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I may want to give an ebony saddle a try......am I on the right track ?....If I think maybe this guitar sounds a little bright, I thought I'd read here some of you have done this.....
I noticed the bridge itself is ebony, and looks about the same length as the one on my L-5 R/I. So, I'm then guessing an ebony saddle would get a similar sound to that.......( ? )
I know someone mentioned a custom-built one........while I may start out w/ a plain vanilla, any names & sources appreciated... are these StewMac /Allparts items ?
Thanks.......Last edited by Dennis D; 09-02-2016 at 11:12 AM.
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09-02-2016 10:58 AM
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An ebony saddle made a huge difference with my Le Grand ...
I'm happy with my L5WES as it, but I'm looking forward to hearing from folks who've tried ebony
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I put an ebony saddle on mine. Way more "acoustic" tone and volume. A bit warmer, but not much. A bit less sustain, but not much.
For me, the ebony stays...ymmv
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My Wes Mo came with an ebony saddle. I prefer the wood to the TOM especially for the unwound strings, it takes a little of the "zing" out and smoothed the transition from the flat wound strings to the unwound steel. My teachers L5 has a rosewood bridge and I might try one. It seems to do the same thing that the ebony did just a bit "better." Then again, I perceived a small but noticeable difference from metal to ebony. I am not sure how much more the rosewood would affect it.
Good luck, compared to the original cost of the guitar, it is a really cheap thing to try!
I will say that the Wes Mo is requiring a different attack from me that I am used to with my Gretsch 6120. This guitar is the true bridge between electric and acoustic and it requires a balance of both techniques. However, when I have it right, the results are STUNNING!Last edited by Ken Olmstead; 09-02-2016 at 12:45 PM.
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Dennis, when I bought Patrick's Wesmo, it came with both bridges. I played it for for a while with the Ebony bridge, then changed it to the TOM and couldn't really tell the difference. One day, I did a session with it with the TOM and it sounded thin to me. I changed it to the Ebony and it thickened right up.
I think the difference is less perceptible if you have a light touch. When you dig in, an ebony bridge subdue the brightness. I hope that helped.
Joe D
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Originally Posted by Joe DeNisco
Well, I'm using Chromes 12's and those have a chimey side but I know that. What I don't maybe need is ' chimey / high times two '. When I'd asked my luthier about that bridge, he said the TOM's afford better intonation. After I'd thought about it, I remembered he'd done just fine with the intonation on L-5 R/I, so it shouldn't be a problem on a WesMo.
I'm thinking I'll give it a try.
So -who makes these saddles ?
Thx JDLast edited by Dennis D; 09-02-2016 at 08:37 PM.
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I have Ebony saddles on my L5's. I love the sound of the wood.
Keith
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Whose saddles did you use ? Originally Posted by floatingpickup
Thx
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you got it buddy. Steve L and Vinny both told me that the TOM will add sustain. So you may see a reduction in sustain when you switch over. Originally Posted by Dennis D
JD
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Mine are Gibson saddles from the 1970's. L5's had Ebony saddles at that time. I bought a couple Ebony saddles from a dealer back then to replace the T.O.M.s on my L5's. They were always the standard saddles on Johnny Smiths too. You can usually find Johnny Smith bridges and saddles on eBay.
Keith
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From what I've read, a rosewood saddle and well fitting bridge adds a lot more warmth to the sound. I think what Joe says is right that if you have a light touch, the difference is not that noticeable. I think the most important thing is the fit of the bridge against the top surface is critical. I did the procedure on all my guitars (except the D'A) where you tape on the sandpaper and refit the bridge. It makes a major difference in my sound even with my light touch.
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I tried for some time to get someone to replace my metal saddle with an ebony one and by the time I found someone who said he could do it, I decided since it was the only arch top I had with that type of bridge I'd leave it alone. It really does play nicely so why mess with it?
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Why weren't those compensated ? My '50's L-7 rosewood bridge is. Interesting. Originally Posted by floatingpickup
Thx. for the photo.
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Has anyone tried the Sadowsky "true tone" bridge on an L5
I've always been curious
True-Tone Bridge ? Sadowsky Guitars
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I see no reason why it shouldn't work. It has the same post spacing as Gibson bridges and is made of ebony. Originally Posted by Bluedawg
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as Patrick would say, an African Blackwood saddle by William Gagnon and you're dun!
Last edited by 2bornot2bop; 09-03-2016 at 08:23 PM.
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I always try ebony bridges on my L5's but always go back to the TOM. Yes I prefer the woody sound of the ebony but great sustain and spot on intonation is more important to me. I have tone knobs on my L5 and amp to compensate for the additional brightness of the TOM. The old TOM's had horrible slop, play, and buzz and had to go but the machining on the new ones is quite good. You give up something with either. It boils down to what is more important to your own ears.
Herb Ellis used a TOM. Joe Pass used a wood. Their 2 sounds is a perfect example of both.
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On Patrick's & 2b's recommendation , I obtained two Bill Gagnon African Blackwood
bridges, a couple of years ago, The L5 has it still and is preferable to a TOM ,ditto
my L4CCES which I sold but kept the AB bridge for another Gibson,. I do not
disagree with Vinny but do not notice any significant loss of sustain with them
and they do muffle the metallic 'ping' which used to manifest itself with a TOM.
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The original Ebony Gibson Johnny Smith bridge (which was also used on L5CES's in the 1970's) did not have a compensated saddle, just a gentle curve. Only the Gibson rosewood bridges were compensated. L5C's and very early 1950's L5CES's had the compensated rosewood bridges. I don't think Gibson ever made a compensated Ebony saddle. I attached pictures of both Gibson bridges. Originally Posted by Dennis D
Last edited by floatingpickup; 09-04-2016 at 02:27 PM.
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Thanks for the photo's Keith. Originally Posted by floatingpickup
Now what about the bases -- violin vs solid ? Are there any consistencies ? I know my '52 L-7 acoustic has a correct violin style , and my L-5 R/I and L-5 WesMo both have solid bases.
My '36 L-7 now has a solid base, but it may have been fitted later.
Interesting, and thanks again !
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And - -has anyone ever changed from a TOM & solid base to ebony w/ violin style base ?
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Some rosewood bases were solid and others had two feet, depending on the time period. I can't exactly remember the timing on that feature though. The Johnny Smith Ebony bridges always had solid bases. Originally Posted by Dennis D
Keith
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Thanks again ! Originally Posted by floatingpickup
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Gibson went from solid bridge basses to double-footed bridge bases in 1952/53.
These bases are much more cost effective because double-footed bridge bases do not need to be carved to match the curvatures of specific Gibson guitar arched tops - they are flexible enough to be used on all of Gibson's arched tops.
Specific deluxe models got ebony bridges - these were fitted to the individual guitars, which involved more labour.Last edited by Hammertone; 09-05-2016 at 10:26 AM.
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Originally Posted by Hammertone
So - are there any generally accepted preferences / conclusions about solid vs violin bases ? ( aside from manufacturing costs ).
Is a violin base louder or more quiet ?
Does one offer more highs or lows than the other ?
Interesting , and thx.
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