Saddle Crowns!!

[Rescon]

Has anyone else noticed, upon installing a new saddle, that Larrivee's crown (top) is almost flat compared to say Bob Colosi's saddles? The bone one that came in my LV-09 isn't even close to the crown of my new FWI. In comparison, there is much more height on the low e,a,d & g side and then it just drops down to almost equall height at the B and high E side.
Anyone think this is normal??   :huh:
Nick

[jimmyd]

I noticed that the crown of a larrivee bone saddle that I installed ona L03 did not follow the exact radius of the fretboard. I know I read a post somewhere, maybe on UMGF, that Martin saddles are somewhat flatter in the middle than the radius of their fretboards. Maybe it's done for a purpose. Maybe unclrob has some insight on this topic.

[ronmac]

The fact is, like everything else guitar related, there is no "normal". I just checked my OM and see what you mean, the Larrivee bone nut has a very large radius.

I am not sure of the exact reasoning for this, but I am not going to question it. My guitar was set up to my specs by Dave Wren (I didn't give him saddle radius spec) and it plays exceptionaly well. That's good enough for me.

Considering the Larrivee fretboard has a compound radius (it changes gradually over the length of the fretboard) how do you determine if the saddle radius is "right"? There is a very traditional long, involved and confusing formula for this but I have adapted my very own scientific method:

1) pick up the guitar
2) smile as it plays effortlessly
3) wonder why time has slowed down
4) wonder why you are late for supper, again

If this happens to you, it is "right". There's no spec for that.

[Scuby]

The bone saddle I ordered from Larrivee was much flatter than the Tusq one that came with my D-03.  As part of the setup, I rounded the area under the "E,A" strings to more closely match the fretboard radius and the original saddle.  I don't know which one was right, but the height at the 12th fret seems to be correct for all the strings and it plays great.

Lew