Norman86
R600 for JUST the saddle??
seriously?? ?
they're taking you for a ride imo..
www.stewmac.com/?PCR=1%3A100%3A1130%3A11860&IID=3559&actn=changedisplaycurrency&tab=¤cyid=13
Warren
Big G wrote:
Hi Folks.
So as some will know, I recently bought a Yamaha CPX8M acoustic guitar. Its a really nice guitar, but does need a little TLC, including a good setup, and lowering the action....
So I approached a local Luthier to get an idea of what a decent setup will cost, and asked about fitting a bone saddle instead of the plastic one currently fitted. The price that I got back was R600 for a Tusq saddle, that being in addition to the cost for a setup etc...
Will having a tusq nut be a worth while investment, and how will it improve the guitar? Should I also have the nut replaced with Tusq too? I don't think I've ever played a guitar with a bone/tusq nut, so I have no idea how it affects things? All I know is that lots of people usually recommend having them.
Thanks in advance for any help....
Regards
G!
I think the Tusq upgrade is worth it: I have a Tusq nut and saddle on my Takamine. However, I think the price you've been quoted is a little high, would suggest getting another quote from somewhere else.
Norman86
get a nut and a saddle from stewac, hell, even from graphtec themselves, and it will still be cheaper then R600, for both, including shipping!
other than that, a good setup will do wonders yes! and the tusq might bring a more balanced sound, probably more älive" too than he plastic!
Big-G
Thanks for the replies guys! I thought R600 seemed a little on the hefty side...
So who in Cape Town would people recommend for such a setup and fitting of a Tusq nut and saddle?
Cheers
G!
AlanRatcliffe
Guys, read again - it's R600 for a setup, which includes a new Tusq saddle, not R600 for just the saddle. I'm not sure what the going rates are, but doesn't seem too far out of line - especially if there is an undersaddle pickup involved.
Big G - It depends on what is on your Yamaha now - it won't be a huge upgrade over corian or micarta, but the upgrade from soft plastic is massive.
Big-G
Sorry if my posting above wasn't clear, but that's R600 on top of the setup cost, just for the saddle, not including a nut!
Cheers
G!
Bob-Dubery
Norman86 wrote:
R600 for JUST the saddle??
seriously?? ?
they're taking you for a ride imo..
THat depends on what is being done. Big G, you need to clarify. If they're using an off-the-hook drop-in Tusq saddle then, yes, that is expensive. But if they're using a Tusq blank and filing a new saddle from that, then that's reasonable. The latter will give you a better set up (I speak as someone who recently had an off-the-hook Tusq saddle fitted). Filing a blank to get a good match with the fingerboard radius, to get proper intonation and proper compensation on the 2nd string (proper as in "optimal for that guitar") will give you better results.
Many techs recommend Tusq instead of bone on the grounds that it's more consistent. Bone sometimes can have soft spots in it.
Big G, the replacement nut will give you some improvement, but the saddle is where you will get the bigger bang for your buck.
Big-G
So just to clarify, as I've just received a mail this moment clarifying, this is a blank that is being filed down, and not a drop in replacement. I know the guy I approached first is a very capable and talented guy, so I'm not so worried about the workmanship, but it just seems a lot of money for someone (me) with not a lot of spare wonga laying around.
I'm off to another repair specialist just now in edgemead to see what he says, then I'll approach Foster.
Thanks again guys.
Regards
G!
Bob-Dubery
X-rated Bob wrote:
Norman86 wrote:
R600 for JUST the saddle??
seriously?? ?
they're taking you for a ride imo..
THat depends on what is being done. Big G, you need to clarify. If they're using an off-the-hook drop-in Tusq saddle then, yes, that is expensive. But if they're using a Tusq blank and filing a new saddle from that, then that's reasonable.
Well... MORE reasonable.
Norman86
X-rated Bob wrote:
X-rated Bob wrote:
Norman86 wrote:
R600 for JUST the saddle??
seriously?? ?
they're taking you for a ride imo..
THat depends on what is being done. Big G, you need to clarify. If they're using an off-the-hook drop-in Tusq saddle then, yes, that is expensive. But if they're using a Tusq blank and filing a new saddle from that, then that's reasonable.
Well... MORE reasonable.
more reasonable?! sorry, a saddle is not worth R600, even if it being filed / customized.
Norman86
even here in jhb, shops would do that, plus the setup, and it wuld be R600.
but people will pay what they like hey..
Bob-Dubery
Well, I did some calling around techs I know in Jo'burg stores. Norman is, I think, a little optimistic though it's possible that if you talk nicely and the replacement saddle doesn't need a lot of working to fit your guitar then you might just get in at R600. Excluding the set of new strings you'll need to supply.
Also the R600 for the new saddle does seem high, especially if it's being done with the setup. That said, I don't know what has to be done to carve a saddle from a blank, nor how long it takes. The techs I spoke to said that if the saddle needs to be reprofiled then they charge for time taken - work on R300 per hour.
One thing I picked up is that the Graphtec supply seems intermittent right now. At least one store in Jo'burg is selling rebranded Graphtec parts. There is nothing in anyway inferior about these parts, they are rebranded in the USA. That pushes the price up, but it may mean that there is less waiting for the bits.
Bob-Dubery
Big G,
What's the existing saddle made from? I can't find a spec sheet for that guitar (it's discontinued now) but it doesn't look like the world's worst guitar and what I can find says it's built to a reasonable standard. Maybe the existing saddle is adequate.
Maybe try to find out what's in there before rushing off to buy something else.
Big-G
Well, back from my trip to a different local Luthier (well more of a violin, Cello and D-Bass specialist), and he thinks the saddle thats in here already is Tusq, or at least a hard plastic. I have no clue how to tell what it is?
Anyways, I'm awaiting a reply form Foster at present, so we'll see what he comes up with?
Just to be even clearer, I am looking to lower the action, and have this guitar set up, and a strip of damaged lacquer repaired, but thought if I was going to get this done, I may as well look into getting a Tusq nut and saddle, but I didn't even consider that this one may already have one fitted?!
Its seemingly impossible to find any info on this guitar, since as you mention, its now discontinued, so no sites seem to show the specs?
All I know is that when i pulled it out and took a look at it, it looked like a hard plastic. I hadn't considered that Tusq is also a hard plastic, I was actually expecting bone, as in bone, not bone as in artificial plastic bone.
Anyways... Lets see if I can track down more info on this guitar? I think I'll most likely just get the touch up done, and the setup with the existing saddle?
Cheers
G!
Bob-Dubery
Got a glass topped table handy?
If so, take the saddle out of the guitar and drop it onto the glass table top. Good saddle materials will make a nice, bright, ringing pingy sound when they hit the glass. If it doesn't ring then it's not so good.
