Acoustic improvements

[Return of Guitlouie]

Hello all.  While my Warmoth is by no means being neglected, I have been playing acoustic a bunch lately.  My acoustic was given to me as a gift, by someone who won it in a sweepstakes.  It is an Epiphone EJ-200.  It is a fairly cheap acoustic (for those who have to pay for one), but for the price point, it is a fairly good guitar.  It doesn't touch the Martin I used to have, but oh well.  Anyway, the thing I have always hated about it is the absolute peice o' crap plastic saddle and bridge pins.  So today, I ordered a bone saddle and bridge pin set from this guy in Georgia who makes really nice stuff, and while I was at it, I had him throw in a bone nut.  Once I get this stuff, I'll give everyone a before and after review.  It is my understanding that on an acoustic, the saddle material makes quite a difference in the sound of the guitar, but now I'll be able to tell for sure.  Anyone ever done this?  Thoughts?

 

[SlingBass]

REAL bone will make a difference.  A lot of stuff floating around is reconstituted (ground up and reformed) bone.  IF you get the real thing you'll notice it and be pleased.  End pins come in a host of differing materials - from plastic to ebony to brass, and everywhere in between.  It's all subjective and to each player's personal taste.  That said...*I* like real bone with ebony end pins  :icon_biggrin:

 

[bbl4ck]

I have not done this, but have considered such a move.  I am very anxious to hear your review...

I have two acoustics:
A Breedlove which does not use end pins [ I really love that design]
A Fender Balboa from around 82'.  The Balboa is a great acoustic for a Fender Jap.  It has a great full sound and takes a lickin' and keeps on tickin'.

I have on a couple occasions almost ordered bone end pins and saddle.  Have not considered the nut, but might as well go all bone if I'm gonna do it.
Who is your man in Georgia that makes the bone parts?  I will be waiting with baited bweath for your review.
:rock-on:

 

[blue313]

I changed out the nut, saddle, and bridge pins on my coworkers 1975 Guild D25.  It was definitely brighter and a bit louder, but the brightness wasn't as noticeable at a full strumming folk attack. 

It had a slightly darker tone and yet projected well to start with though.  Arched mahogany back, mahogany sides and neck, spruce top, rosewood bridge and pad, fourteen fret rosewood board.

 

[Return of Guitlouie]

Yeah, Sling, I have done some research, and that's why I decided to go with this guy, he uses real bone.  He get's his bone from the cattle industry.  He has other material, like fossilized walrus ivory, but from what I've read, the bone seems just as good, and less pricy.  Black Dog, this is the guy:   http://www.guitarsaddles.com/

I'll let you know what I think once I get it all shaped and fitted.

 

[Return of Guitlouie]

Blue, I actually really like the general sound of this guitar, I just feel like the lows are ever so slightly boomy, a hair more articulation of the overall sound will be enough of an improvement for me to feel that it was worth it. 

 

[blue313]

I hope you get what you're looking for.  It doesn't sound like your expectations are unrealistic. 

I haven't bought from that guy, but his prices seem decent if those are preshaped.  I've been paying a bit more than that on eBay, so I'm definitely curious as to his quality.

 

[Return of Guitlouie]

Should be getting my stuff tomorrow!!!  I'm excited!  I know this is not really an update, but whatever.

 

[Mor Paul]

undate?

 

[Mor Paul]

Looks good, and I saw your very favorable review. I'll need to try it someday. I just put some shims in my first acoustic. Plays a lot better now.

 

[Return of Guitlouie]

Ok, so I should have updated this a while ago, but, man, I'm busy lately.  Anyway, here's how it went down.....Bob Colosi sent me me parts in record time, I mean it was like two days or something.  He communicated with me every step of the way, even answering e-mails within hours.  When I received the parts, I was very impressed by the artistic-like quality of them, and the overall heft left my old plastic parts feeling like, well, like little crappy plastic parts.  I literally sat and held these things for a while, just marvelling at the heft, and craftsmanship.  This guy makes nice stuff!!!!  So I ended up having "my guy" install them, because I was afraid I would flub the nut.  Well, I went to get the guitar, and.....I just cannot overstate this....It sounds amazing.   My little $300 epiphone sounds like a $3000 guitar.  It really IS a difference of night and day.  The smooshed, boomy low end is now a tight bass response.  The highs are crystaline, without icepicking the ear.  Everything in between is gorgeous as well.  "My Guy" even commented on how great this guitar sounds now, and he spends his days working on high end Martins, Larriveees, Santa Cruz', and the like.  I really cannot overstate the difference in sound.  I had fairly conservative expectations, but, wow, were they blown away.  This went from craptacular, free guitar that sat in a corner, to one that I want to pick up every day.  In short, if you have a half-assed cheap acoustic sitting around that you like the feel of, get yourself a bone nut and saddle, and it may become a daily player.  

 

[Return of Guitlouie]

Oh, man, Ican't get the friggin pics to show up the right way, and I'm beat.  More tomorrow......................

 

[Mor Paul]

Email them to me. I'll host them. Resize them too, as it was a huge pic.

 

[-CB-]

A note of caution -

I'm not sure which makes more difference, the saddle or the FIT of the saddle.  I emplore you to read up a BUNCH on www.frets.com on saddle fit.  The saddle on an acoustic is transferring energy from string to bridge.  Unlike a solid body, we WANT string energy (vibration) transferred to the top as much as possible.  If there is some looseness or everything is not "just right" on the bridge or saddle... doesn't matter what the material is.

On your Epi nut.... you may need to saw it in half to get it out.  Not hard, just know its a possibility.  Frank shows that too on his frets.com site.  Be sure to score all around the nut really deeply into the finish.  Be prepared for some touch ups.  If you do the touch ups with clear super glue, that'll work pretty well - but do those BEFORE you install the new nut - for obvious reasons. 

 

[Return of Guitlouie]

 

[Return of Guitlouie]

OK, so here are some pics, not great, but you get the idea.  To =CB=:  I read frets.com on an almost daily basis.  I am trying to educate myself.  In this case, however, I didn't want to screw up these great looking parts, and I had someone do it for me.  I DO realize that some of the improvement in the sound of this guitar surely has to do with the fact that I removed the mass produced, poorly set up parts, and replaced them with parts that someone who knows well what they are doing took a great deal of time and paid careful attention to, but I still believe that the material has something to do with it as well.  The pieces that I removed from this guitar were made from the same kind of plastic as a fork you would get from Wendys.  There is no question in my mind that they were robbing this guitar of some tone.  Anyway, "My Guy" did an excellent job of installing these parts, and there will be no touch ups necessary.  The set up is exactly what I was looking for, and I now really enjoy the sound of this guitar. That's it, the end of my adventure, for now.