Upgrading Acoustic Guitars - Which Saddle Material is Best? Nut and Saddle Series Part 1 of 3

Have you ever thought about replacing the Nut or Saddle on your Acoustic guitar? These pieces are so influential to your overall tone, it would be silly to not at least consider it, especially if you have a guitar you like that you feel could use a tonal boost. Many people avoid servicing their own guitars because the believe that it's too difficult.

Today I hope to remove some of the confusion about replacing the Saddle on your acoustic guitar, and provide you with information that should help you to determine what kind of materials you want to use when you do the job. I'll be looking at Plastic, Bone, and Tusq, and I will be looking both at the differences in materials costs, as well as how each material requires different processing for proper installation. I also provide a clear demonstration of how to calculate how much material you will need to remove, when it comes times to lowering your saddle.

Post any questions in the comments, and I'll try to answer them!


Important Links:

My Instagram -   / millerscustomguitars  

My Facebook Page -   / millerscustomguitars  

Check out my Podcast! https://n1podcastobsessedwithobsessio...

Nut and Saddle Series Part 2: Nuts -    • Installing Acoustic Guitar Nuts: Adjustmen...  
Nut and Saddle Series Part 3: Setup and Sound Comparison -    • Plastic, Bone, and Tusq: Sound Comparison ...  


Links to things you see in this video:

Philadelphia Luthier: https://www.philadelphialuthiertools....

Hosco Nut Files: https://www.philadelphialuthiertools....

Stewmac: https://www.stewmac.com/

Digital String Height Gauge: https://www.lmii.com/measuring-tools/...

Tusq Saddles: https://graphtech.com/collections/tus...

Amazon Nut and Saddle Sander: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08MVLQZBT/...

Amazon Nuts and Saddles 5-Pack: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07C1XFBHM/...

Amazon Digital Calipers: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B017KUC6XQ/...

Amazon Guitar Setup Kit: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07QVXX5VY/...

Amazon Sticky Back Tape: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001AVB7YG/...

Amazon Emery Boards: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07MJD56WW/...


0:00 - Do you want it done right?
0:30 - Channel introduction and topic intro.
4:00 - Why Plastic Saddles and Nuts?
5:50 - What are the important measurements?
8:40 - Why Bone Saddles and Nuts?
10:43 - How to save even more money using Bone.
12:35 - Some of the downsides of using Bone.
13:40 - How to cut a Bone Saddle from Scratch.
15:50 - Determining Saddle Compensation
18:40 - Why upgrade to Tusq Saddles and Nuts?
21:35 - Installing a Tusq Saddle
22:18 - Yeah, but how to we adjust the height?
22:55 - Calculating how much to remove from the bottom.
25:40 - Methods for lowering the saddle
29:00 - Summary and outro

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