Compensated Saddles again

The Big Kahuna

The Big Kahuna

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How about individual bridge pieces, each with a tiny amount of compensation. You'd only need 3 different versions to offer 5 steps of compensation (or 4 steps and a straight-down-the-middle), as you could reverse them. You could offer them individually quite cheaply I'd imagine, obviously in different thicknesses to cater for different width slots.

Anyway, just a thought

bridge saddle_0001.jpgbridge saddle_0002.jpg
 
I saw Willie K. play here in Reno two years ago. He was playing his Kanile'a Concert, and noticed that each of the four strings had a seperate saddlle piece (probly compensated for each string) in the bridge. The saddle pieces were not connected, in fact there was a visable gap between pieces. I thought, what a concept. But I have never experimented with this myself, perhaps someday I will. I have made many handmade bone saddles attempting to achieve "perfect compensation" for perfect intonation.
 
Do you print 3D, too, Mr. Kahuna?
Every single peice custom made in your own shop ...
 
I'd love a 3D printer to be honest. Hugely expensive to run though. Especially if I printed out a Ukulele.

A 3D printed Electric:

ODDs-Atom-3D-printed-guit-008.jpg


A 3D printed Acoustic:

image67.png
 
I might try modelling a compensated Mandolin style retrofit saddle, just to see what it'd look like.
 
Reno Dave said:
The saddle pieces were not connected, in fact there was a visable gap between pieces.
Click to expand...

If that was the case, wouldn't the string tension pull the individual saddle blocks together?
Maybe a spacer below the bridge to keep them seperated?
H
 
I'm with Chuck on this. Besides which those individual ones look sharp enough to cause a lot of string breakage. All you need is "in the ballpark", and don't forget that intonation is the very last thing you do final adjustments for. First comes string brand, type, and gauge. Then perfect action at the nut. Then desired action at the bridge. Then some comp for intonation if you really need it...and with a decently built and set up uke, most people...who never go above the 7th fret...won't need that extra fine tuning. There is more error in most players' fretting fingers than in a well made uke.
 
Rick Turner said:
I'm with Chuck on this. Besides which those individual ones look sharp enough to cause a lot of string breakage. All you need is "in the ballpark", and don't forget that intonation is the very last thing you do final adjustments for. First comes string brand, type, and gauge. Then perfect action at the nut. Then desired action at the bridge. Then some comp for intonation if you really need it...and with a decently built and set up uke, most people...who never go above the 7th fret...won't need that extra fine tuning. There is more error in most players' fretting fingers than in a well made uke.
Click to expand...

Does this mean that a compensated saddle on a standard soprano ukulele is unnecessary? On my Martin OXK, the saddle is compensated. I can't see why, to be honest. Fact is, I'm considering getting a luthier friend of mine to replace it with a straight bone saddle. Any views on this, folks?
 
Worth a shot!

I'm always jumping up and down the neck, so the closer to perfect intonation the better.
 
Well there is probably no point in a standard, mass produced compensated saddle. Such standard compensated saddles only annoy me because the compensation is invariably wrong and then you have to find a plain saddle to adjust with custom compensation to be anywhere close to correct compensation. You have to pick your strings first and stick to them in order for saddle compensation to be meaningful.

Anthony
 
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