Shimming a saddle.

mikelz777

mikelz777

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 29, 2012
Messages
3,247
Reaction score
3,016
Location
MN metro suburbs
I have a couple of ukes with really low action and I was interested in raising that action anywhere from .4-.6mm by shimming the saddle.

If you have shimmed a saddle before, what did you use to shim it with? I don't want to have to buy anything so I'd want to use something that would commonly be laying around the house. Maybe a business card? A playing card? An index card? Should I be seeking out something plastic rather than paper or wouldn't it matter?

Would raising the action in this manner by .4-.6mm make a noticeable change in volume or would it have no effect at all on the volume?
 
Hey Mike, I am not a qualified luthier, however I have shimmed a few saddles. I recommend using the hardest material you can work with for the shim. Dense wood or plastic will work. The energy from the string gets transferred to the sound board through the saddle and bridge, you don't want any of the energy absorbed by something mushy.
 
Shimming with plastic or paper will likely have a substractive effect on the volume.

Keep in mind that to raise the action at the 12th fret by .4 mm - .6 mm, you're going to need to shim the saddle .8 mm - 1.2 mm.

If I were you, I'd laminate some thin paper (string pack paper, rolling paper, etc.) in superglue to the bottom of the saddle and shape it from there.
 
Even a plastic credit card is only .6mm thick, so you'd need 2 shims cut from that to raise the action .6mm. Pretty easy to try, I did it recently to a cheap tenor, taking it from about 2.25mm to 2.75mm. I think I hear a bit more volume, tone didn't change much, but it could just be my old ears fooling me. I've always heard that raising the saddle height will usually increase volume.

Better would be a 1mm thin piece of hardwood, but finding one is easier said than done. I'd just try the plastic, and get an idea of any change to the sound, then get a better hardwood shim later. I have a bunch of old bone and Tusq guitar saddles hanging around that would probably make great shims, but don't have the tools or skills to slice off shims that small. Even look in your recycling bin, there's probably some different thicknesses of plastic material lurking in there!
 
Last edited:
I wouldn't that concerned about the effect on tone, as technicians have reported finding the most amazing things used to shim saddles (paper, cardboard, plastic, tin can material, leather, wood), often without the owner even knowing they are there. And if anything the volume could increase if you raise the string height. A typical credit card is 0.75 mm, so one thickness wouldn't quite do it for you, but it wouldn't hurt to put in two thickness and see how well it works (which would raise the action 0.75 mm at the 12th fret). Or try using business cars, which are usually about 0.25 mm, so that four layers might just do it for you. It's quick and easy to try, as you don't even have to remove the strings, just loosen them enough to get the saddle out to use as a template and install the shims.
 
Thank you to everyone that posted so far!

After I posted the initial question and took off for lunch I was kind of thinking that a harder shim might be better than a softer shim which might absorb some of the vibrations. I also didn't think about needing to shim more than the actual amount I wanted to raise the string at the 12th fret. I have some used up plastic gift cards so maybe I'll try one of them for starters.
 
I'll be contrarian and suggest you purchase a new saddle then cut it down. The reason is that I just discovered why one of my ukes sounded poorly: a shim under the saddle
Tusq and Nubone are just two inexpensive solutions.
 
Sanding down a new saddle will be your best bet long term.

If you have any old CD cases you can use them. I measured a thin case I have nearby, both halves measured 1.1mm thick. I'd use the back black plastic half, or insert on a regular CD case. half. It won't be quite as brittle as the clear top. Cases vary in thickness. The regular CD case I just measured measured 1.2mm. A newer flimsier one was 1.1mm. Insert as well as outer clear case.

Good luck.

PS: I hope you don't have a piezo pickup under the saddle. I wouldn't mess with that if it's working well with anything other than a new saddle.
 
In my case, I had a bone saddle and I glued a strip of ebony to the bottom of it after sanding it down to the height I wanted. Worked like a charm to remove the buzz I was getting and had no negative effect on volume, pickup behavior, or anything else. I think I still have the rest of the strip that DocJ sent to me. I'd be happy to send it to you if you think you can use it.
 
Jim Hanks said:
In my case, I had a bone saddle and I glued a strip of ebony to the bottom of it after sanding it down to the height I wanted. Worked like a charm to remove the buzz I was getting and had no negative effect on volume, pickup behavior, or anything else. I think I still have the rest of the strip that DocJ sent to me. I'd be happy to send it to you if you think you can use it.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the offer! It's very thoughtful and helpful but I'll play around with what I find around the house.
 
I got a bone saddle and shaped a shim from that. I just used a dremel.

Jim your idea sounds like a great one as well.
 
The taller the shim, the less of the original saddle will remain in the slot on the bridge. If not enough of the saddle is in the bridge, the saddle will slant twards the peg head when the strings are brought to proper tension. This will change the intonation, and it could also damage the bridge.

So when you are finished with the shim, check how well the saddle fits in the bridge.
 
uke51 said:
The taller the shim, the less of the original saddle will remain in the slot on the bridge. If not enough of the saddle is in the bridge, the saddle will slant twards the peg head when the strings are brought to proper tension. This will change the intonation, and it could also damage the bridge.

So when you are finished with the shim, check how well the saddle fits in the bridge.
Click to expand...

How about gluing the shim to the saddle?
 
uke51 said:
The taller the shim, the less of the original saddle will remain in the slot on the bridge. If not enough of the saddle is in the bridge, the saddle will slant twards the peg head when the strings are brought to proper tension. This will change the intonation, and it could also damage the bridge.

So when you are finished with the shim, check how well the saddle fits in the bridge.
Click to expand...

Good point! I don't think it will be an issue. If an average credit card is .8 mm and the effect at the 12th fret is half that I think raising the action by .4 mm will work well for me so I'd be adding less than 1 mm at the bridge/saddle.

I'm not even certain that I need to raise the action. I've been playing two of my ukes regularly and every now and then I'm getting a sound I can't put my finger on so to speak. (On both - both with low action) It sounds kind of like a clicking sound or maybe a slight buzz and I can't tell if it is just the way my nail is hitting the string or maybe a slight buzz or maybe it's the occasional result of sloppy chording by the fret hand. When I hear it I stop to try and recreate the sound but I can't. I notice it usually when I'm playing a faster/louder song with a lot of chord changes. I don't remember hearing the sound before so maybe it's the dry winter air changing the action ever so slightly. (both have an Oasis humidifier in the sound hole) I figured shimming the saddle would be an easy and easily reversible thing to try to see if it makes a difference.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Lapyang
Shimming the saddle
2
Replies
35
Views
5K
Lapyang
Lapyang
D
Ukulele Saddle Shimming
Replies
9
Views
4K
olgoat52
olgoat52
Mim
Saddle Shimming
Replies
14
Views
1K
Vic D
Vic D
Lanark
Shimming a saddle
Replies
13
Views
3K
Moore Bettah Ukuleles
Moore Bettah Ukuleles
U
Shimming a brand new uke?
Replies
6
Views
455
bazmaz
bazmaz
Top Bottom