Do brass saddles need to be notched?

sonicland · June 27th, 2008, 07:16 PM

I have a Fender vintage re-issue ashtray bridge with 3 brass saddles that I'd like to put on my MIM Standard. All the holes in the guitar match up so it should be a direct replacement but the brass saddles do not have a notch for the strings. Do I need to notch them? (my G&L ASAT Classic has notched saddles). If so, any advice?

Thanks

pengipete · June 27th, 2008, 07:53 PM

You shouldn't need to. I'm heavy hand and often play pretty hard very close to the saddles but I've not had a problem.

I suppose that you could get some lateral movement if you used very light strings, bent them to their maximum and played very hard with your picking hand but it's still very unlikely.

I'd just install it and try it as is then decide for yourself if there is actually a problem to address.

red57strat · June 27th, 2008, 09:31 PM

They'll notch themselves after a while.

pbenn · June 27th, 2008, 10:39 PM

They will notch themselves after a while, true, but since I've seen guitars where they're notched in the wrong place, some vigilance about string positioning can be called for, especially with lighter strings. String "creep" is a PITA.

Personally I don't see how correct notching can hurt, perhaps with a nut file, and of course on a repro bridge piece. It needn't be very obvious, and one can certainly raise the bridge piece a hair to compensate for the absolute height.

mellecaster · June 27th, 2008, 10:45 PM

I have lightly notched some for Heavy-Handed Rock'n Roll types who do 3 step bends......

...but for average stuff w/ .010-.046 and a good break angle @ the Saddle (by having the correct neck angle)...they shouldn't need it...YMMV

Wardpike · June 28th, 2008, 07:45 AM

I had to notch mine, to keep them from creeping all over the place, and with that the tuning and my patience!

surfoverb · June 28th, 2008, 08:13 AM

why don't you try it first and see? I wouldn't notch them 'just in case'...I'd wager most people don't notch them and are without any problems.

bender-freak · June 28th, 2008, 02:56 PM

i usually ended up "notching" mine as the strings tended to gallivant all over the saddle if i didn't; probably my playing style, since others don't find this an issue...i do a lot of finger bends along with mechanical bends and lighter guages do "creep/wander" around for me....it's not a heavy handed thing on my part; i am a thumb pick and fingers player...

nowdays, when i look for/replace saddles, i just get them pre-notched...

bradpdx · June 28th, 2008, 03:19 PM

I don't notch mine. Periodically I remove the brass saddle for the E and B strings in order to sand down some grooves in order to prevent buzzing/sitar sounds.

If the bridge is setup with enough breaking angle for the strings over the saddles, notching is not necessary. I bend like nuts and never have a problem using 9s or 10s.

Mike Better · June 29th, 2008, 04:53 PM

Short answer: No.

Long answer: If it seems like you need to notch your saddles, you've got other problems that need to be fixed.

sonicland · June 29th, 2008, 07:21 PM

Thanks everyone, it works fine without notches. I wasn't sure and realized I've never noticed whether they were notched on other Tele's I've played. As I said, the main reason the question came to mind is that my G&L ASAT has 6 brass saddles and they're notched.

Anyway it seems to work fine although I haven't played it through my amp yet at gig level. One of the reasons I made this switch is that this Tele (shown in my avatar) is now my #2 as the ASAT I just bought is really spectacular. While I do like the new ashtray bridge on this MIM, I must say I'm thinking I might install a Bigsby B5 (gasp!) now that it's my #2. I realize there's probably no going back once I do that but I don't have a lot of $ invested in this MIM so it seems like a good candidate to experiment with and I'm pretty confident it will satisfy.

June 27th, 2008, 07:16 PM	#1 (permalink)
sonicland Tele-Meister Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Pigs Holler, PA Posts: 118	Do brass saddles need to be notched? I have a Fender vintage re-issue ashtray bridge with 3 brass saddles that I'd like to put on my MIM Standard. All the holes in the guitar match up so it should be a direct replacement but the brass saddles do not have a notch for the strings. Do I need to notch them? (my G&L ASAT Classic has notched saddles). If so, any advice? Thanks

June 27th, 2008, 09:31 PM	#3 (permalink)
red57strat Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Massachusetts Posts: 1,100	They'll notch themselves after a while. __________________ Don

June 27th, 2008, 10:45 PM	#5 (permalink)
mellecaster Friend of Leo's Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Maryland Posts: 4,274 17 Photos	I have lightly notched some for Heavy-Handed Rock'n Roll types who do 3 step bends...... ...but for average stuff w/ .010-.046 and a good break angle @ the Saddle (by having the correct neck angle)...they shouldn't need it...YMMV __________________ Let's Not Forget the Other 75% of The Tone Equation...It's Called an AMP

June 28th, 2008, 07:45 AM	#6 (permalink)
Wardpike Tele-Holic Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: St. John's, Newfoundland Age: 43 Posts: 591	I had to notch mine, to keep them from creeping all over the place, and with that the tuning and my patience! __________________ Proverbs 3:6 Matthew 5:44

June 28th, 2008, 08:13 AM	#7 (permalink)
surfoverb Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Virginia Posts: 1,761	why don't you try it first and see? I wouldn't notch them 'just in case'...I'd wager most people don't notch them and are without any problems. __________________ "You released the ****** fury!"*

June 27th, 2008, 07:53 PM	#2 (permalink)
pengipete Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Gloucester U.K. Age: 47 Posts: 1,079	You shouldn't need to. I'm heavy hand and often play pretty hard very close to the saddles but I've not had a problem. I suppose that you could get some lateral movement if you used very light strings, bent them to their maximum and played very hard with your picking hand but it's still very unlikely. I'd just install it and try it as is then decide for yourself if there is actually a problem to address.

June 27th, 2008, 10:39 PM	#4 (permalink)
pbenn Tele-Holic Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Toronto Age: 52 Posts: 552	They will notch themselves after a while, true, but since I've seen guitars where they're notched in the wrong place, some vigilance about string positioning can be called for, especially with lighter strings. String "creep" is a PITA. Personally I don't see how correct notching can hurt, perhaps with a nut file, and of course on a repro bridge piece. It needn't be very obvious, and one can certainly raise the bridge piece a hair to compensate for the absolute height.

June 28th, 2008, 02:56 PM	#8 (permalink)
bender-freak Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: springfield, missouri Posts: 1,232	i usually ended up "notching" mine as the strings tended to gallivant all over the saddle if i didn't; probably my playing style, since others don't find this an issue...i do a lot of finger bends along with mechanical bends and lighter guages do "creep/wander" around for me....it's not a heavy handed thing on my part; i am a thumb pick and fingers player... nowdays, when i look for/replace saddles, i just get them pre-notched... __________________ bender-freak

June 28th, 2008, 03:19 PM	#9 (permalink)
bradpdx Tele-Holic Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Portland, OR Age: 50 Posts: 672	I don't notch mine. Periodically I remove the brass saddle for the E and B strings in order to sand down some grooves in order to prevent buzzing/sitar sounds. If the bridge is setup with enough breaking angle for the strings over the saddles, notching is not necessary. I bend like nuts and never have a problem using 9s or 10s. __________________ ---------- Tech Geek and Sensitive Artiste String bender ordinare!

June 29th, 2008, 04:53 PM	#10 (permalink)
Mike Better Tele-Holic Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Chicago, IL Age: 27 Posts: 507	Short answer: No. Long answer: If it seems like you need to notch your saddles, you've got other problems that need to be fixed.

June 29th, 2008, 07:21 PM	#11 (permalink)
sonicland Tele-Meister Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Pigs Holler, PA Posts: 118	Thanks everyone, it works fine without notches. I wasn't sure and realized I've never noticed whether they were notched on other Tele's I've played. As I said, the main reason the question came to mind is that my G&L ASAT has 6 brass saddles and they're notched. Anyway it seems to work fine although I haven't played it through my amp yet at gig level. One of the reasons I made this switch is that this Tele (shown in my avatar) is now my #2 as the ASAT I just bought is really spectacular. While I do like the new ashtray bridge on this MIM, I must say I'm thinking I might install a Bigsby B5 (gasp!) now that it's my #2. I realize there's probably no going back once I do that but I don't have a lot of $ invested in this MIM so it seems like a good candidate to experiment with and I'm pretty confident it will satisfy.