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Post subject: Vintage 3 saddle hell!
Posted: Sun Jan 09, 2011 6:57 pm
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I've rechanged my strings from a .10 gauge to an .11 and now my 12 fret goes flat!! I raised the saddle up more but I still get a flat sound on the D and G stringe on the 12th fret. Please help!!! :(


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Post subject: Re: Vintage 3 saddle hell!
Posted: Sun Jan 09, 2011 9:49 pm
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There will always be a slight intonation issue when using the vintage 3 saddle bridge. Get it as close as you can and try to live with it, or check out some after market compensated brass saddles for this type bridge. www.stewmac.com sells these! Are you running out of screw so that you cannot move the saddle far enough to properly intonate the guitar? Or, you could go back to a .10 gauge string set and set it up like before.


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Post subject: Re: Vintage 3 saddle hell!
Posted: Mon Jan 10, 2011 4:59 am
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The king of those compensated saddles would be the Glendale, if you want to splurge. Or the Wilkinson compensated bridge.
http://www.glendaleguitars.com/Bridge.htm

The Wilkinson to my mind is a little better because you set the diffence between strings yourself, much like a 6 saddle bridge. By pivoting the saddle. Also their incredibly hard to find. As you can see, these are out of stock.
http://www.wdmusic.co.uk/product/Gotoh|Wilkinson_Tele_Bridge_WT3C


I cut my own compensated shelf nut to allieviate such problems.

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In truth I found compensated saddles to not be 'enough' to sort the problem out.

The far better option would be to have a 6 saddle bridge. However I just cannot bring myself to lose the vintage bridge off my tele. How I wish for a vintage style 6 saddle bridge with six individual brass saddles.

Is it too much to ask for? A real mix of old and new.

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Post subject: Re: Vintage 3 saddle hell!
Posted: Mon Jan 10, 2011 6:10 am
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davey77 wrote:
I've rechanged my strings from a .10 gauge to an .11 and now my 12 fret goes flat!! I raised the saddle up more but I still get a flat sound on the D and G stringe on the 12th fret. Please help!!! :(


Why are you raising the saddle?

Use the other screw at the back of the bridge to push the saddle forward. It's in the manual.


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Post subject: Re: Vintage 3 saddle hell!
Posted: Mon Jan 10, 2011 1:13 pm
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nikininja wrote:
The king of those compensated saddles would be the Glendale, if you want to splurge. Or the Wilkinson compensated bridge.
http://www.glendaleguitars.com/Bridge.htm


+1 on the Glendale bridge and saddles. I have been very very impressed with them on my Tele and can't recommend them highly enough.

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Post subject: Re: Vintage 3 saddle hell!
Posted: Tue Jan 11, 2011 1:37 pm
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I just bought my first Tele 3 weeks ago and was going to check the setup. There is a great article in The Fender Telecaster Handbook by Jerry Donahue the might be worth a read. Book has great info on bridge types. Check it out.
I want to keep the vintage bridge.
This is the first time I am dealing with 3 part bridge and it looks a little challenging.


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Post subject: Re: Vintage 3 saddle hell!
Posted: Tue Jan 11, 2011 2:01 pm
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The 3 saddle thing can be a pain in the hole. Like Nikininja I just can't bring myself to change the bridge but it really is frustrating trying to get it just right.

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Post subject: Re: Vintage 3 saddle hell!
Posted: Tue Jan 11, 2011 2:12 pm
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Yeah Jerry Donahue found a way to off intonate the guitar. Basicaly send it out of tune on the D and G, just enough to sort the intonation problem out enough to make it acceptable.

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Post subject: Re: Vintage 3 saddle hell!
Posted: Mon Jan 24, 2011 11:15 am
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I've been using the Jerry Donohue method for some time now and it works for me. You can find the info on line at www.seymourduncan.com, support-choosing and installing-tech tips-saddle up your Telecaster. It doesn't cost anything to try it, good luck.


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Post subject: Re: Vintage 3 saddle hell!
Posted: Mon Jan 24, 2011 1:23 pm
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I'm glad to see I'm not the only one with intonation issues on vintage teles.


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Post subject: Re: Vintage 3 saddle hell!
Posted: Mon Jan 24, 2011 2:29 pm
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I just installed the Graph Tech, self lubricating string tree, as a replacement for the vintage washer. This may improve tuning a little and is a much more high tech design. At least theoretically :lol:
Also installing a new set of DR Pure Blues (pure nickel 1's). Once they have settled a little, I'll tackle the intonation with the current bridge. Donohue - here I come.
Leo Fender, the mechanical geek that he was, would probably be proud of us attempting to tweek and improve his wonderful designs.


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Post subject: Re: Vintage 3 saddle hell!
Posted: Mon Jan 24, 2011 3:10 pm
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DR Pure Nickels 11s is actually what I have on my Tele too, they still dont stay in tune for long. I want to move up to 12s but my frets are pretty low, not sure it would be a wise decision.


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Post subject: Re: Vintage 3 saddle hell!
Posted: Mon Jan 24, 2011 5:35 pm
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Ok lads,
This is from the Paul Balmer "Fender Telecaster Handbook" It is how the man Jerry Donahue said to set up your 3 saddle bridges...this is not my work or words(if only I were that gifted..:) )
"Now on to intonation. Until fairly recently, I felt that a guitar couldn't really play in tune unless each string's 12th harmonic and fret note had the exact same reading on the electric tuner. And of course, they never do on a three saddle bridge. I finally settled on a technique that not only deals with this problem but, to my delight addresses other inherent problems also. Here it is: adjust the middle saddle's intonation screw so that the D string's 12th fret note reads slightly flat of the 12th fret harmonic on your tuner. Then, check out the G string's 12th fretted note. This note should be only marginally sharp of the harmonic. Are you with me? Now tune your guitar, with the open G string reading somewhere between A440 and A439 (so that the 12th fretted note is at A440). Tune the other strings as one would normally. Final adjustments can be made by ear when you compare first position E major and E minor chords. The E major's G# note (third string 1st fret) should no longer seem sharp in the chord; and the open G string should still be perceptively in tune within the E minor chord. Here's another for instance: an A chord barred at the fith fret sounds fine. But when the nearest E is played (fifth string, seventh fret; fourth string, sixth fret; third string, fourth fret; second string, fifth fret), it typically sounds "off". The major third is the culprit (fourth string, sixth fret): it typically sounds sharp. But with my adjustment (the fourth string's 12th fretted note being slightly flat ) that problem no longer exists. There is a small margin of error here, which actually works to the guitarist's advantage! 'Occasionally, depending on the gauge of your strings and the force of your picking hand, it might also serve you to marginally flatten the low E string. I do this as I use 42 and like to hit it fairly hard sometimes. Trust your own ears, though, as each instrument tends to be different, too. 'A final qualification in adopting all the aforementioned technique: a piano tuner may use an electric tuner as a reference. But if he tuned the entire keyboard to be "perfect", it would sound awful. The bottom keys actually must be sharp and the high ones tuned flat. This is the only way the human brain will perceive the piano to be in tune. It's essentially the same concept I've applied here to the Telecaster. I really like this method. Once I adpoted it, my Tele sounded noticeably more in tune than my Strats(across all of the chord shapes)...so I've since made the same adjustments to the Strats! Remember, life is about compromise. Check it out!' Jerry Donahue

This really works. I have done it to all my guitars! Hope that this helps all!
ABS :D


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Post subject: Re: Vintage 3 saddle hell!
Posted: Mon Jan 24, 2011 6:49 pm
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You could try here KTS Titanium bridges-they're compensated 3 piece bridges for Teles here's the contact info : www.kts-america.com or (310)377-2066.

Hipshot also makes compensated 3 piece bridges for Teles : www.hipshotproducts.com

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Post subject: Re: Vintage 3 saddle hell!
Posted: Mon Jan 24, 2011 7:44 pm
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Now I can see why JD's method works for E&A shape barres. He's slightly flattening the 3rd on a E shape barre and the 8va root on the A shape. Also the 5th on a D shape. 3rds and 5ths are not correct in modern music anyway. Slightly flattening them does work well but still doesn't correct the problem.

Still I gave my word, I'll give it a shot.
Thanks ABS

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