Graphtech saddles on Tele

[gip111]

So this is a Squier I recently got and wanted to try something different other than the mandatory pup change since I'm liking the originals, so I decided to install a set of graph-tech saddles on it.
What it did for me...the notes seem more round and fuller with less shrill, plenty of clarity and sustain. I know this doesn't go well with true tele users but I'm wondering if some of you use it and your feelings on it.

 

[mkdaws32]

I put these on a Strat and I agree there is a tone change for the better. Seems to get rid of some annoying frequency (Graphtec says it dampens a frequency spike around 2k). Result is just an overall fuller sound, but still lots of clarity and presence. I also noticed increased sustain. Actually, I didn’t know they were supposed to increase sustain, but noticed this guitar was ringing a good deal longer than my other Strat with steel saddles (both with Graphtec nuts and new strings).

I love them and suspect they will eventually be installed on all of my Strats and Teles

 

[_MementoMori_]

I've never used 'em but I've been curious about them too. They even make a traditional barrel saddle, don't they?

 

[boris bubbanov]

I bought 3 sets of these suckers, about 14 years ago. You know, because I had 40+ guitars at the time and Stew Mac gave a huge discount when you bought in clumps of three of this, three or more of that. I was trying everything, in those days.

With new strings, they sounded kinda neat for the first two hours of practice. They canceled out those overly bright sounds that newly installed strings make. After that, they devolved to the point the material may as well have been dried chewing gum.

One of the 3 guitars I installed them on was a Squier with this exact bridge and stock bridge pickup as shown, except my guitar was metallic black. After the strings were worn in, the guitar sounded like that proverbial "blanket over the speaker cabinet" sound.

I have no idea what people who buy these and recommend them, are trying to accomplish. This is one of these phenomena, where 29 guys find them unacceptable and the 30th guy cheerleads for them like his life depends on it. And the vast majority of people (those who would never use them, would never buy them a second time) but get weary, reminding the most of us, that this is "been there, done that".

Strange thing is, Graphtech nuts work fine, and so do their trees if you can stand the look. Saddles just need to be of harder material, since this is where the pickup is and this is where the picking is going on.

If you break strings every few hours or play with massive gain, I could maybe see the point. For everyone else, the product is just not helping you in the long run. Maybe for the first hour - so, you gonna change your strings every hour or so?

 

[mkdaws32]

I bought 3 sets of these suckers, about 14 years ago. You know, because I had 40+ guitars at the time and Stew Mac gave a huge discount when you bought in clumps of three of this, three or more of that. I was trying everything, in those days.

With new strings, they sounded kinda neat for the first two hours of practice. They canceled out those overly bright sounds that newly installed strings make. After that, they devolved to the point the material may as well have been dried chewing gum.

One of the 3 guitars I installed them on was a Squier with this exact bridge and stock bridge pickup as shown, except my guitar was metallic black. After the strings were worn in, the guitar sounded like that proverbial "blanket over the speaker cabinet" sound.

I have no idea what people who buy these and recommend them, are trying to accomplish. This is one of these phenomena, where 29 guys find them unacceptable and the 30th guy cheerleads for them like his life depends on it. And the vast majority of people (those who would never use them, would never buy them a second time) but get weary, reminding the most of us, that this is "been there, done that".

Strange thing is, Graphtech nuts work fine, and so do their trees if you can stand the look. Saddles just need to be of harder material, since this is where the pickup is and this is where the picking is going on.

If you break strings every few hours or play with massive gain, I could maybe see the point. For everyone else, the product is just not helping you in the long run. Maybe for the first hour - so, you gonna change your strings every hour or so?

I guess it’s all preference. No strings I would use (I hate coated strings) last me more than maybe a month. But at the end of that month I’m still loving the tone and sustain. Plus I float the trem, which was my biggest reason for installing those saddles on this Strat, along with a black tusk nut - tuning stability. I don’t know that they help tuning stability that much (the nut does, though). There are so many variables that make up tone that it’s quite possible these work for me and would not work for someone else. My amp tends to be bright and I like a lot of top end, but these seem to attenuate the right high frequencies to achieve just what I’m looking for. YMMV for sure!

 

[mkdaws32]

I've never used 'em but I've been curious about them too. They even make a traditional barrel saddle, don't they?

They do. You have to understand the different options, though. The solid black ones are designed to cut some frequencies around 2k for a rounder, warmer tone. I don’t believe the white Graphtec material that is used for some of their saddles do this. Also they make some steel saddles with a string saver “insert” that are supposed to reduce string breakage without changing the tone. You’d have to research the different saddles and materials on the Graphtec site to see what would work best for you.

 

[gip111]

Funny I didn't have a purpose or reason for changing them. I had these from a trade I made a couple of years ago and wanted to try them. I do have new strings with them and who knows once they break in how the whole thing would sound, so I'm not sure at the moment if I can honestly say that I'm pro or con.