Nuts and Bridges

[Jim Ayers]

I'm building my own bridge and have been studying saddles and compensation, etc. I found a pretty good article at Frets (http://www.frets.com/FRETSpages/Musician/Guitar/Setup/Saddle/saddle01.html). From what I gather, the sharper the edge on the saddle, the better the tone. That makes sense. I understand I want a single focal point where the string meets the saddle, as opposed to say a flat saddle where the vibration can be subdued a bit. So I was wondering, should we go for the same idea on the nut as well? I just bought a nut from Tusq, and it is what I might call a half round, where the nut on the machine side is rounded and on the fret side is squared off. Wouldn't it be more efficient to have a pointed nut, or am I just way off base here?

Here's what I understand I want in a saddle, minus the compensation, from Frets:
http://www.frets.com/FRETSpages/Musician/Guitar/Setup/Saddle/SaddleViews/showtop.jpg

Here's the nut I bought from Tusq:
http://i850.photobucket.com/albums/ab66/PBJim/Mandolin%20Images/TusqLefty.jpg

Yes, I'm a southpaw.

[EdHanrahan]

Since nobody has jumped in, here's a purely amateur opinion:

One big difference between saddles and nuts is that tuning does not cause the string to "saw" its way across the saddle, as it does across the nut, being much closer to the tuners. Thus, a relatively sharp saddle will last for a long time, while a sharp nut will wear down and lose height fairly quickly. The (or my!) standard practice is to support the string across the full width of the nut. As long as there's some slight break angle at the front end (toward the frets), wearing down shouldn't become an issue, and should avoid developing a buzz-inducing flat spot.

Keep in mind that the saddle end of the string is most critical for tone & volume, while the nut end is far from the soundboard, AND becomes almost irrelevant whenever the string is fretted.

Hope this helps!

[Rolfe]

Since nobody has jumped in, here's a purely amateur opinion:

One big difference between saddles and nuts is that tuning does not cause the string to "saw" its way across the saddle, as it does across the nut, being much closer to the tuners.

Actually, the strings do "saw" the saddle grooves. Tuning (tightening the strings) tends to pull the bridge toward the fingerboard, and you have to pull it back to a vertical position for good contact with the top. You want a couple of millimeters of string contact with the saddle at the front of the saddle.

[MikeB]

This seems like another good argument for using a zero fret. Strings slide through the slots in the nut, but all the pressure is on the zero fret.

[Big Joe]

Actually Rolfe is correct on the saddle. If you have too much of a point you will soon have grooves in the saddle and need to replace it. A good intonation point can be achieved with a rounded saddle top. I'm not sure square is needed but rounded so you have a bit of strength and will help resist cutting the material would likely be best.

The nut should have a good slant to the back and a good surface cut properly for the string guage you are using. I think the issue far more important is proper fit, shape, and material. Tusq has its place, but certainly is not going to give the same performance as good bone or fossil ivory. Each has its place and many manufacturers suggest Tusq to help reduce issues with the pickups. If you use a bone saddle and it is not a good piece of bone and properly installed you could have uneven spots on the pickup. It is easier for factories who do high production numbers to use an artificial material to help guarantee consistency. Personally I do not care much for Tusq. We use bone unless a customer insists on something else. I think a good piece of bone fit right will certainly do better than a piece of Tusq pre cut from the store or factory.

[mark spalding]

Howdy room, I just purchased a 110 A rogue,is the saddle supposed to be glued on or does it sit freely on top like a bridge for a violin,Im new to this,all help appreciated.
friend Mark

[bigbike]

Howdy room, I just purchased a 110 A rogue,is the saddle supposed to be glued on or does it sit freely on top like a bridge for a violin,Im new to this,all help appreciated.
friend Mark

If you mean bridge, it floats freely, it is not to be glued. Occassionally you may have to check its positioning, but that will not be too often under normal circumstances-oh and welcome to the mad house, uh I mean mandolincafe!

[Lefty Luthier]

It has been my experience that too sharp an edge on saddle notches will permit the strings to cut in more quickly than a rounded surface. Unless striving for an ultra light saddle, I regularly use tiny pieces of bone for each string pair both for better wear and the ability to more easily make precise intonation adjustments. I occasionally get a request for TUSQ nuts but much prefer bone and pearl both for wear and high frequency vibration transmission. In all cases, a well rounded backside curve of the nut notches should be done to spread out the side to side vibration load.