Gotoh Saddles and advice on tools for repair/setup

The saddle that isn't like the other two (the offsets should be reversed) goes in the middle. The objective here is to have two "sloped" groups of three, with the low E and the G being the longest and the D and high E being the shortest.

 

Does this pic help?


Good choice and, from your earlier post, a really smart looking Tele.

Tools? A good set of jewellers' screwdrivers and good quality Allen keys - possibly imperial and metric. And, I wouldn't be without my digital caliper gauge.

 

The digital caliper gives an easy, quick and accurate measurement for so many things. Checking string gauges, checking screw sizes for drilling pilot holes. Bore size of bottlenecks. Neck width and depth dimensions. Etc etc. Mine was a pretty expensive one that I inherited with my dad's tools and I wouldn't be without it.

Feeler gauges are useful - haven't used radius gauges.

 

Radius gauges are a waste of money if you're doing setups.

.020" and .012" thickness gauges are useful. The 20 for nut action and the 12 for neck relief. This is not the 'perfect' height for every guitar, but these two gauges will get you really close and you can tweak up or down from there. Disassemble a thickness gauge set and pull those two out. Put them together with a nut and screw, and they are a whole lot easier to use:



A capo for setting neck relief.

A small machinist's rule that measures to 1/64" for setting string action. This is why radius gauges are a waste of money--because when you set the action for each string the 12th fret, all the strings (bridge saddles) will be perfectly radiused for the fretboard.

The only time I use a radius gauge is when someone asks me to tell them that the radius is on their guitar...which is very rare.

 

I agree. I fitted a set this morning.

Just needed a screwdriver. When I fit the bridge to the body I'll use the allen key/wrench that came from
saddles and a radius gauge.

 

I put those saddles on my ‘15 Mexi Tele. The low E saddle required filing material off the bottom of it so I could lower the saddle enough to get the string height I wanted.
Also, I shaved the screws down so the screw heads did not protrude the top of the saddles. Much nicer for palm muting. After installation was complete, intonation was spot on.

 

Jones, one of the things I like to do, is review posts with pictures in the Tech threads and get a sense from the images, the positioning of the 3 saddles. The one thing with these Gotoh saddles is, don't worry about the radius that's formed by the three saddles, because that will look off to the eye. Instead, follow the arc one sees at the saddle but the STRINGs as each breaks over the saddle in the slot. Concentrate your exploration on guitars with these eccentric slotted saddles only, like the Gotohs (and the Rutters saddles that they stole the idea from).

You can probably make do without a radius gauge, as you can make paper ones. There's a resource around here somewhere that facilitates that.