Official Luthiers Forum!

Your opinions please. Bone, bleached bone, horn for saddles and nuts
Thank you,

i haven't used the horn but have read that it is not as hard as bone.

natural, unbleached bone almost looks like ivory when buffed up. the bleached looks very white and plasticy, if there is such a word. i only use the natural.

some under saddle pickups seem to work better with a manmade saddle. seems to be a function of the material being of uniform density throughout. so if i'm having trouble with uneven sound quality and have tried everything else, will try tusc. often solves the problem.

If I use man made it will be either Tusc or Mica. but I have use Bone and Black Horn. I just did not like the look of the Black Horn. Most of the time I use un-bleached Bone. But on two highly inlayed custom jobs I use Fossilized Walrus Ivory nut saddle and pins. This would be my choice for every guitar (baring acoustic/elect. saddles) but $200 is a bunch of money for saddle, nut and pins

I have tried just about all the different materials commonly used for nuts and saddles. Buffalo Horn is softer than bone and if you spend the time will buff to a beautiful shine...it smells worse than death! I myself prefer the unbleached bone for the same reasons crazyman said. Plus it is reasonably priced if bought from Christie and I like the tone.

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Dave Bland

remember...

"If it doesn't play in tune...it's just pretty wood"

dave

who is the christie you refe to, and what are the prices like? i just bought a renewed supply that will last a couple of months but i'm always looking at potential sourses.

Hi Bob,
Trust an old guitar players ear...The best saddles are fossilized ivory or elephant ivory. Second best is real bone. Trust me on this.
Tusq is JUNK. Buffalo bone will muffle the trebles...no good.
If you need a good source for ivory let me know and I'll turn you on to a good guy that sells it.
Good luck, WalterK

Christie or Christine...not sure which but we had a "group" buy with her not too long ago. Apparantly she is SM's source...big dealer...good prices. I will try to find invoice or info...I lost alot of vendors when my computer crashed...maybe LAnce will Chime in? Walter is absolutely right about the fossilized Mamouth and Elephant Ivory...problem is it is very expensive. I Agree with Walter about the Tusq and Buffalo as well...I like the unbleached bone...Dave-SKG38461.6312731481

_________________
Dave Bland

remember...

"If it doesn't play in tune...it's just pretty wood"

Never use Buffalo Horn! I had a very picky customer who wanted me to make him a black buffalo horn nut and saddle for his custom classical guitar. I tried to talk him out of it, but he thought the shiny black material would look nice. First it isn’t shiny unless you refinish it and buff it out once you’ve shaped it. When you finish it you have to allow for the finish or the nut and saddle won’t fit. Also, buffalo horn is fibrous and the fibers in the nut will catch the string windings and click when the guitar is tuned. The saddle deformed under the pressure of the strings. Did I tell you my customer is picky? I wasted a lot of time trying to make that nut and saddle work. He then wanted to use black graphite at the nut and saddle, which I also advised him against. I think he finally went back to the original bone nut and saddle that I had made him the year before. My pick is bone. Did you ever wonder why there are still ivory poachers in Africa? They have a market. I stay away from all kinds of ivory for that reason.

[QUOTE=Dave-SKG] Christie or Christine...not sure which but we had a "group" buy with her not too long ago. [/QUOTE]
I this Don Williams may have organized that. I got some of too but I can't remember any more about the supplier than Dave can. Don?

_________________
Tickle your guitar daily, and it'll tickle you back.

Christy Soong is the person y'all are refering to...

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"I want to know what kind of pickups Vince Gill uses in his Tele, because if I had those, as good of a player as I am, I'm sure I could make it sound like that.
Only badly."

Her name is Christie Soong, and you can reach her at:
song@violinandbow.com. Her website is: http://www.violinandbow.com/

What a great deal. I think I ordered 10 nuts and saddles for 1.80 a piece. Not sure on the price, but I think it was less than $2 each. Good luck!
Tracy

I use the unbleached Bone as well. I love the color, and of course it
sounds great. I also have some very cool nuts and saddles that are wickd
cool walrus ivory... dark creme mottled bubbly.....

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John Mayes
http://www.mayesluthier.com

Thank you all very much! Unbleached bone it is.
I don't want an elephant or walrus to die for a nut or saddle.

The walrus' we get the ivory from didn't die for a nut or saddle.. they died
normally.. it is fossilized walrus ivory... as for the elephants.. ehh.. I get
mine from a guy who has documentation, but I guess one can never know
for sure....

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John Mayes
http://www.mayesluthier.com

Documentation? Well lucky thing for that elephant huh John How38462.5606597222

_________________
Tickle your guitar daily, and it'll tickle you back.

Well obviously John the papers don't make a past wrong a right. I wasn't
suggesting such a thing either. But they do, at least, "prove" that it was
not killed post embargo.

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John Mayes
http://www.mayesluthier.com

jes pokin fun John

_________________
Tickle your guitar daily, and it'll tickle you back.

What about Corian? I see that my Martin has this for the nut. I'm not sure on the saddle, but if on one, why not on the other?Darin Spayd38463.8227893518

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DES - Shepherd, MI

I've tried it and don't particularly like it. It seems a little brittle and sand like/stone like. Some of the bone I've used has been equally brittle but given a choice between the two I choose Bone.

_________________
Dave Bland

remember...

"If it doesn't play in tune...it's just pretty wood"

i have had success with corian over some ust's. at times bone's inconsistent density can cause uneven levels from the transducer whereas a manmades uniform density will give a balanced signal. that being said, because of it greater durability i prefer tusc if i have to go to a manmade, but just like the bone-ivory comparison, whether it be for nuts and saddles or bridgepins, price, not tone, often determines what the client will pay for.

i have no problems using fossil ivory, whether it be walrus or mammoth, or scrounged ivory from estate sales, auctions, antique shops, etc. and use old piano key ivory for inlay when i can get it.

michael p, you mentioned mica, which seems to have flown under my radar. what, where, etc.crazymanmichael38464.4153703704

OOPS I miss typed the material is Micarta. It has been used since the sixties it is a bit softer than bone. works well with transducers. It is ivory colored and very consistant in density. Martin used it before going to corrian. I beiever Fender and Gibson use it on transducer saddles. it is pretty good for a man made material but it's apperance is a bit Man Made . StewMac sells it I believe LMI does as well.

ok, micarta i know well.