What kinds of saddles do you all like to use for your bendors?

[jdawg]

Is brass going to be too soft? Callaham has some called the Enhanced Vintage Compensated Tele Saddles that look nice but are pretty pricey at $45. Steel is recommended for benders. What would you all recommend?

You like how I spelled it bendor? oops

[Chet Johnson]

Graph tech

[Ramblin Ray]

I like '60's steel saddles on my 33yr. old PW bender.

[Ignatius]

http://www.tdpri.com/forum/b-bender-...es-bender.html

[BrianF]

I like either a grooved steel Fender (ala 69 thinline re-issue style) or my new find. KTS titanium saddle with a real thin groove. These work great with a bender.

[ironweed]

Stew-Mac compensated brass, replace every 2 years or 50,000 miles -- when the groove gets too deep. You can turn the E-B over, and get a fresh surface to work with at 1/2 of life. I have tried other steel grooved or threaded saddles for E-B, but can hear the difference when mis-matched with brass on G-D and A-E....and I don't want to go away from brass on other strings.

[jdawg]

Originally Posted by Ignatius

http://www.tdpri.com/forum/b-bender-...es-bender.html

Thanks for the link. Did you end up going with these saddles? I would rather stick with brass. The Callaham ones are appealing to me because they seem to deal with the issue of proper string spacing. My other compensated saddles give me strings that aren't evenly spaced.

Are most of you using the non-compensated types? It seems like a standard saddle would have fewer issues to deal with when using a bender.

[jdawg]

Originally Posted by ironweed

Stew-Mac compensated brass, replace every 2 years or 50,000 miles -- when the groove gets too deep. You can turn the E-B over, and get a fresh surface to work with at 1/2 of life. I have tried other steel grooved or threaded saddles for E-B, but can hear the difference when mis-matched with brass on G-D and A-E....and I don't want to go away from brass on other strings.

Do you have string spacing issues with your saddles?

[Silverface]

I use Stewmac and Callaham compensated saddles on my benders (different ones on different guitars, but all brass - superior tone IMO)

There are no string spacing issues - why would there be? The angle of the saddle has zero effect on string spacing - it just changes scale length .

[ironweed]

What I've found...with a brand-new slick brass saddle, it takes a 400 bends or so for the string to "seat" and start a tiny groove. So you may have some b-string-side-to-side-wallowing issues for a day or two.

[Chet Johnson]

My first bender guitar, a 96 Fender Parsons Greene had an incredibly annoying squeak with every bend. I tried white lithium grease as my first attempt. It does remove the squeak well and works smooth, but its temporary.

The permanent solution that has worked for 10 years so far is Graph Tech String Saver saddles.

The B string saddle was cut in the middle for the string, but it is structurally sound. Like I said, its been on there for 10 years.

They are available in 3 ssddle, and 3 saddle compensated too.

[helle_man]

Is this a common problem with strap activated systems? Do any Hipshot users out there have this problem?

I guess I'm just lucky with my Hipshots, because I've used them on many different G&L's and Fenders without any saddle issues. I just lube the saddle and I'm good to go.

WR

[bender-freak]

Originally Posted by helle_man

Is this a common problem with strap activated systems? Do any Hipshot users out there have this problem?

I guess I'm just lucky with my Hipshots, because I've used them on many different G&L's and Fenders without any saddle issues. I just lube the saddle and I'm good to go.

WR

i've replaced saddles on my P/G bender-tele because of "groove" issues, but have never had to on any of my Hipshot equipped guitars, don't know what the difference may be, but it's there...

[jdawg]

Thank you all for your input. I think I'm just going to go with the standard three barrel brass ones for now, since I already have a set. The Callaham ones look nice but I have to pay for some other components as well so I'll hold off and see how the standard ones work for me. My guitar currently has an American Standard bridge that I'm about to swap out for a Glendale bridge and I also am going to put some different pickups in it, as well as other things. So thank you again, everybody.

[Chet Johnson]

Originally Posted by bender-freak

i've replaced saddles on my P/G bender-tele because of "groove" issues, but have never had to on any of my Hipshot equipped guitars, don't know what the difference may be, but it's there...

Jay Monterose told me once that saddle squeaks are a result of a lack of downward string pressure. I believe that to a certain degree.

As per Will's "lubing" saddles. I've done this, but it is a temporary solution.

Saddle grooving is a combination of string " sawing" when the bender is actuated and released, as well as saddle meterial. Brass vs. Steel vs. Graphite, etc.

The Parsons Green that I put Graph tech saddles on years ago has worked great ( I also removed the bender once and cut the spring two rings shorter and bent one ring over in place of the old one. It is much much less prone to "accidental" bends when moving around. The feel is more like that now of a Parsons white tension.)

The Bill Bores double bender in my current main tele has a Parsons B and a Saddle G bender. The G saddle has a rocking cam in it, and the Parsons B slides on a Chrome plated Gotoh Brass saddle. I haven't had any squeaking problems as of yet. The G rocks, stretching the string with no dragging, sawing motion, and the saddle and plating density must be ok in this case.

[BrianF]

HI Chet...That's a nice bender setup.

Just curious. Was that Tele body drilled for a stock American Standard type Tele/bridge? Or was that vintage style Tele body (ie drilled for a vintage bridge hole pattern) and retro-fitted with a six saddle bridge to fit a vintage bridge hole pattern?

The reason that I ask is that with a normal Vintage style bridge the bender hub is 1.5 inches behind the string thru holes...and it's relative position looks to be just about wher your bender hub is in relation to the back edge of the bridge.

On an American standard bridge the hub winds up closer to the back edge of the bride due to the differences in the bridge dimensions and it's mounting holes. ...(ie like your Parsons Green picture above)

[Chet Johnson]

Originally Posted by BrianF

HI Chet...That's a nice bender setup.

Just curious. Was that Tele body drilled for a stock American Standard type Tele/bridge? Or was that vintage style Tele body (ie drilled for a vintage bridge hole pattern) and retro-fitted with a six saddle bridge to fit a vintage bridge hole pattern?

The reason that I ask is that with a normal Vintage style bridge the bender hub is 1.5 inches behind the string thru holes...and it's relative position looks to be just about wher your bender hub is in relation to the back edge of the bridge.

On an American standard bridge the hub winds up closer to the back edge of the bride due to the differences in the bridge dimensions and it's mounting holes. ...(ie like your Parsons Green picture above)

Brian
It was a body that only came with string through holes drilled. Yes, it is the Gotoh bridge that retrofits the Vintage mounting holes. I put the guitar together, and Bill Bores installed the benders.
Chet