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Jim L · October 24th, 2003, 12:49 PM

I'm doing a parts tele, and looking at bridges. I was originally just going to order the "52 RI bridge/saddles/mounting screws via Angela Instruments ($39).

Then I started looking at the Callaham compensated saddles (bridge and saddles kit for $50). The only thin I'm not crazy about is the fact that Callaham doesn't take Credit Cards, so you need to mail (the old-fashioned way) a money order or cert. check with hardcopy of their order form filled out by hand. Then they have the "please don't call to ask if we received your order" stuf on their site. Not crazy about tossing a money order in the mail and sending it off somewhat blindly like that.

Are the compensated saddles THAT big a deal? Starting to think the '52 RI bridge/saddles might be good 'nuff.

mojocaster · October 24th, 2003, 02:24 PM

Yes, they are. IMO
I just got a set for my tele and the difference is night and day. I love the sound and the guitar is now in tune for real.
I got mine form ebay from a seller named giantguitars. Check him out he makes them special for each customer and does them to fit the raduis of the neck you are using. He was top notch and I will never use another set again.
Check him out before you decide. Good luck.

Jim Collins · October 24th, 2003, 06:16 PM

And, for another opinion. It depends upon how you play. I've used both compensated saddles and uncompensated saddles on my Teles -- always three brass saddles with vintage style bridge plates. For me, I don't notice a difference. I have always been able to set the intonation on my non-compensated saddles quite accurately. Even with that, most of my playing involves string stretching, so precision in intonation setting is not entirely critical, since I'm changing the note, anyway. If my Tele came with compensated saddles (one did), I wouldn't get rid of them, but if the Tele did not come with them, but they were still brass, I wouldn't bother replacing them. (I actually did, once, and didn't notice any change.) Folks who play differently may notice more of a difference.

Spoto · October 25th, 2003, 11:39 AM

inmo callaham's aren't my favorite.
vintique and joe bardens are.

JohnnyAtomic · October 25th, 2003, 06:06 PM

i too don't like the way callaham does business, but can understand why. a one man operation would lose all efficiency w/ a bunch of phone calls and emails. i know it eats a lot of my time.

JohnnyAtomic · October 25th, 2003, 06:08 PM

in case i didn't make it clear, i love callaham's product and speed of delivery. but, it is more of hassle to order. i would GLADLY order from them again. i love those big knobs he sells.

johnny atomic

BADFISH · October 25th, 2003, 06:28 PM

I have made three orders in the last year....with Callaham. All three times I received my items Fast. The Parts are Top-notch. I'm glad I gave Callaham parts a try!

Honga Man · October 26th, 2003, 01:20 AM

I have www.stewmac.com compensated saddles. They are a bit more crudely made than some of the "boutique" compensated saddles but they work just fine.

I can tell a difference when I spefically tune and intonate the guitar but can I hear a difference when I play it? No.

ironweed · October 26th, 2003, 07:20 AM

...they are a big improvement. Chords will be more in-tune all over the neck. Especially the "cowboy chords" down by the nut -- E, A, D, G, C, and F. I have used MannMade and StewMac and both work fine.

The Snowman · October 26th, 2003, 08:44 AM

as good as Callaham....Mike is a pleasure to do business with......great guy and great product....definately makes a difference....don

spranglicious · October 27th, 2003, 12:24 PM

Hi all,
Joined just today from the good old UK.
I'm a lucky guy, I own 3 teles (including a nocaster - newish custom shop job)

Now the really good news, I acquired a mex made nashville tele, after picking it up in the shop, acoustically it literally tickled my ribs and I just knew it would get better when jacked into a blues deville...it was gorgeous.
The neck is a trip and she resonates beautifully..despite all this I'm a traditionalist...I decided to buy in the bits and pieces and restore it, via mint aged pickguard. Texas special in the neck and a seymour duncan split coil...50% alnico..50% ceramic bridge pick up.

I trawled around the internet for the old style bridge and most importantly the knurled brass saddles. Eventually I decided against the compensated wilkinson type...not on price, but merely because the old ones didn't have em.

I ordered up the bits from Stewmac in Ohio...including a nice tasty ashtry cover for the bridge pick up.....took me all of 15 mins to change these over and I swear to you I get better tones out of this mongrel...than the nocaster.
Just gorgeouse....couldn't put it down all week-end...

I heartily recommend Stewmacs store....he managed to ship the goods out to me in 3 days from Ohio to the UK
and it was a simple online card buy...and his goods are beautifully finished off...and heavy as the original stuff too.

Love to hear how you get on with your changes
Best regards
Spranglicious (UK) :D

bo · October 28th, 2003, 12:15 PM

You can always get the cheaper ones and bend the screws to compensate them, like they did in the "old days".

markophonic · November 2nd, 2003, 02:23 PM

Nothing fancy but do the job!

I personally can't justify the difference in cost for what may be imeasurable in function...

It's a guitar not a space shuttle.

TheGoodTexan · November 3rd, 2003, 11:37 AM

Though I've not tried the Callahams, The Bardens made an immediate difference in tone on my Tele...before I even got them intonated! I was previously using AllParts standard 3 non-compensated brass saddles. I put the Bardens on and before plugging in, I could tell that the guitar resonated much more.

Can I notice the more accurate tuning? = Yes.

Maybe the Bardens are made of something different than then AllParts saddles are, but the increased resonation is worth as much as the more accurate tuning for me.

Rob DiStefano · November 3rd, 2003, 07:37 PM

IMO, YES.

KingPussBlues · November 4th, 2003, 05:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Honga Man

I have www.stewmac.com compensated saddles. They are a bit more crudely made than some of the "boutique" compensated saddles but they work just fine.

I can tell a difference when I spefically tune and intonate the guitar but can I hear a difference when I play it? No.

Same result. They work just fine.

John 8)

jimmiboots · November 4th, 2003, 09:45 PM

Any inconvenience caused by Mr. Callaham's somewhat eccentric policies is, INMHO, made up for in knowing that the parts I just ordered were made by hand by an "obsessed genius" type personality. I imagine that if anyone was ever unhappy with any of his products he would go nuts. God bless America.

red57strat · November 5th, 2003, 01:44 PM

I put Stew-Mac compensated saddles in my USACG Tele Clone. I was going to say that they sound great, but I am struggling with thin tone on the guitar so maybe I should give different saddles a try.

I ordered some other parts from Callaham. It was a pain to mail him the payment, but I received the parts very quickly. I didn't even think he'd have the chack yet.

Don

Dennis_UK · November 6th, 2003, 04:44 PM

I ordered up a set from StewMac, and like our new guy, they got to me in the UK real fast - great service. But they didn't fit properly. Having made them fit, they made the tone thin and even sitar-like on the B. Went back to the originals. Will fit Wilkinsons on the JD as soon as IO can get hold of them (read: when I have the cash!), also for the Sting bass.

Rob DiStefano · November 7th, 2003, 07:40 AM

IMO, YES - but 6 saddles do be better yet. YMMV.

brassnuts · November 7th, 2003, 03:12 PM

I got mine put on at Music One Workshop when I ordered
my Hwy1 from them. They make their own from 52RI
blanks they get from Fender. I like them especially due to the fact that they're flat on the bottom so adjusting to
lower action is not a problem. I had a set from MannMade a few years ago on a MIM 50s Tele and they
were awful...big and completely round. I could never get the high E string low enough.

PeterUK · November 7th, 2003, 03:23 PM

A set on eBay:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...ory=38083&rd=1

These Vintique saddles are the best I've tried. Get a set while they cheap! $65 direct from Vintique.

They'd be mine if the seller accepted PayPal.

Regards

Peter

gaveljt · November 17th, 2003, 08:37 PM

music technology, springfield, va and on web at musictechnology.com sells the exact saddles used on all of Bill Kirchen's telecasters: Ol No 1 of "hot rod lincoln" fame and #2 butterscotch. they are compensated, and made from a better alloy brass. quality made.

Doug S. · November 19th, 2003, 05:46 PM

Nah.

ComingApart · November 19th, 2003, 10:17 PM

I've found that your string guage make all the difference. If you play 8', 9', or light 10's you would probably need compensated saddles. But I've found that with 11's and larger, the standard brass saddles work fine, in some cases it may take a slight bend or two of the screw to get you spot on.
I've often wondered, seeing as how larger strings seem to require less compensation, if it would be possible to come up with the perfect set of strings. A set that would intonate perfectly in standard tuning with a straight or near straight bridge.
Any math whizzes or engineers care to figure out what that guage would be? Totally in theory of course.

Brass Saddles · November 21st, 2003, 08:43 AM

Guys&Gals: I have bought the Joe Barden Saddles, AND I LOVE THEM!!!! They seem to ring like bells. I recommend highly.
Also Callaham parts are first rate. I've ordered knobs and have received them within a week of myself sending out money. Quick turnaround and great quality stuff.
Brass Saddles

October 24th, 2003, 12:49 PM	#1 (permalink)
Jim L Tele-Meister Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Merrimac, MA Posts: 379 13 Photos	Are compensated saddles THAT much of an improvement? I'm doing a parts tele, and looking at bridges. I was originally just going to order the "52 RI bridge/saddles/mounting screws via Angela Instruments ($39). Then I started looking at the Callaham compensated saddles (bridge and saddles kit for $50). The only thin I'm not crazy about is the fact that Callaham doesn't take Credit Cards, so you need to mail (the old-fashioned way) a money order or cert. check with hardcopy of their order form filled out by hand. Then they have the "please don't call to ask if we received your order" stuf on their site. Not crazy about tossing a money order in the mail and sending it off somewhat blindly like that. Are the compensated saddles THAT big a deal? Starting to think the '52 RI bridge/saddles might be good 'nuff.

October 25th, 2003, 11:39 AM	#4 (permalink)
Spoto Tele-Meister Join Date: May 2003 Location: Austin, TX Posts: 261	compensated saddles inmo callaham's aren't my favorite. vintique and joe bardens are.

October 25th, 2003, 06:06 PM	#5 (permalink)
JohnnyAtomic Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Little Rock, AR Posts: 1,397	i too don't like the way callaham does business, but can understand why. a one man operation would lose all efficiency w/ a bunch of phone calls and emails. i know it eats a lot of my time. __________________ flaming hamper of rock! www.myspace.com/johnnyatomicmusic

October 25th, 2003, 06:08 PM	#6 (permalink)
JohnnyAtomic Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Little Rock, AR Posts: 1,397	in case i didn't make it clear, i love callaham's product and speed of delivery. but, it is more of hassle to order. i would GLADLY order from them again. i love those big knobs he sells. johnny atomic __________________ flaming hamper of rock! www.myspace.com/johnnyatomicmusic

October 25th, 2003, 06:28 PM	#7 (permalink)
BADFISH Tele-Meister Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Daytona beach Fl. and Austin Tx. Posts: 348	Sending money orders is a pain.... I have made three orders in the last year....with Callaham. All three times I received my items Fast. The Parts are Top-notch. I'm glad I gave Callaham parts a try!

October 24th, 2003, 02:24 PM	#2 (permalink)
mojocaster Tele-Meister Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 198	Yes, they are. IMO I just got a set for my tele and the difference is night and day. I love the sound and the guitar is now in tune for real. I got mine form ebay from a seller named giantguitars. Check him out he makes them special for each customer and does them to fit the raduis of the neck you are using. He was top notch and I will never use another set again. Check him out before you decide. Good luck.

October 24th, 2003, 06:16 PM	#3 (permalink)
Jim Collins Tele-Meister Join Date: Mar 2003 Posts: 309	And, for another opinion. It depends upon how you play. I've used both compensated saddles and uncompensated saddles on my Teles -- always three brass saddles with vintage style bridge plates. For me, I don't notice a difference. I have always been able to set the intonation on my non-compensated saddles quite accurately. Even with that, most of my playing involves string stretching, so precision in intonation setting is not entirely critical, since I'm changing the note, anyway. If my Tele came with compensated saddles (one did), I wouldn't get rid of them, but if the Tele did not come with them, but they were still brass, I wouldn't bother replacing them. (I actually did, once, and didn't notice any change.) Folks who play differently may notice more of a difference.

October 26th, 2003, 01:20 AM	#8 (permalink)
Honga Man Tele-Holic Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Colorado Posts: 695	I have www.stewmac.com compensated saddles. They are a bit more crudely made than some of the "boutique" compensated saddles but they work just fine. I can tell a difference when I spefically tune and intonate the guitar but can I hear a difference when I play it? No.

October 26th, 2003, 07:20 AM	#9 (permalink)
ironweed Tele-Meister Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: mid-missouri Posts: 168	Yes.... ...they are a big improvement. Chords will be more in-tune all over the neck. Especially the "cowboy chords" down by the nut -- E, A, D, G, C, and F. I have used MannMade and StewMac and both work fine.

October 26th, 2003, 08:44 AM	#10 (permalink)
The Snowman Tele-Holic Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Philly Pa Posts: 764	another vote for Giantguitars.. as good as Callaham....Mike is a pleasure to do business with......great guy and great product....definately makes a difference....don __________________ Vice President, Friends Of The Forgotten http://www.streetshooter.us

October 27th, 2003, 12:24 PM	#11 (permalink)
spranglicious NEW MEMBER! Join Date: Oct 2003 Posts: 6	Hi all, Joined just today from the good old UK. I'm a lucky guy, I own 3 teles (including a nocaster - newish custom shop job) Now the really good news, I acquired a mex made nashville tele, after picking it up in the shop, acoustically it literally tickled my ribs and I just knew it would get better when jacked into a blues deville...it was gorgeous. The neck is a trip and she resonates beautifully..despite all this I'm a traditionalist...I decided to buy in the bits and pieces and restore it, via mint aged pickguard. Texas special in the neck and a seymour duncan split coil...50% alnico..50% ceramic bridge pick up. I trawled around the internet for the old style bridge and most importantly the knurled brass saddles. Eventually I decided against the compensated wilkinson type...not on price, but merely because the old ones didn't have em. I ordered up the bits from Stewmac in Ohio...including a nice tasty ashtry cover for the bridge pick up.....took me all of 15 mins to change these over and I swear to you I get better tones out of this mongrel...than the nocaster. Just gorgeouse....couldn't put it down all week-end... I heartily recommend Stewmacs store....he managed to ship the goods out to me in 3 days from Ohio to the UK and it was a simple online card buy...and his goods are beautifully finished off...and heavy as the original stuff too. Love to hear how you get on with your changes Best regards Spranglicious (UK) :D

October 28th, 2003, 12:15 PM	#12 (permalink)
bo Friend of Leo's Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Arlington, VA Posts: 2,276	You can always get the cheaper ones and bend the screws to compensate them, like they did in the "old days".

November 2nd, 2003, 02:23 PM	#13 (permalink)
markophonic Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Michigan Age: 48 Posts: 1,032 1 Photos	Another vote for StewMac's compensated saddles! Nothing fancy but do the job! I personally can't justify the difference in cost for what may be imeasurable in function... It's a guitar not a space shuttle. __________________ http://www.brianvanderark.com/

November 3rd, 2003, 11:37 AM	#14 (permalink)
TheGoodTexan Poster Extraordinaire Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: xx Posts: 5,539	My vote is for the Bardens Though I've not tried the Callahams, The Bardens made an immediate difference in tone on my Tele...before I even got them intonated! I was previously using AllParts standard 3 non-compensated brass saddles. I put the Bardens on and before plugging in, I could tell that the guitar resonated much more. Can I notice the more accurate tuning? = Yes. Maybe the Bardens are made of something different than then AllParts saddles are, but the increased resonation is worth as much as the more accurate tuning for me.

November 3rd, 2003, 07:37 PM	#15 (permalink)
Rob DiStefano Poster Extraordinaire Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Park Ridge, NJ Age: 63 Posts: 5,156	Are compensated saddles THAT much of an improvement? IMO, YES.

November 19th, 2003, 05:46 PM	#24 (permalink)
Doug S. Tele-Meister Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Douglasville, GA Posts: 113	Nah. __________________ Doug "Doo Wa Diddy, Diddy, Dum Diddy Doo"

November 4th, 2003, 09:45 PM	#17 (permalink)
jimmiboots Tele-Meister Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Jacksnoville/RIVERSIDE Posts: 361	Ah, Callaham... Any inconvenience caused by Mr. Callaham's somewhat eccentric policies is, INMHO, made up for in knowing that the parts I just ordered were made by hand by an "obsessed genius" type personality. I imagine that if anyone was ever unhappy with any of his products he would go nuts. God bless America. __________________ "BoJack, Wrist Wrap. Wrist wrap, BoJack."

November 5th, 2003, 01:44 PM	#18 (permalink)
red57strat Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Massachusetts Posts: 1,472	I put Stew-Mac compensated saddles in my USACG Tele Clone. I was going to say that they sound great, but I am struggling with thin tone on the guitar so maybe I should give different saddles a try. I ordered some other parts from Callaham. It was a pain to mail him the payment, but I received the parts very quickly. I didn't even think he'd have the chack yet. Don

November 6th, 2003, 04:44 PM	#19 (permalink)
Dennis_UK Tele-Holic Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Calstock, Cornwall, UK Age: 56 Posts: 715	My experience differs from most... I ordered up a set from StewMac, and like our new guy, they got to me in the UK real fast - great service. But they didn't fit properly. Having made them fit, they made the tone thin and even sitar-like on the B. Went back to the originals. Will fit Wilkinsons on the JD as soon as IO can get hold of them (read: when I have the cash!), also for the Sting bass. __________________ Fender MIM Precision, all black, 2004. Fender MIJ Precision, '51 RI, Butterscotch, 1996. Squier VM Precision TB, 3TS, 2007 Markbass CMD121H 1x12 combo plus 1x12 ext cab My band: The Rock'nRoll Outlaws

November 7th, 2003, 07:40 AM	#20 (permalink)
Rob DiStefano Poster Extraordinaire Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Park Ridge, NJ Age: 63 Posts: 5,156	IMO, YES - but 6 saddles do be better yet. YMMV.

November 7th, 2003, 03:12 PM	#21 (permalink)
brassnuts TDPRI Member Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Leominster, Massachusetts Posts: 91	I got mine put on at Music One Workshop when I ordered my Hwy1 from them. They make their own from 52RI blanks they get from Fender. I like them especially due to the fact that they're flat on the bottom so adjusting to lower action is not a problem. I had a set from MannMade a few years ago on a MIM 50s Tele and they were awful...big and completely round. I could never get the high E string low enough.

November 7th, 2003, 03:23 PM	#22 (permalink)
PeterUK Friend of Leo's Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: . Posts: 3,320	I've got these and I love 'em A set on eBay: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...ory=38083&rd=1 These Vintique saddles are the best I've tried. Get a set while they cheap! $65 direct from Vintique. They'd be mine if the seller accepted PayPal. Regards Peter __________________ .

November 17th, 2003, 08:37 PM	#23 (permalink)
gaveljt TDPRI Member Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Fairfax, Virginia Posts: 63	compensated saddles music technology, springfield, va and on web at musictechnology.com sells the exact saddles used on all of Bill Kirchen's telecasters: Ol No 1 of "hot rod lincoln" fame and #2 butterscotch. they are compensated, and made from a better alloy brass. quality made.

November 19th, 2003, 10:17 PM	#25 (permalink)
ComingApart Tele-Meister Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Southern Arkansas Posts: 219	I've found that your string guage make all the difference. If you play 8', 9', or light 10's you would probably need compensated saddles. But I've found that with 11's and larger, the standard brass saddles work fine, in some cases it may take a slight bend or two of the screw to get you spot on. I've often wondered, seeing as how larger strings seem to require less compensation, if it would be possible to come up with the perfect set of strings. A set that would intonate perfectly in standard tuning with a straight or near straight bridge. Any math whizzes or engineers care to figure out what that guage would be? Totally in theory of course.

November 21st, 2003, 08:43 AM	#26 (permalink)
Brass Saddles Tele-Meister Join Date: Apr 2003 Posts: 437	Joe Barden Guys&Gals: I have bought the Joe Barden Saddles, AND I LOVE THEM!!!! They seem to ring like bells. I recommend highly. Also Callaham parts are first rate. I've ordered knobs and have received them within a week of myself sending out money. Quick turnaround and great quality stuff. Brass Saddles

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