Acoustic Guitar Construction

Ken, if you move the discussion you can maybe move this question with it: if you wanted to use a saddle slot that is NOT angled, what would the thickness of the saddle have to be to accommodate intonation across all the strings? As you know I use a 1/4" saddle and I've been wondering if there is any math that would mitigate against a non-angled slot.

.25+? a little

The 3 degree angle builds in an automatic .22 for the thicker string compensation, plus some surface for the contact peaks near the edges -- "B" and low "E" The "G" string has the thinest core so its peak is the closest to the nut side of the bridge.

Here's the sketch I should have attached.

Yes Dave that could do the trick. 3 degrees offset takes about 3.14 mm (1/8") space over a 60 mm (2.36") wide saddle, And normally a 1/8" wide saddle gives the width to compensate per string. Two times 1/8" makes 1/4" . Mind that with this width that there is only little spare room for errors.

So if you want you can put in such a pianokey. Comes in two colors.

Herman

I got the idea for the piano key from a piano builder named Mike Doolin :-) Though I notice now that he does give an angle to the slot.

Dave, you should be OK with that saddle, the hard part will be drilling those off-set oblong bridge pin holes.

I thought that the angle in the saddle was to compensate for the fact that the under tension that the bridge and thus the saddle is going to rotate a bit? As it rotates the saddle will present a thickness closer to its true thickness to the string.

Having said that I have accurately intonated a guitar with a 1/8 saddle, I usually use a 3/16 saddle so I am sure that a 1/4" saddle will have a lot of room to intonate.