We used story sticks extensively in Hab construction to avoid repeated measurement for good reason: because that is where errors tend to occur due to transcription and incorrect origin. Give a volunteer a story stick and tell her to mark every stud 'stick on sill' produces repeatable markings to get chair rail blocking set in. The volunteer does not need to recall multiple measurement, not does she have to make them repeatedly. Provided the single original story stick was made correctly, those hundred of opportunities for errors to be made are avoided. This applies in nearly any setting where repetitive measurements - whether identical mark-outs or variations - are necessary.
While Greenridge never used full length bridge setting templates such as those which led to the 1970-1975 miss-set bridge debacle at Martin, we did use the Saddlematic on just about every instrument that came in the door. Whether to validate correct saddle location or to set new or repair bridges, we avoided the tedium of determining scale length, sussing out the original builder's actual compensation, and identified a whole bunch of those Martins already mentioned with bridges in the wrong place (plus a few newer Martins with iffy saddle placement).
The value of the Saddlematic or similar 12th fret-referenced tool is that - provided you can find the face of the nut and the 12th fret, the measurement for the saddle location will be correct for that instrument's ACTUAL scale length without the need to read, record, and mark out several measurements. While we kept the intonation pins set to produce close to the Martin standard saddle skew, it was easy enough to add the additional length on the bass side to mimic Gibson and other extended bass-side adjustment with a feeler gauge shim.
For a shop doing repair work on just about any fixed or movable-fret instrument, we resorted to actual measurement for far fewer instruments than I would have ever expected, and usually where no 12th fret reference was available. We found a number of errors on both production and custom instruments, but I don't recall the need to redo any bridges or saddles due to our own errors. I do recall a number of times where stated instrument scale length was not anywhere close to actual 'as built' scale length - a task expedited with the Saddlematic. Working with a couple engineers over the time I was at Greenridge gave me a healthy appreciation for the necessity of precise layout work, as well as the range of errors to be avoided by minimizing measurement to that which is strictly necessary. I still have Mr. Stock's back-up 6", 12", 18", 24", 36", and 48" Starrett 5R rules at my shop (and really need to get them back... after I find a few more of those nice satin chrome flex ones).
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