Knife edge on new rosewood bridge saddle?

**blackcat** · 02-01-2024, 11:38 AM

My question is encapsulated in the heading. Fitting a replacement Ibanez bridge to my AFJ95 and before cutting the slots am wondering if they should be set into a sharp edge or.........? The new bridge as supplied has something of a blunt edge - perhaps 1.5mm.

Thanks in advance.

David

**sgosnell** · 02-01-2024, 01:49 PM

The top of the saddle doesn't need to be a sharp edge. Most have a wider top than 1.5mm. The actual width isn't critical, but the slot angle is. The slot should angle down toward the tailpiece, at least a little. The critical issue is having the highest peak, where the string takes off, be at the front edge, just as the nut slots should have the takeoff point at the fingerboard edge. Having it further back can cause buzzing and intonation issues. The saddle slots should be just deep enough to keep the strings in place, not really any deeper. Ideally the radius of the saddle should match the radius of the fingerboard, although very slightly flatter, because the strings make a cone from the nut to the saddle, although it's a very gradual one. In practice, the same radius as the fingerboard usually works well enough. If the radius isn't correct, some strings will be too low and cause fret buzz while others are slightly too high. This is usually just an issue if the action is set as low as possible, but that's where I try to go. Deepening some saddle slots just a tiny bit can fix the issue. If you set your action higher, where most seem to prefer it, just get the slots deep enough to keep the strings in place and don't futz with it further.