Saddle-swap talk

What's shown in the pic above?

It's a saddle swap; only the bridge saddles were replaced, not the entire bridge. In this case non-metal saddles (graphite) were chosen.

Any effect to this swap?

Yes.

1. Non-metal bridge saddles do not feature potential sharp edges so they don't cut the strings during tuning & breakages could be avoided
2. Non-metal so they won't rust
3. The screws in the non-metal saddles here are not protruding out so they won't jab the picking hand while playing
4. Non-metal material manifests a mellower tone (makes perfect sense to counter those bright single coils) but unless you are monitoring this closely through headphones, you won't hear the real difference

Do you need a tech to do this?

No, if you have any experiences with a screwdriver at all, it's a DIY thing. However, you need to re-intonate your guitar thereafter.

How much, where & what are the brand names to look out for?

The saddles are sold in a set, so a set of 6 would be about $40/-, available at guitar stores offering replacement parts. I've had good experiences with Allparts/ Graphtech.

Return of the Graphtech

My (Fender) ST-72 now gets a set of Graphtech saddles.


What's so good about them?
They are not 'so good', mind you. They just serve their purpose- to ensure smooth contact between the strings & the saddle.

How much?
$40 per set, available @ Davis GMC

Does it kill tone?
I don't hear any tone deterioration, my Strat still sound as snappy as ever. However if you love your default pickups but wish for a less protruding treble end, the graphite helps.

Graphtech: Ferra glides

Since I'm at it, I might as well replace the bridge saddles of my Fender ST-72. I've had the Graphtech graphite saddles in two of my other guitars so it's time to try something different but I'm sticking to the Graptech brand name. This time, it's a set of Ferra Glides.

The Ferra Glides saddles feature a graphite insert between each individual saddle's action adjustment area (those small screws you see at the pickup end of the component). This would prevent string breakage & better response to tuning adjustments as claimed by the manufacturer. It would also mean each saddle weighs less than an average steel unit so there's an impact on tone while retaining the steel's brightness. However, I have not re-strung this guitar. Yet.

Graphite saddles

I have a set of graphite saddles in the bridge of my Highway1 Strat. There were initially Graphtech units in there but those were replaced with the Allparts version you see in the pic above. Despite the former being the more preferred brand name for their graphite related replacement hardwares, I would urge fellow guitarists to try out other brand names which might not be as well known but offer a serious performance alternative. The Allparts products certain cost less...

Smash it again (2)!

I've decided to not whammy with my Smash S2 Lite, so 2 more vibrato bridge springs were installed. Is this necessary? The 2 added springs prevent the bridge from jerking up during bends, if the bridge moves, the pitch would run.

I've also installed a set of graphite string saddles (this time it's the Graph Tech version) not because it's addressing a pertinent string breakage issue but rather a tone enhancement move (adding a little more brightness in the output) & the fact that these saddles do not feature protruding action adjustment screws which are murderous to the picking hand.