# Adjustable saddles on an acoustic guitar



## MetalGravy (Mar 15, 2015)

I feel stupid asking about this, but why aren't acoustics built with adjustable saddles?

I don't know if this would be more in the appropriate beginner section.


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## rikomaru (Mar 16, 2015)

Nope, it's a great question. I've been thinking about this a bit lately. Why don't builders just toss a flatmount bridge on acoustics? The simple hardtail strat-style bridge seems like it would work well. The issue definitely can't be string gauge since some of the players here damn near use bass strings. lol


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## KnightroExpress (Mar 16, 2015)

An acoustic guitar's top needs to vibrate in order to produce sound. While it may be physically possible to mount a typical hardtail bridge, I can't help but think that it would dampen/ruin the vibrational characteristics of the top.


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## GunnarJames (Mar 16, 2015)

Make the Strat style bridge base plate out of Rosewood or Ebony to match the fretboard, throw some Graphtech Tusq electric saddles on there, you'd be in business. Can't argue tone change if you use those materials. Could be a million dollar idea right there.  

There may or may not be a technical reason for it, if there is I'm not sure what it is. If I had to guess, it's because guitarists as a whole are traditionalists and don't adapt to innovation very well until after the idea bombed X amount of years ago. It certainly can't be for stability though, the amount of bridge reglues I do for people every winter is just stupid high. The only thing I can see potentially having to change is the bridge plate on the inside of the guitar, it may need to be thicker if you intend to screw the bridge into the top of the guitar.

:EDIT:



KnightroExpress said:


> An acoustic guitar's top needs to vibrate in order to produce sound. While it may be physically possible to mount a typical hardtail bridge, I can't help but think that it would dampen/ruin the vibrational characteristics of the top.



I don't think you'd have to worry about that. In fact, you could actually make the bridge base THINNER than a typical acoustic bridge, which I'd imagine would let the top vibrate more, provide the plate on the inside doesn't need to be thicker.


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## KnightroExpress (Mar 16, 2015)

It's definitely worth an experiment, I'd totally be interested in seeing what happens.


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## tedtan (Mar 16, 2015)

KnightroExpress said:


> An acoustic guitar's top needs to vibrate in order to produce sound. While it may be physically possible to mount a typical hardtail bridge, I can't help but think that it would dampen/ruin the vibrational characteristics of the top.



The acoustic guitar's top is essentially the speaker, and like KnightroExpress said, it produces sound by vibrating. Anything that hinders that, like:


Heavier bridge,
Larger surface area interfering with the top's ability to vibrate,
Decreased transfer of vibrational energy due to inefficiencies in bridge and saddle design,
Stiffer internal bracing to accommodate a heavier bridge,
Etc.
will cause a loss in volume and/or tone.

As an aside, Gibson tried a couple of variations on this theme on some of their '60s era acoustics, and they tend to be universally hated because they sound dead/bad. The trend has been to replace the adjustable bridge with a traditional design to improve the tone (though they have stiffer internal bracing than normal, too). (Note that I haven't played one, so I'm passing on second hand info here regarding tone, not passing judgment myself).


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## ElRay (Mar 16, 2015)

Unless you change string gauges/tunings frequently, the best bet would just be a properly compensated saddle: A wider saddle block that is shaped so that the break point is at the correct distance from the nut. It would take a bit more time initially, and not un-doable if you go too far. but it solves the issue without over loading/stiffening the top.

There are tools for this. They're little rollers that attache to the bridge pins and can be adjusted forward and back with a screw. Then, when the intonation is as good as it gets, then the bridge is marked, a grove cut through all the marks, and then the saddle fine-tuned after installation.


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## MetalGravy (Mar 20, 2015)

Hmm, I didn't think about the additional weight dampening the sound.


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## Overtone (Mar 20, 2015)

I wonder what some of the acoustic players focused on lots of alternate and extended range tunings end up having to do on their guitars (if anything) with respect to intonation and action. Like if they have different guitars set up for different tunings. Adjustability would be useful in that situation. Otherwise it's kind of a tradition that if the setup on an acoustic isn't that great when you buy it, you take it to someone who will set up the bridge and nut more optimally.


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## tedtan (Mar 20, 2015)

From what I've seen, most people will have a guitar set up for each tuning they use if they are fairly different. Otherwise, they will often have a bridge saddle dedicated to each tuning and swap saddles (and string gauges) when changing tunings (at least for recording). For casual playing, though, I've seen people just retune and not worry about it being slightly off far more often than not.


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## geoffstgermaine (Mar 20, 2015)

Kevin Pederson has an adjustable acoustic bridge that he uses on both flat top and archtop acoustic guitars. It uses machined bone saddles that run in a machined channel in the wood bridge.


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## Overtone (Mar 20, 2015)

That is badass. That seems like the only acceptable way to go. 

Or maybe the Babicz spider?

Babicz Guitars USA - Torque Reducing Split Bridge


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## Durero (Mar 20, 2015)

I've used a modified Babicz Telecaster bridge on a dreadnought build and it sounds great.

The Babicz hardware is aluminum and very light weight.

As far as I know the primary reason acoustic guitars typically lack adjustable bridges is a conservative reluctance to widely adopt adjustable bridge designs.

There have been many isolated examples of acoustic bridges with some degree of action and / or intonation adjustability, but unfortunately none are widely marketed by the big manufacturers.


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