12-string Manifesto, part 3

 

Part of making an instrument your own is setting it up, or having it set up, for your playing style.  That means that the action (height of strings from fingerboard) is right for you.  This involves things like the nut (where the strings cross over to the fingerboard from the tuners and headstock), the bridge and bridge saddle, truss rod adjustment, and string gauges.  Setup for my instruments is a bit more complex than that, as I use very unorthodox tunings, registers, and consequently, string gauges.  I have a luthier friend that takes care of things I can't do, like fret leveling or making a new nut to accommodate my string gauges. 

I carve my own bridge saddles which is a big job.  The best bridge saddles for acoustic guitars are made of bone and are about as hard as a rock.  The saddle controls most of the action and intonation.  It's also where the sound begins, as another part of its job is to transmit vibrating string energy into the top.  Physically it is a small part, but incredibly important to both sound and playability.  

Yesterday's task was to finish setting up a recently acquired Martin 12-string which I have in baritone A tuning.  I needed to carve a new saddle and also to fit a new set of bridge pins. The stock bridge pins were slotted plastic which is standard issue on most guitars. They look nice but they don't sound as good as ebony pins or bone pins.  I also prefer unslotted pins because they provide a much tighter and more solid connection of the string into the bridge.  That provides a tonal improvement as well; the bass register is, for lack of a better word, bigger, and the treble ranges are crisper without being thin or harsh.  I hear more clarity and definition across all the registers, and there is also a palpable increase in overall instrument volume.  The slotted plastic pins decouple the string from the top which negatively impacts tone and volume. Unslotted pins are much easier on the bridge plate which is a part on the inside that you never see but plays a big role. Swapping out a new set of bridge pins means that the new pins have to be fitted to the bridge. Additionally on all my double-course instruments I shave down the bridge pin head and skirt for the octave strings. This allows for much tighter course spacing which I greatly prefer. Stock bridge pins push the courses wider apart at the bridge which I don't like. So, part of fitting a new set of bridge pins means that I have to also shave the octave pins. I had a new set of unslotted ebony pins for the Martin, so I got those fitted and shaved yesterday.  

Here's a photo of one of the new ebony pins.

Here are before and after photos showing the old white plastic pins, and the new ebony pins which have also been shaved for the octave strings.

If you look closely, you can see in the second photo how the pins in the top row are shaped like a backwards letter D.  That's the shaving process, and enables me to get much tighter course spacing.

Here is a photo of the new saddle.

You can't see it in the photo, but the top (rounded) edge is carved such that the intonation of each string is correct.  It's a seemingly small part, but it takes several hours to carve a bridge saddle.  The stock saddle was made of Corian, which is a hard plastic.  It was worn and needed to be replaced, but most importantly, bone saddles are a big upgrade tonally.  If you look at the pin comparison photo, the saddle is that white part that sits ahead of the pins.

This kind of work is tedious and difficult and not enjoyable.  However, it's required, and the end results are well worth it.

Now that all the setup is complete and the new bridge pins and saddle are in place, the instrument is easier to play due to the improved course spacing, and sounds noticeably better than it did with the stock pins and saddle.

You'll hear it on some upcoming album projects.

-kk