: put paper between strings and saddle, and the loss will be bigger than if you put the paper at the bottom, simply because the saddle vibrates in all directions, so also to the sides. It mainly affects the downwards/upwards vibrations, not the sideways ones.

I haven't done it with ukuleles, but I've played guitars with paper stacked under the saddle, with no significant loss.
Click to expand...

would it still be ok, even with a pickup installed?
 
interesting idea.
im sure a time will come when i mess it up and ill try this method.
thanks
 
You can always buy a new saddle. They are not particularly expensive. You can use the old one to mark the new one so you don't take it down too far. I've heard of putting something under the nut to raise it but I don't think I have heard of putting paper under the saddle but if it works it works.
 
I always viewed shimming as a bit of a compromise (at least psychologically). These days I just buy a new bone saddle on ebay and sand it down to make a new one
 
kissing said:
I always viewed shimming as a bit of a compromise (at least psychologically). These days I just buy a new bone saddle on ebay and sand it down to make a new one
Click to expand...

I have empathy with this point of view, but having sanded a saddle (and got it wrong) I want to play it NOW so out comes the scissors and piece of packaging :mad:

Just occasionally, when fitting a replacement set of strings, a little buzz or rattle turns up which needs to be dealt with immediately ... maybe I really should have a stock of these things ;)
 
Since I'm no professional uke player, the miniscule loss that may occur when using shim material under the saddle doesn't phase me at all. When I shim, I use business card stock - it's stiff and easy to size into place.
 
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Oh shoot, I put stuff under the saddle all the time. I think the "right thing to do" is to replace the saddle, but for the sake of urgency I'll shim a saddle. I agree that something is being lost by using a shim, but I'm not the guy that could hear it. I can hear the buzz I'm trying to eliminate.
 
When cello or violin strings cut too far into their maple bridge, some people glue a piece of parchment into the slot. I've done this myself, and it works without changing the sound or buzzing. When I say parchment, it isn't really a paper, it's apparently a very thin leather or something. If it's used on violins & cellos, I imagine it could be used for ukulele nuts or shimming the saddle.

If you search for cello + parchment you'll find suppliers etc.
 
Uh, no, I wouldn't put paper under the saddle! Maybe under the strings at the nut, which wouldn't affect the sound much. If you go too low with the saddle, you need to get a new one and start over!
 
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