Bookkeeper's Son
June 25th, 2012, 06:25 PM
Well, I went a tiny bit too far when I sanded down my A & L's stock Tusq bridge saddle to lower the action. So, I had the choice of spending ten bucks for a new saddle (plus the time and effort sanding it to the proper height, and not screwing it up again) or putting a shim under the existing one. There is, of course, lots of forum noise about shims dulling the tone, etc., but I really don't take much stock in those theories. And then there's the discussions of specific materials, too. With nothing to lose but a few minutes of my time, I cut a shim from a credit card, which just happens to be exactly 1/32" thick, which translates to 1/64" at the 12th fret - perfect for my target (like I said, I only sanded the saddle a tiny bit too much). Bottom line: I raised the action where it needed to be, and the guitar sounds perfectly fine.