Fossilized Ivory Saddle Installation on a Martin Guitar

Replacing acoustic guitar saddles on bridges with set saddles (long saddles).

Here is just one example of a saddle installation on a bridge with a set saddle, we also refer to these as long saddles as they are glued in place and the ends of the saddle are exposed and shaped to match the wings of the bridge.

Step one is obvious.. simply remove the original saddle. The catch is the word simply.   You will find that many guitars equipped with a long saddle have them superglued in place to reduce it's desire to lean forward under string tension and that does not always permit easy removal.

I personally like to use heat applied directly to the saddle in order to soften the glue and remove the saddle in tact, if at all possible. But, this can be oh so dangerous for a novice who is unaware of the effects heat can have on certain finishes. If you overheat the finish or the bridge you could have a nasty problem on your hands.
Another option is to chip it out, snip the protruding crown off (which happens accidentally on occasion when trying to remove it) and then chisel what remains out of the slot. Those micro chisels are a real bonus but the reason I don't prefer that course of action is because I do not want to scar or alter the saddles slot at all. I want everything clean and crisp, like it's never been touched.
Another option...if you really wanted too ...would be to set up your saddle slotting jig and route out what remains in the slot...anything less than perfect alignment here could also spell TYLENOL! I've not gone this route unless someone has already monkeyed up the saddle slot and I'm returning it to original.
 

Removal of original saddle, in tact, if at all possible.

Original saddle and uncut Fossilized Ivory blank for shaping.

Now, if we were able to remove the original in tact, we have a nice little template to use for comparison while carving the new saddle, yippee. After thinning the saddle blank so that it sits snuggly in the slot and firmly on the bottom, the task of shaping the "wings" begins.
One reason they look soooo good originally is because most manufacturers place the saddle in the semi-shaped bridge first and then shape the wings of the bridge and the wings of the saddle at the same time (as one). Uh huh, cheaters. You know there are many things that are easier when dealing with new construction than with repair of completed instruments...this would be one.
The crown is then given it's radius (arched shape) which determines the height of the strings above the frets and it is "crowned" or compensated. I normally have to do a little bit of scraping/sanding to insure that the wings of the saddle feel like they are part of the bridge and neither sit higher or lower than the bridge.
If it hasn't occurred to you yet, replacing and adjusting a long (a.k.a. through or set) saddle is far more involved than the more common 'drop in' saddles. Drop in saddles are not glued in place and adjusting the height of those can be as simple as sanding a bit off of the bottom and reinstalling it. If one desires to lower a set saddle, reshaping/compensating of the crown will be necessary and if too much material is removed...you get to start again!
After stringing this one up and checking the string break angle and intonation further adjustments can be made if necessary.

View Graph Tech Acoustic Guitar Saddles

Making Adjustments To Set Saddles

One of the draw backs to these saddles is that adjustments are far more involved. Lowering a set saddle requires filing it while it is still mounted in the bridge, resurfacing it's crown and polishing out the scratches. If the saddle in question is compensated there's lots more work for you.

On bridges with drop in saddles it is not uncommon for me to make certain customers what we deem a "summer and winter saddle", especially when the customer is demanding very low action on an instrument and travels to different climates.

Drop in saddles give those with insanely low action an easy option should seasonal changes adversely affect their action. As you may already be aware as humidity drops, flat top acoustic guitars are prone to flatten out a bit which can drop the action. If you are dealing with a traveling musician who's instrument is subject to frequent and dramatic environmental changes, dialing in the ultra low- skirting the edge of buzz height action may be a costly tweak as raising it may require a new, taller saddle (a.k.a starting from scratch).

F.A.Q.'s

What about pickups? Other obvious limitations on long saddle bridges can be your choice of pickups. They do not lend themselves well to undersaddle pickups for obvious reasons. I have seen some install an undersaddle Fishman Matrix beneath a long saddle but I personally don't offer it. Yuck, that's all I'm going to say. They chop the saddle into 3 pieces so the wings stay glued in and the center can move up and down and compress the saddle. Eeek! If you really gotta have one my advice would be to simply replace the bridge or fill and recut the saddle slot to accommodate a drop in saddle.
Other pickups like the L.R. Baggs L-6 pickup would not be an option with a set saddle either.

L-6 pickup, for drop in saddle bridges only.
 

So what kind of pickups can I use with my set saddle bridge? Here are a few that come to mind:

What about the effects on sound of a set saddle? You will of course come across those of the opinion that the long saddle makes a noticeable difference in the sound of an instrument. If you haven't, just start visiting forums. You are also likely to run across opinions about pickguard thickness, finish type and thickness, popsicle braces, peghead styles etc. and how they all change an instruments sound. So don't say I didn't warn you analytical types.
I tend to avoid lengthy discussions (and especially arguments) about things that are one man's opinion vs. another's, hence I include very few "rants" on my website.
There are certain tweaks and upgrades that I personally feel improve an instruments sound and sustain but tone will always be subjective. If you think your instrument sounds great who am I to argue that? (If you bring in a frog and think a bone saddle is going to make it a prince you may receive a disclaimer.)


So why do they make bridges with long saddles if they're such a hassle?  Well, besides the sound argument, I believe that originally bridges were slotted in this manner because in ye ole days a bridge could be placed on a table saw and in one pass the saddle slot could be cut, passing straight thru the bridge. But as routers and other equipment became popular it was no longer difficult to make a routed, inlayed slot which proved advantageous in other ways. I could be wrong, but I think that's the story.
 

What if I don't want a set saddle style bridge? If it becomes an issue, you can have a set saddle bridge converted to a drop in saddle bridge. This can be done in two ways. You can have the original long saddle slot filled with the same type of wood that the bridge is made from and recut to accommodate the drop in style. Or, you can have the bridge itself replaced. Truthfully, filling the original slot really doesn't look that bad, especially if the bridge is ebony or dark by nature. Depends on how invisible it needs to be, how difficult and costly of a bridge it might be to replicate and whether maintaining the original (albeit altered) bridge is important.

Where do you purchase Fossilized Ivory? While there are several companies that offer it I've got to recommend Bryan England.
First off, I can tell you from experience that their Fossilized Walrus Ivory is absolutely stunning. It has a marble like appearance (see picture below) and is very dense. While filing and sanding on bone and ivory you get a feeling for just how hard the material you're working with is and I have always been pleased with their ivory.
They also offer limited styles of pre-made saddles and nuts for do-it-yourselfers. Check out their website, I'm sure you'll find them just as friendly and helpful as I have. They also offer ivory bridge pins, strap buttons and other accessories.
I stock fossilized ivory for saddle replication but do not offer it as a mail order product.

Typical Color and Character of Vintage Ventures Fossilized Walrus Ivory (Front)