Best saddles for Start
- Thread starter BorisTe
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Jacew
New member
Re: Best saddles for Start
Yep. But how would you distinguish zinc ones?
I tried to find steel saddles: Bying whole Wilkinson trem with steel saddles turned out to be cheaper than just those saddles anywhere.
Yep. But how would you distinguish zinc ones?
I tried to find steel saddles: Bying whole Wilkinson trem with steel saddles turned out to be cheaper than just those saddles anywhere.
Re: Best saddles for Start
If it's chromed or painted, you can't, unless you trust manufacturer specs or demolish one
If it's bent bare steel, you can see it
PS btw, afaik, "Wilkinson" is nowadays the new name for "Chinese/Korean Gotoh products"... with the old hiend Wilkinson fare instead branded Wilkinson/Gotoh
If it's chromed or painted, you can't, unless you trust manufacturer specs or demolish one
If it's bent bare steel, you can see it
PS btw, afaik, "Wilkinson" is nowadays the new name for "Chinese/Korean Gotoh products"... with the old hiend Wilkinson fare instead branded Wilkinson/Gotoh
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Jacew
New member
Re: Best saddles for Start
Duh. It was a rhetoric question.
Most Wilkinson stuff I've encountered have been way above their price range in quality. And those that weren't have been still good for the price. (The trem I mentioned)
Duh. It was a rhetoric question.
Most Wilkinson stuff I've encountered have been way above their price range in quality. And those that weren't have been still good for the price. (The trem I mentioned)
Re: Best saddles for Start
In the case of the block saddles, I think steel ones would show an attraction to a magnet and the zinc ones wouldn't. The vintage type Fender bent saddles are steel, the Highwoods look like the regular bent steel saddles but have an ingenious height screw design where the screws don't protrude over the top of the saddles. I don't know why you would want block saddles over the bent steel type anyway, I think the bent steel type is better, but it is up to you. Whatever saddles you buy, just make sure they are the correct width for your guitar, Asian made guitars have metric saddles that are slightly narrower than American ones.
Al
In the case of the block saddles, I think steel ones would show an attraction to a magnet and the zinc ones wouldn't. The vintage type Fender bent saddles are steel, the Highwoods look like the regular bent steel saddles but have an ingenious height screw design where the screws don't protrude over the top of the saddles. I don't know why you would want block saddles over the bent steel type anyway, I think the bent steel type is better, but it is up to you. Whatever saddles you buy, just make sure they are the correct width for your guitar, Asian made guitars have metric saddles that are slightly narrower than American ones.
Al
Gtrjunior
Well-known member
Re: Best saddles for Start
That looks a LOT like my Strat
I'm liking the Graphtech saddles
That looks a LOT like my Strat
Chistopher
malapterurus electricus tonewood instigator
Re: Best saddles for Start
I've always really liked the "closeted" Strat humbucker look.
That looks a LOT like my Strat
I've always really liked the "closeted" Strat humbucker look.
Re: Best saddles for Start
Stainless steel is often non-magnetic
Width issue is often about Fender-vintage-widespaced vs. Fender-modern-narrow, and the one place you'll most often encounter fender-vintage-WIDE is Japanese Fender/Squier...as well as maybe the knockoff brands
Stainless steel is often non-magnetic
Width issue is often about Fender-vintage-widespaced vs. Fender-modern-narrow, and the one place you'll most often encounter fender-vintage-WIDE is Japanese Fender/Squier...as well as maybe the knockoff brands
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Re: Best saddles for Start
The Mexican Standard Strats also used Asian trems that have metric (norrower) saddles, so those have to be considered also.
Al
The Mexican Standard Strats also used Asian trems that have metric (norrower) saddles, so those have to be considered also.
Al
Re: Best saddles for Start
The AMERICAN strat uses narrow saddles. Ditto the Mexican
The JAPANESE strat uses WIDE saddles
The AMERICAN strat uses narrow saddles. Ditto the Mexican
The JAPANESE strat uses WIDE saddles
Jacew
New member
Re: Best saddles for Start
Is the plate same? Peavey Raptor has wider 6-screw plate than Fender narrow saddled ones, but still has narrow saddles. Obviously intonation screwholes would be wrong at least.
My experience is that all Fender blocks generally fit Fender/Squier plates, but arm hole can differ.
Is the plate same? Peavey Raptor has wider 6-screw plate than Fender narrow saddled ones, but still has narrow saddles. Obviously intonation screwholes would be wrong at least.
My experience is that all Fender blocks generally fit Fender/Squier plates, but arm hole can differ.
Re: Best saddles for Start
They may have changed the trems on the newer Mexican Standard Strats (or whatever they are calling them now), but in the past the trems are Asian trems with metric saddles, which are narrower than the vintage American type. The Mex standards have a narrower string spacing then the vintage American Strats, and the saddles have to be narrower to fit the narrower string spacing. I don't know about the Japanese Strats, but there is a difference between the saddles on American and Mexican Standards.
Al
They may have changed the trems on the newer Mexican Standard Strats (or whatever they are calling them now), but in the past the trems are Asian trems with metric saddles, which are narrower than the vintage American type. The Mex standards have a narrower string spacing then the vintage American Strats, and the saddles have to be narrower to fit the narrower string spacing. I don't know about the Japanese Strats, but there is a difference between the saddles on American and Mexican Standards.
Al
Jacew
New member
Re: Best saddles for Start
I don't know how they are "metric", but the mexican/asian string spacing 52mm (2.05) and american 56mm (2.20).
I don't know how they are "metric", but the mexican/asian string spacing 52mm (2.05) and american 56mm (2.20).
Re: Best saddles for Start
Japanese is 55.5-56mm... a bridge hotrail barely reaches the E strings with 1 rail on each side
But at least that's well known... how about the existence of 50 and ~52mm tuneamatics, the second of which requires Fspaced humbuckers, were you aware of that fun tidbit?
Japanese is 55.5-56mm... a bridge hotrail barely reaches the E strings with 1 rail on each side
But at least that's well known... how about the existence of 50 and ~52mm tuneamatics, the second of which requires Fspaced humbuckers, were you aware of that fun tidbit?
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Jacew
New member
Re: Best saddles for Start
So Japanese use the same width as american, ie the wider spacing. Good to know.
I know nothing about tune-o-matics.
So Japanese use the same width as american, ie the wider spacing. Good to know.
I know nothing about tune-o-matics.
Re: Best saddles for Start
Same as OLD american and SOME vintage correct models
Most americans, at least '90s and '00s, seem to have used narrow spacing. I'm not aware of any mass reversion to vintage spec
Same as OLD american and SOME vintage correct models
Most americans, at least '90s and '00s, seem to have used narrow spacing. I'm not aware of any mass reversion to vintage spec
Jacew
New member
Re: Best saddles for Start
I was under impression 6-screw trems in MIA models are wider 56mm spacing.
I was under impression 6-screw trems in MIA models are wider 56mm spacing.
Re: Best saddles for Start
The Fender American Vintage Tremelo has string spacing of 2 7/32" as I recall (maybe that is 56mm, I didn't try to convert it) and the mounting holes are the same spacing, the Mexican Standards used 2 1/16" (not sure what the new Mexican guitars that replaced the Standards are using) and the mounting holes are 2 1/16". Those trem units on the Mexi Std.'s are made in Asia. There are some other Strats like the American Std. Strat that have the narrower string spacing of the Mexican Std.'s, but have the Vintage Strat mounting hole spacing (wider than the string spacing). I have seen some trem units by other manufacturers that have 2 1/8" string spacing. There are different width saddles for each type spacing to accommodate the differences. The narrower string spacing of the trems of some modern Strat guitars is designed to avoid the problem of the outer E strings' tendency to go off the edge of the fingerboard when fretting/bending those strings on a normal width Strat fingerboard. The point of all this is when ordering saddles for a Strat type guitar, you have to know the width measurement of the saddles on your version tremelo unit. I am using the Fender terminology of calling it a tremelo unit, everyone knows this is actually a vibrato system but that is what Fender chose to call it.
Al
The Fender American Vintage Tremelo has string spacing of 2 7/32" as I recall (maybe that is 56mm, I didn't try to convert it) and the mounting holes are the same spacing, the Mexican Standards used 2 1/16" (not sure what the new Mexican guitars that replaced the Standards are using) and the mounting holes are 2 1/16". Those trem units on the Mexi Std.'s are made in Asia. There are some other Strats like the American Std. Strat that have the narrower string spacing of the Mexican Std.'s, but have the Vintage Strat mounting hole spacing (wider than the string spacing). I have seen some trem units by other manufacturers that have 2 1/8" string spacing. There are different width saddles for each type spacing to accommodate the differences. The narrower string spacing of the trems of some modern Strat guitars is designed to avoid the problem of the outer E strings' tendency to go off the edge of the fingerboard when fretting/bending those strings on a normal width Strat fingerboard. The point of all this is when ordering saddles for a Strat type guitar, you have to know the width measurement of the saddles on your version tremelo unit. I am using the Fender terminology of calling it a tremelo unit, everyone knows this is actually a vibrato system but that is what Fender chose to call it.
Al
