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Do the long saddles (like in a Martin 00-18V) have to be compensated for intonation as the short ones do? Do they take as much compensation? The one I just took out of my 00-18V doesn't seem to be compensated at all. If it should be, I'd like to compensate the replacement bone one I'm working on right now.

TIA for any info anyone may be able to supply,

Ken

Check with Bob Colosi at guitarsaddles.com, he can probably help you out.

CrowDuck

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Chris Nielsen
Soquel, CA.

      Compensation is usually needed on all acoustics. The through saddles are often not done the same as the drop ins.
John Hall.
PS never saw one of them compensated

There is no difference between a short or long saddle to cause any effect
on the need for compensation. It's often a matter of traditional aesthetics.

Also, I am assuming you are referring compensation for individual strings
rather than the positon of the saddle. This is always (or at least should
be) compensated.

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Eschew obfuscation, espouse elucidation.

I compensate long saddles just like drop in ones. Like this:

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Rian Gitar og Mandolin

The first time i've seen compensated saddles was at Gerald Sheppard's site, and his guitars sounded really good if compensation had any role to play with it.

The 00-18V is 24.9" scale, right? You'll definitely benefit from
compensation, usually the B string is too sharp and the G string might be a
little flat. The saddle needs to look a bit like Arnt's picture. On a longer
scale, like over 25.4", compensation is a must but is not, to my ears at least,
always required. It all depends on the particular guitar and its set-up. String
gauge and action are the determinant factors here.

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Laurent Brondel
West Paris, Maine - USA
http://www.laurentbrondel.com/

15 Om's, 5 SJ, 4 dreads and I have had only 1 dread that required only the B sting compensated, and that probably is not true either because back then I had only an analog meter and it was not reallly that accurate. Im sure some get away with near no compensation on E-G and may pass an ear test through the 5-7 fret but I doubt one could ever pass a full intonation check. If you build to produce a fine crafted instrument then it is as important as neck set or any other processMichaelP38742.3901967593

For some reason many builders ( including the top large factories) just don't pay enough attention to intonation. They seem to place the saddle in the exact same position for every guitar they build ( I guess because it's "close enough"). I intonate each and every guitar I make and also install Buzz Feiten Tuning System on them as well. The guitar itself, by design, is out of tune. So if you don't intonate at all then you have a real problem ( unless of course you can't hear the difference then it realy doesn't matter does it? ). If you are interested in intonating your guitar and learning more about the "why's" go to Mike Doolin's site and read his eight part "thesis" on the topic. IT is the best I have ever had the pleasure to read.

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Dave Bland

remember...

"If it doesn't play in tune...it's just pretty wood"

Some people compensate with this!!!!

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Andy Z.
http://www.lazydogguitars.com

Hep but that is whole differnt scale length

Beautiful Fretboard!

Thanks to everyone for the responses. I ended up talking with Bob Colosi today, and he's sending me a couple of pieces, a bone nut and a bone saddle that are 'mostly' complete - they just need final fitting (the nut will have to have the slots cut). He was very helpful, and offers a pretty wide variety of pieces for a whole selection of guitars. I'd heard and seen his name mentioned several times in reference to saddles and nuts. I've made several nuts from blank, and several saddles as well, including intonating them (as best as I could), but this guitar came with a saddle that didn't appear to have much if any compensation at all. While I'm installing a new saddle, I'd like to go ahead and make it as good as I can. Hence the question.

Thanks again to all. This forum still amazes me!

Ken
Durham, NC
Newbie to luthery and the forum, who after playing guitar off and on for 35 years, is finally starting to get somewhere over the past two years after 'specializing' in fingerstyle playing :) Flat pics? Oh yeah, I remember those things!

Arnt, beautiful bridge and saddle, BTW!! And as Hesh suggested, I like the idea of cutting the slot and the bridge wider - that makes a lot of sense (one of my guitars was made that way).bluesphile38742.7832407407

I agree with the compensation issues. I have tried compensated tuning. It works great for me. You may already know but the way I do it is the first string Little E is tuned exactly on the center mark, B is 1 cent sharp and the top 4 strings are 2 cents flat. They say you need a strobe tuner to do it but my Boss TU-12h does the trick fine. I really was skeptical but it works on my guitars. Just an idea.