jollyboy
Well-known member
I made a new saddle for my Kala Kala KA-SMHB baritone out of a Tusq XL nut blank. The uke comes with an ebony saddle (and nut) fitted as standard and it's fine - I think it adds to the overall warm tone of the instrument. But I couldn't help but wonder if maybe I could squeeze out a little extra clarity, especially with fluorocarbon strings installed.
I chose Tusq XL because it comes in black and I wanted to colour match the nut. The exact part number of the piece I used is PT-4125-00 (63.50mm x 3.17mm x 7.92mm). It just needed a little trimmed off the length and then I sanded it down to size. The whole job took about twenty minutes.
I'm pleased to report that it was totally worth doing IMHO
The uke sounds even better than before. There is improved clarity and separation and the strings just ring and ring.
Something I noticed before was that my Snark was having trouble 'finding' the tuning of strings up the neck. Previously, if I tested the tuning at, say, the fifth fret, the Snark would be sluggish and waver around, seemingly unable to settle on an exact measurement. This issue has now disappeared
I chose Tusq XL because it comes in black and I wanted to colour match the nut. The exact part number of the piece I used is PT-4125-00 (63.50mm x 3.17mm x 7.92mm). It just needed a little trimmed off the length and then I sanded it down to size. The whole job took about twenty minutes.
I'm pleased to report that it was totally worth doing IMHO
The uke sounds even better than before. There is improved clarity and separation and the strings just ring and ring.Something I noticed before was that my Snark was having trouble 'finding' the tuning of strings up the neck. Previously, if I tested the tuning at, say, the fifth fret, the Snark would be sluggish and waver around, seemingly unable to settle on an exact measurement. This issue has now disappeared
