string guage and volume

[webberink]

H Broken,
The saddle material is bone, as is the nut and the bridge pins.  I changed then over from the Tusq that came wit the guitar.  I also pulled the under saddle PU a year ago when I retired and didn't need to plug in any more.  All these mods did make a noticeable difference but not enough in my opinion.  My OM-09 from the same time period which also has had its saddle, nut and pins changed over to bone has more volume and resonance, though admittedly not the complex overtones.  The D-09 has a lot going for it, but it pics at me when I jam with someone who has a $300 Plywood guitar and he walks all over me.
Dave

[Danny]

H Broken,
The saddle material is bone, as is the nut and the bridge pins.  I changed then over from the Tusq that came wit the guitar.  I also pulled the under saddle PU a year ago when I retired and didn't need to plug in any more.  All these mods did make a noticeable difference but not enough in my opinion.  My OM-09 from the same time period which also has had its saddle, nut and pins changed over to bone has more volume and resonance, though admittedly not the complex overtones.  The D-09 has a lot going for it, but it pics at me when I jam with someone who has a $300 Plywood guitar and he walks all over me.
Dave

This may not be the case, but under saddle pickups can require an angled bottom on the saddle. I believe it may be L.R.Baqgs. But maybe some other maker. Its been a while since I made one. If yours is angled on the bottom you may need a new saddle made that is flat on the bottom and makes better contact with the bridge.
   It may be worth pulling the saddle and checking it out.

[webberink]

Hi dependan,
Thanks for the suggestion.  The present bone saddle in my D-09 was made in conjunction with pulling the under saddle PU and is square on the bottom.  And the bridge slot is nice and square and clean too.  I think my issues with the volume and resonance have to do with the weight of the guitar ... which relates to the thickness of the woods, particularly the EIR.  I am going to check out the braces closely.  There just may be a possibility of a slightly loose brace which apparently is a real common tone/volume killer, but I doubt it is the case as this guitar has been like it is since new some 18 years ago.
Dave

[rockstar_not]

The Tusq saddle that came in my L03 has "pads" under each string location on the bottom of the saddle, I suppose to concentrate the down pressure onto the piezo element.

[George]

Ordinarily the pads would be used to either raise the saddle to the proper height to prevent string buzz, or more commonly, to balance the output of the strings which can be a problem with some UST elements.  What are the pads made of?

[skyline]

The Tusq saddle that came in my L03 has "pads" under each string location on the bottom of the saddle, I suppose to concentrate the down pressure onto the piezo element.

Very interesting - like voicing a piano - sideways - sort of - minus 88 felt hammers dedicated to single pitches . . .

I know the hex pickups on Godins have individual saddle/piezo saddles, as do some Schaeller systems, but I thought that was aimed at pitch/voltage conversion for controlling synth systems, and there are six discreet saddles. Is it a valid technique for acoustic guitar pickups with a single saddle?

[rockstar_not]

Ordinarily the pads would be used to either raise the saddle to the proper height to prevent string buzz, or more commonly, to balance the output of the strings which can be a problem with some UST elements.  What are the pads made of?

They are just part of the TUSQ saddle.

Looking at the saddle removed from the bridge looks a bit like this:

______________
|_--_--_--_--_--_|

I'll try to take photos next time I do an overhaul. 

Actually no need - Graphtec still makes them:
http://www.graphtech.com/products/brands/tusq/product-detail/pq-9600-c0-tusq-microbalance-acoustic-saddle-12-radius?id=607cbdde-5a57-44d5-ad10-afff6faaf5d7

[George]

Yes that is a Graph Tech Tusq Microbalance saddle, I have a couple of them for sale on my Reverb site.   I misunderstood what your were describing.  sorry...

[broKen]

I've never seen that one. What's the idea?

[broKen]

Nevermind, looks like gimmick.

[George]

Supposedly, the slots on the bottom are supposed to eliminate dead spots where the bottom of the saddle contacts the bottom of the bridge slot.  String balance is supposed to be improved.  I found that it does not work exactly as advertised, so I prefer a solid bottom bone saddle...

[broKen]

Supposedly, the slots on the bottom are supposed to eliminate dead spots

Looks like it comes with dead spots

[rockstar_not]

Looks like it comes with dead spots

Not sure about that. Pressure is force per unit area. The downward force remains the same while area is reduced and concentrated under each string. If a particular string is too hot, joe supposedly just sands the corresponding pad until achieving better balance with other strings. That's the claim and it does have some merit in the way that there are adjustable pole pieces in most magnetic pickups.

[George]

I found that adjustment is extremely difficult.  Minute changes less than 1/1000th of an inch can create large variances.  Probably varies from guitar to guitar as well.

[rockstar_not]

I never bothered adjusting mine.  It's what Larrivée chose to put on the guitar from the factory.

My fishman died about 2 years after buying the guitar.  Neither Larrivee nor Fishman would do warranty replacement.  I should probably replace the saddle after removing the fishman pickup element.