Fretboard radius and saddles?

Moonsorrow

New member
How can you tell if the saddles are adjusted correctly to match the fretboard radius? My strat sounds good but when i start digging in (playing hard)i`m getting some buzzing.I`m pretty good at eyeing up the neck to judge if it`s adjusted properly and imo it is.Then i used the old credit card trick to see if i had a high fret....everythings good. Then i noticed the saddles are pretty much flat/straight across from one another and my fretboard is 9.5,so shouldn`t the saddles have a slight arch look to them? I know how to adjust them but is there a certain height/setting for a 9.5 board? Does it have to be the D & G saddles the highest,then the A & B slightly lower,ect...? or should i just raise them till the buzzing is gone? Sorry if this is all over the place but it`s hard to put in words! Any help would be appreciated!
 
Re: Fretboard radius and saddles?

Yep they should. You could use a radius gauge or do it by eye... I do both. Set both E strings to the distance you want, then set the radius for the 4 middle saddles.

It doesn't HAVE to follow the fingerboard's radius... but it does, to me, make things slightly more comfortable and easier. If you choke out on the high strings when bending, simply use a slightly bigger radius at the bridge. It's not huge deal to use a slightly flatter radius.
 
Re: Fretboard radius and saddles?

Yeah,i raised the saddles and there`s no more buzzing! I don`t know if it`s exact because i don`t have a guage or anything but it worked!
 
Re: Fretboard radius and saddles?

You can make a guage. Draw a 9.5" circle on some cardboard, then unt out a section about 2" wide. Its crude, but it works.
 
Re: Fretboard radius and saddles?

My saddles don't follow the fingerboard radius. They're almost flat. I adjust them till the guitar plays well.

Pete
 
Re: Fretboard radius and saddles?

i set saddle radius by measureing the string heigth at the 12 fret one string at a time.... this is not a perfect way of doing it but it works... 4/32's-5/32's off the top of the 12th fret to the bottom of each string...
 
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