FAQ

“I really love what I do and get an enormous amount of satisfaction when someone is simply happier with their instrument because of something I did to it or made for it.” - Bob

When Bob retired, it left a huge void in the guitar world. Back in ‘03 he offered to build saddles for some forum members and within a few days his kitchen was stacked high with mailers! There’s a place for mass produced saddles, but there’s something magical about a hand carved piece we know was meticulously made by someone whose sole focus is to make our instruments better. I intend to carry on that magic and artisan spirit.

Like many of you, I was a customer of Bob’s. When I went to his site to order some “Colosi Bone” and saw he’d truly retired, I reached out. A 3-hr. conversation ensued and by the end, our wheels were turning. He needed someone to hand the torch to. Demand was, and still is, high for his skills. Even before going live officially, I was contacted by several people who’d vetted me though Bob and were ready to order. (Thank you by the way!)

I’ve been making saddles and repairing instruments since I was a teenager, so as the conversation went on, it shifted to the idea of me stepping up. There was only one path I’d take though - earning his endorsement, however long that took.

Bob’s legacy will live on. He’s taught me so much and was incredibly graceful in sharing his knowledge and wisdom. He’s not only a master craftsman, but also a master teacher.

Did he teach me his secret method of dyeing pins? Yes. How about how to inspect bone and other natural materials to meet his standards? Yes. Will I do YouTube tutorials on them? No. Some mysteries are best kept among fellow craftsmen. I owe him that much.

Forums are fantastic, aren’t they? I’ve learned so much from them and met so many great people, but let’s also be honest - there’s plenty of rubbish being tossed around as well. Post count ≠ expertise.

Reach out, I’m glad to discuss these forum lores.

Yes, I will continue to offer customer spec’ed and reproduction saddles. I will also be doing this for pins soon, such as for oversized/non-standard bridges or if one got reamed out too far accidentally. It was an accident, right?

Customer Spec’ed - This is where we collaborate on unique pieces. Maybe you want to try moving the b compensation back or forward a bit because it’s not sounding right with the stock patterns. Or you play in alternate tunings where the low E needs to be pushed back a little to increase tension and intonate better when in DADGAD or lower. Let’s talk.

Reproductions - The best way to go about this is to send your saddle to me. Having it on my bench is crucial to the process. How do you go about doing this? It all starts with an email or call. We’ll work together to determine the specs and I’ll provide instructions on how to get it to me.

I’ve never picked up an instrument made by a master luthier with a plastic saddle or nut on it. Think about the upper echelon of the big named models - classic Martins from the D-18 Standard up come with bone.

I’ve seen the synthetic charts and have experimented with them. Sometimes I’d think, “This sounds pretty good, different, but I can see why some people would like it.” I’d then pickup a guitar with a proper bone saddle and be inspired again. Synthetics have their place, especially among factories who pump out thousands of instruments a year. They’re a big step up from the old plastics, but to my ears, the magic’s missing.

That magic comes from bone’s organic structure, which presents harmonic complexity modern synthetics have yet to replicate. I also think it might have to do with our ears being tuned for thousands of years to these natural materials.

A note here is there are some trash bone saddles out there. I won’t say who, although I really want to, but I recently ordered bone saddles from a few big name manufacturers. Most were ok and might work in a pinch, although they wouldn’t pass my inspection. One in particular was absolutely unacceptable, lacking density and the structural consistency required to pass on my workbench. Maybe I’ll use it for a video comparison.

No, and realistically no one else does either unless they have the guitar in front of them. Saddles require a human touch to be just right. Occasionally I’ve ordered one which got real close, but I can’t think of a time when it didn’t need to do a little finessing to fit perfectly. There’s been times it wobbled around in the slot, too. That was worse than having to do some shaping because material can be removed, but not added. That’s money down the drain.

My approach to this is carving saddles slightly larger than the spec (within a few thousands of an inch). This allows tolerance for wider slots and gives the player some leeway to fit it perfectly. I include instructions and a strip of sandpaper with every saddle so you can get it just right.

If you’re not comfortable doing it, no worries! I’m glad to answer your questions or give your local guitar tech a call.

I’m lifting what Colosi said about this, “They take more patience than they do mechanical aptitude.” This is true.

My saddles come with detailed instructions and a strip of PSA (adhesive backed) sandpaper which will ease off some material if necessary and also keep it looking great.

Have you heard about the Fender lawsuit for even mentioning their name? I’m kidding, sort of, but here’s the real reason why - as long as we can determine what type of saddle you need, there’s no need for you to have to sift through a long list of supported makes/models. Because each saddle is handmade to order, I prefer to rely on my own verified database to ensure you’re matched up.

I’ve been capturing dimensions for a long time. Let me worry about the specs.

Yes, we’ll just need to verify the specs.

Let’s start with what “bleached” actually means when talking about bone. Bleached bone in our context means processed and whitened, which interestingly does not involve using bleach.

Bleach can weaken and deteriorate bone, but none of mine are done this way. In fact, I prefer to process and age my bone stock in-house to maintain structural integrity and final color variances.

As for whether my unbleached bone is more resonant than the bleached, I’m open to the idea. In the last week I inspected ~200 saddles in each variation. I even do a light “tap test” on them for resonant qualities. I’m listening for a distinct ring and there was no discernible difference between them.

Speaking of inspections, I’ll go into more depth about this in a post, but don’t get hung up on forum lore about what to look for when candle checking bone. Sometimes a uniform “clouding” is better than what appears to be “straight grain.” What appears to be straight grain could be tiny stress fractures. Bone is different than what we’re used to when talking about wood grain. I personally think bone which is structurally strong and has some character can be beautiful in a guitar, especially on sunbursts and/or instruments with off-white or wood binding. It adds to the gorgeous aesthetics of the great artist - Mother Nature.

I keep a stock of bone nut blanks and am happy to make you one. The reason I don’t offer them under services is because nuts are trickier to install than saddles or pins. Mine come slightly oversized, just as the saddles, without being slotted.

Every nut goes through the same inspection process and can be installed by the savvy DIY player or your favorite local tech.

Absolutely. Each one is hand selected and inspected according to my strict standards just as my finished pieces are. I offer blanks unfinished and radiused.

Yes, in most cases. Some items have legal restrictions. Please contact me for an accurate shipping cost quote.

Let’s keep this simple. I can only accept returns for items which haven’t been modified in any way by the user or their tech.

If you receive your order and something isn’t right, get in touch and we can discuss it.