General Information

 Products

 Pricing/Ordering

 FAQs

 What About Bob

 Links

 Image Gallery

 Saddle Shim Kits

 L.R. Baggs Pickups

 B-Band Pickups

 Monster Cables

 Home

 

 

There are many more examples of my work in the "gallery" pages.

 

BONE SADDLES
Bone is the most common and least expensive aftermarket natural material used for saddles. It is denser than any of the synthetic materials and in nearly all cases displays an immediate, noticeable difference after installation. Most of the bone used in today’s guitar saddles comes from Chinese cows or ox.  Is a Chinese cow or ox better than American ones? Probably not, but their bones are cheaper. Additionally, there is no difference between the final product whether the bone came from one animal or the other.  NO animals are unnecessarily murdered just for the purpose of anyone’s guitars.  These are simply the byproducts of the beef industry.  Nearly every guitar in the higher price range ($2000.00 and up) will come with a bone saddle and nut as the standard material.  As I mentioned in the general information page, rarely if ever, will you find ANY hand made guitars in the extreme price ranges that do not come equipped with high quality bone components.  It is unquestionably the standard in that section of the industry.

Bone saddles are a bleached white color, and can occasionally have some darker “speckling” in the grain. Most saddles can also be ordered in what is known vintage bone.  The only difference between this and regular bone is the vintage bone is dyed to a "baby poop" yellow-brown color to give it an aged or vintage look. 

Bone is usually the first step people choose in an aftermarket saddle, as it is relatively inexpensive, and offers significant improvement over factory-installed components.  Bone increases clarity and sustain, provides better overtones, and provides a better high to low end balance.  It provides a much more “focused” high end and punchier low end,  and is not at all shrill like some plastic saddles render the guitar.  Additionally, bone will long outlast the factory installed plastic saddles.

All the saddles I carry are listed on the pricing/ordering page.  If yours is not listed, I can copy it (in nearly every case) out of any of these materials if you can send it in.

    
   
(vintage bone)
Click on any of the images to see an enlarged view.

ELEPHANT IVORY SADDLES
Elephant Ivory has traditionally been a highly sought after material for guitar saddles, nuts and pins.  It is actually less dense than bone, although far less porous which gives the feel that it is harder.  Its consistency from piece to piece is spectacular.  It maintains the ability to polish like glass and has a beautiful off-white/tan/cream appearance with an elegant grain structure.  Elephant Ivory provides a more subtle high end than bone or walrus and does not give the same “aggressive” overtones, although the elephant still provides exceptional clarity and string responsiveness throughout the entire frequency range.  Elephant offers the best string-to-string “balance” of all the materials.  Elephant is by far the most popular choice for those with vintage instruments because of its ability to retain the warm characteristics of such instruments, as well as it's intrinsic "traditional" value.  Elephant is also a very popular choice on 12-string guitars, where balance and the need to not over-brighten the guitar is critical.  ALL the elephant ivory I use is fully documented and legal to buy, sell and ship within the United States only.

Reminder.... I cannot legally ship Elephant Ivory outside of the United States!

Click on any of the images to see an enlarged view.

   WEST AFRICAN HARD IVORY

Sonically, this material is virtually identical to the walrus ivory.  This material is significantly different than the regular elephant ivory.  Elephant Ivory is grouped into two distinctly different types known as “soft ivory” and “hard ivory.” Soft ivory is perfectly suited for and makes up the vast majority of popular usage for ivory, including the material most commonly associated with musical instrument components. 

Hard ivory’s other major departure from soft ivory is its ability to be brilliantly polished to the point where it feels like cold glass.  For this reason, hard ivory has been a favorite material for tactile products such as chess pieces or other crafts that are often hand-held.

A note about your nuts:    This is easily the most common guitar-use for this type of ivory.  I cannot stress strongly enough that this material is undoubtedly the BEST material I have ever come across for nuts and will endure years of the wear and tear this component normally experiences. As with all the nuts I make, they come oversized with the string slots uncut and need to be installed by your local luthier or qualified technician, unless you have experience changing them..

Click on either image to see an enlarged view.

  

SADDLES:  As stated above, hard ivory saddles are sonically identical to fossilized walrus ivory (see description below).  As with any of the ivory saddles, they will long outlast the factory-installed parts and give your instrument the quality components it deserves.

BRIDGE PINS:  Because of the rarity of hard ivory, as well as the fact that sonically speaking there is no discernable difference between the ivories in terms of pin material, all the elephant pins are made from the soft ivory.  I can, however, make hard ivory pins as a custom order if needed.

HISTORY and COOL INFORMATION: Hard Ivory came from smaller animals that lived in Western Africa and are referred to as “Forest Elephants.”  The tusks are smaller, lighter in color and are measurably more dense than standard elephant tusks.  This form of ivory is extremely rare, quite difficult to find, and arguably the hardest ivory one can legally obtain.  

These forest elephants of  Congo and Liberia had very strict harvesting controls imposed by their respective governments,  eliminating nearly all of the poaching.  This is one reason for the extreme rarity of this ivory.   Unlike other areas of Africa, they were overlooked by hunters as potential “trophy elephants” because of the diminutive size of their tusks.  Additionally, if these elephants were legally hunted for any purpose, one tusk was allowed to be retained by the permit holder, the other was required to be turned into the government.  For this reason it is nearly impossible to find these tusks in pairs, which adds to its rarity.  Much of this material I currently have came from tusks which were exchanged as gifts between U.S. and African dignitaries in the early 20th century.

As with the soft elephant ivory I offer, ALL the material I purchase is legally obtained through licensed ivory dealers and in keeping with all standing laws.

West African Hard Ivory nut on a 1981 Flying V

Reminder.... I cannot legally ship Elephant Ivory outside of the United States!


FOSSILIZED WALRUS IVORY SADDLES
Fossilized Walrus Ivory (FWI) became increasing popular due to the controversy of the use of elephant ivory, even after elephant ivory usage became more popular after 1990. FWI is the quickest growing new choice for guitar saddles, nuts and pins.  Even larger manufacturers are now offering FWI as an upgrade in a number of guitar models. 

Fossilized Walrus is harvested from the fossilized remains of LONG dead walrus’ in northern Canada and Alaska. No modern animals are harmed to procure this material. The fact that FWI is more expensive than other materials is due only to the fact that it is less abundant. Unlike elephant ivory, the entire walrus tusk can be used.   The use of different parts of the tusk, along with the fact that a tusk will develop pigmentation depending on where and how long it was buried, results in dramatic patterns, and significant color and pattern differences within each individual piece. 

With a density approximately 25% greater than bone,  it is very well suited for guitar saddle and bridge pin construction.  The Walrus is very similar to the bone in its sonic characteristics but provides better bass response, richer overtones, and sustain.  It is also the brightest sounding of the materials, although not to be mistaken with simply turning up a treble control!  The walrus continues to render the instrument bright and lively, but exceptionally focused.  The high-end notes, although aggressive, still ring out with superb clarity and definition.  Walrus has proven to be the definitive choice for the fingerstyle player, although it is well-suited for use in any style.

  

 

Standard Color (shown above)

 
Click on any of the images to see an enlarged view.

FOSSILIZED WALRUS IVORY, ELEPHANT and BONE

BRIDGE PINS

There are a lot of myths and arguments about the sonic effectiveness of the pins.  Here's the truth.   On some guitars, the pins have produced definable, measurable and unquestionable  acoustic advantages.  On others the results showed negligible difference.  Most customers find "some" difference.  In any case, you're putting a better quality, longer lasting, better looking component in your guitar.  The most commonly found attribute of the pins is increased sustain.  Along the lines of the function of the saddle, the pins will also help create more definitive overtones and dynamic response. 

The pins can be ordered in any number of inlays including    

-Ebony -Abalone - Faux Tortoise & Padauk   ...All of which I regularly carry.   I also stock some custom double-inlays as well.   

ELEPHANT PINS:  Comes only in the standard creme color, the standard coloration of nearly all elephant ivory. 

WALRUS PINS:   The Walrus pins come in a multitude of beautiful colors and patterns.  I keep photographs of every set in stock, but do not keep them listed on this site as they come and go so frequently.  Please let me know, and I will send you any pictures you need..  tell me what size too, so I send you the right pictures!   NOTE: I send these pics out to many people on a daily basis, so there is no way I can guarantee that the set you like will still be available in the time it may take to decide...so grab the set you like while you can. 

BONE BRIDGE PINS:   A lower cost alternative to their ivory counterpart, although sonically speaking, they are nearly identical. They are fairly unassuming in appearance, but still offer a nice sonic improvement over factory-installed plastic or wood pins.

 The pins are sized for the max size found to fit your guitar.  These may require some sanding of a few thousandths along the stem to fit them perfectly to your pin holes.  Remember, every guitar is different, and an instruction sheet is enclosed with all pins to guide you.

BUFFALO HORN BRIDGE PINS:   Buffalo horn pins are more dense than ebony or plastic pins, but not as dense as bone or ivory.  Buffalo horn pins are great for someone who really does not want to change the appearance of a guitar normally equipped with ebony pins, in that the buffalo horn is black.  You probably won't find a big sonic difference, but they will outlast factory installed components, and look darn nice as well.  Contrary to popular belief, these pins are not "bowling ball" black.  They are indeed black, but have wisps of lighter grain through portions of the material giving it a very natural look.   Buffalo pins are available in size 1, 2A & 4.2c only.

 

A note about bridge pin sizing!

Bridge pins come in billions of sizes.  Well, it's not that bad, but there are quite a few and unfortunately I can't carry that many sizes in stock.  Luckily, many of the larger manufacturers such as Taylor and Martin use a standard size bridge pin.  Some of the smaller makers do as well.  Some manufacturers use different size pins on the same guitars.  For this reason, I have developed as best I can, a sizing chart for many manufacturers as shown below.  It's not uncommon to have to make a custom size, and that is something we can do in nearly every case.  You can send a pin in, or better yet.....if you have access to a dial caliper, a handy chart is shown under the sizing chart below to show you dimensions I would need to create them.


Click on any of the images below to see an enlarged view

 

Bone Bridge Pins

   

Double Inlay, Ebony/Abalone             Double inlay, Faux Tortoise/Abalone

 

                

3mm abalone                         3mm faux tortoise                       3mm ebony

 

   
4mm abalone                         4mm faux tortoise                       4mm ebony

 

 NEW!  Vintage dyed pins

size 1 and 2A only

2mm ebony   4mm ebony
2mm faux tortoise   4mm faux tortoise
   
 

Elephant Ivory Bridge Pins

 

  

 

Walrus Ivory Bridge Pins

 
 
Buffalo Horn Bridge Pins
    
 

Here are some helpful sizing & application charts:

BRIDGE PIN SIZES & DIMENSIONS

Size Taper angle Underskirt diameter Slotted? Notes
 1 3 Degree .210" Yes  
 1T 3 Degree .210" Yes Same as size 1 but with slot cut through skirt
 1.3 3 Degree .203" Yes Round head design
 4.3 3 Degree .203" Yes Square head design
         
2A 5 Degree .220" Yes  
4.2C 5 Degree .220" No Sometimes made at .223" depending on application
 

BRIDGE PIN APPLICATIONS

Guitar Pin Size(s) Used Notes
Alvarez various Need measurements as shown in diagram below
Avalon Size 1  
Blueridge Size 1 or 1.3  
Bourgeois Size 4.2C Normally cut to .223" underskirt to match manufacturers pin
Breedlove Size 1.3  
Collings   after 2002 Size 4.2C Normally cut to .223" underskirt to match manufacturers pin
Collings   before 2002 Size 1  
Epiphone various Need measurements as shown in diagram below.
Fender various Need measurements as shown in diagram below
Gibson Size 1, 1.3, or 2A Need measurements as shown in diagram below.
Goodall Size 1 Underskirt is normally about .205"  A size 1 can be fit, although sometimes a 1.3 will work fine depending on guitar
Guild various Need measurements as shown in diagram below
Huss & Dalton Size 1.3 Occasionally I'll find a size 1 on these, but not all that often.
Ibanez various Need measurements as shown in diagram below
Kronbauer Size 1  
Larrivee Size 1  
Martin  after 1994 Size 2A Will normally require some degree of fitting, particularly on newer models.  Pins stick up from factory...  so do mine.
Martin  before 1994 Size 1 On ANY old Martin, it's best to check first..  many of these guitars have been modified over the years
Maton Size 1.3  
Morgan Size 1  
Olson Size 1 Underskirt is normally about .205"  A size 1 can be fit, although sometimes a 1.3 will work fine depending on guitar
Santa Cruz Size 1  
Seagull Size 1 or 1.3 Newer models work better with the size 1.  Size 1.3 otherwise
Tacoma Size 1T Same as a size 1, but with the string slot cut through the skirt
Takamine  various Need measurements as shown in diagram below
Taylor Size 1  
Washburn  various Need measurements as shown in diagram below

What size pin do I need?   How do I measure them?

Good Question!  Many guitars, as listed in the above chart use a standard size pin.  In that case, life is good.  On the other hand,  many manufacturers use varying sizes of pin, and often order pins in bulk, simply fitting what they get to the instrument. 

In this case we need two points of information to get you the correct pin, or make you a custom size if necessary.  To take measurements accurate enough for a correct fit, you'll really need a dial or digital caliper for step 2 of this!

1.  Is the pin slotted and does the slot continue through the skirt or stop below it?

2.  Measure your pin at the following two locations shown in the diagram.  As mentioned above, it is IMPORTANT that these measurements be done with a dial/digital caliper, or other device that will give you the dimension in decimal form to the thousandth  (.210" for example).   Measure in the two places indicated, the lower measurement exactly .750" (3/4") below the top.  This will give us the size of the pin as well as the ability do do some math and figure out the taper angle.

Lastly, PLEASE ensure your measurements are correct !  If in doubt, it's always best to make them slightly oversized and fit them to the guitar. 


NUTS
I can manufacture nuts out of any of the abovementioned materials.  In nearly all cases, the effectiveness of the nut in changing the sonic qualities of your instrument is negligible, although there are certainly a number of circumstances in which you may want to install a new nut on your guitar.  As I have pointed out in other areas of this website, it is my strong recommendation to have your nut installed by an experienced technician or luthier!  Installation of a nut requires a certain degree of experience as well as specialized tools. Even if I construct an EXACT duplicate of the factory-installed nut on your guitar, there will still be a greater degree of “finish work” as compared with the saddle.  Nuts come with the final shaping done, but oversized and with the string slots uncut. 

ENDPINS AND STRAP BUTTONS

I can make press-in 5 degree endpins and strap buttons in Elephant and Walrus.  Both can be ordered with the same inlays as the pins.  I have pieces sold as matching sets as well as individually sold pieces.  Like the pins, I have pictures of all the strap buttons and endpins I currently have in stock.

Click on any of the images to see an enlarged view.
        
Walrus strap buttons and endpins

Bone endpins


  IVORY PICKS
If you like the TOR-TIS brand of faux tortoise picks, then you'll love these.  They are modeled after the most popular shapes and features.   The biggest difference between the ivory and the faux tortoise pick is the ivory offers a more bright and crisp attack whether you are alternate picking or strumming.  One of the things I do differently with my picks when finishing them is I do not polish them like glass.  These are finished perfectly soft and smooth with #800 sandpaper and left as is.  If you've used these before you'll know this is the best way to use them as it will stay in your fingers quite nicely and dramatically reduce dropping them on stage or in your soundhole.  These are very easy to polish if you so choose and unlike plastic picks, the bevels or any other part of the pick can be sanded and modified to suit your taste or playing style. 

I can custom make these to any thickness between 1.25 mm and 2mm although the standard size is 1.5mm

I also make standard pick sizes as well as "mini" versions and can even copy your favorite pick configuration.   Because of the limits of ivory, the smallest thickness of pick I really like to make, where I know it will last a lifetime is 1.25 mm. 

These picks are all made from elephant ivory.  On some occasions I'm able to get fossilized walrus ivory material as well...please call for availability of FWI picks.

Super Bevel:  Beveled edged allow for super quick alternate picking and accentuation of individual notes.

Triple Tip:  Three distinctly different tips:      A) Tight, beveled point    B) Elongated large radius    C) Medium radius     Give the player the ability to suit the attack of the pick to a particular style.

Three Way:  Three identical beveled edges

Standard Pick:  The same shape as the traditional picks you've seen for years

Bambino:  Same shape as the standard, but measuring aprox. 1.1" X .9"     A very comfortable pick for those that don't like holding bulky picks and/or have a more aggressive attack.

Reminder.... I cannot legally ship Elephant Ivory outside of the United States!

 

Click on the images to see an enlarged view.
 
  Super Bevel Triple Tip
     
 
  Bambino Mini & Standard Pick Three Way

 
 

Questions Call: (912) 882-1321 -- Ask for Bob!