Just installed a bone SADDLE in my L-03R....and

[dragon1952]

Wow! I like it! Jason, from notableguitars, threw in a bone saddle for me to try on my new L-03R. I was going to wait until my new strings arrived, but I couldn't wait. So I slackened the strings and pulled the pins and ball ends out, took the Tusq saddle out and measured it, and then sanded the bone saddle down to size. I can't believe the difference. The L-03 was starting to grow on me, and I started to really appreciate all the areas in which it out-shined my Silver Creek. But there was something missing that the Silver Creek had, and it was this balance and sweetness, which I just figured must have something to do with the smaller size (OM) and the Engleman spruce top (and better strings maybe?  ). But the bone saddle fixed that. With the Tusq, the low end was just a little too dominant. And the mids and highs played alone had amazing clarity, but were slightly sterile and didn't really evoke much emotion. The bone saddle has really balanced out the strings and added a pleasant sweetness. I know some people have said that they preferred the Tusq after trying the bone, but maybe it's just guitar (and string) specific? I was beginning to think these strings sucked, but maybe they're not that bad after all. Anyway, I did expect to hear a difference but I didn't expect it to be so positive.   

[Daysailer]

Glad to hear that you are loving your new Larrivée.

I'm confused a bit though.  Did you change both the Saddle and the Nut or just the saddle.
Your description of removing the pins and sanding the bone down to size, sounds like saddle work at the bridge end of the strings.
The nut is the slotted string guide at the end of the neck just before the tuners.  Did you change that also?

I get those two mixed up all the time...
BTW  Jason is a gem to work with, isnt he..

[dragon1952]

Oh "crum"......no wonder you're confused.....I meant saddle........what a dumbass 

[dragon1952]

Geez.....I said "bone nut" 4 times too  I could see screwing up once, but 4 times?  I hadn't even had my first beer yet either. How embarraskin. Thank goodness for the edit feature. It's not like I'm new to this either. I've done my own setups on my Strats for 3 years. I even have a set of NUT files. 

[dragon1952]

I DO know the difference......
1) saddle
2) nut

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[rick ch]

Thank god he put up a pic of those kind of nuts...

[KY MOOSE]

Good on ya, mate.  Your really havin' some fun with the new git.  Thanks for the update...might have to try the same on the D.  But if you think it'll rob the bass response (the reason I got the RW), then maybe not.

[Michael T]

Good on ya, mate.  Your really havin' some fun with the new git.  Thanks for the update...might have to try the same on the D.  But if you think it'll rob the bass response (the reason I got the RW), then maybe not.

Don't worry about losing bass on your RW dread with bone. I did a FWI in mine, I think it blends the chorus better thru the mids and trebs, maybe a bit cleaner on the low end but certainly no loss for me. Besides, it's a reversible change if you don't care for it. Great entertainment, give one a go.

[dragon1952]

Yeah, it does soften the bass, which I do miss occasionally on certain tunes, but overall the improvement to the string to string balance and sweetness is worth it. But actually, the bass was a bit boomy before too. Of course, that comparison was done with the stock Cleartone strings. Today I got my new D'Addario EJ16 lights, and they do exhibit the same balance and softer bass (but a bit brighter than the Cleartones), but I wonder how the D'Addarios would have worked with the Tusq. I'll have to try that next time.

[magictwanger]

Btw,Daysailer...The great picture shows you "leading",but did you "win"?

[jeremy3220]

I think the bone improves the fullness of the guitar and the Tusq is one that sounds thin. I tried my original Tusq saddle in my OM-03MT the other day and it was very thin sounding especially on the unwound strings. I don't think you should be losing anything with the bone, and if you are you might want to check the fit.

[Safricanplayer]

Glad the bone 'saddle' is working for you..

As has been shared on other threads, experimenting with a bone saddle, different strings and picks is a relatively inexpensive way to really dial in the sound you're looking for, and it might even "temporarily" curb the GAS syndrome The operative word however is "temporarily"

~ Ray ~

[Mr_LV19E]

Today I got my new D'Addario EJ16 lights, and they do exhibit the same balance and softer bass (but a bit brighter than the Cleartones)

The D'Addario's are a little bright when you first put them on, they will mellow in a day or so.

[dragon1952]

I think the bone improves the fullness of the guitar and the Tusq is one that sounds thin. I tried my original Tusq saddle in my OM-03MT the other day and it was very thin sounding especially on the unwound strings. I don't think you should be losing anything with the bone, and if you are you might want to check the fit.

Well I probably should have mentioned that it isn't the best fit. It doesn't fit snugly for some reason, even though it came from Larrivee. I'll be ordering another one from Bob Colosi soon. Man, if I could improve on this any further I'd really be stoked.

[hadden]

I'll be ordering from Bob soon to try this out. What grit sandpaper is good for sanding down the bottom of the saddle? Should you finish with a finer grit to get it smooth?

[jeremy3220]

I'll be ordering from Bob soon to try this out. What grit sandpaper is good for sanding down the bottom of the saddle? Should you finish with a finer grit to get it smooth?

I would probably start with about 120 grit to remove most of the material and 220 for the last little bit. It probably won't make any difference to go higher than 220.

[hadden]

Thanks Jeremy.

[dragon1952]

Actually, I had just a couple pieces laying around, some 60 and 100. I found that the 100 wasn't removing much so I tried the 60. Even with the 60 it took a long time, but surprisingly it came out smooth as a baby's bottom without even having to use the 100.

[jeremy3220]

Actually, I had just a couple pieces laying around, some 60 and 100. I found that the 100 wasn't removing much so I tried the 60. Even with the 60 it took a long time, but surprisingly it came out smooth as a baby's bottom without even having to use the 100.

Yeah, it wouldn't hurt to drop down to 80 or 60 if you need to.

[Mr_LV19E]

I wouldn't go any lower than 80 grit but finish up with 220. Don't try to rush the job if you are doing this for the first time.

And make sure you have the sandpaper mounted to something flat like a piece of glass. I used a combination square laid sideways on the sand paper to obtain a perfect 90 degree angle.