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Sanding a saddle


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I think the next time I sand a saddle I will made a simple sanding station,so that the bottom of the saddle doesn’t get slightly beveled. Also something that prevents one from taking more material off the front or rear when sanding by having unequal pressure when sanding. I guess I will try making a compensated saddle for my Breedlove,but first I guess I need to figure out the fret board radius.

I had always assumed the radius was the same for all guitars.When I hold my hand out there appears to be a natural radius the hand takes. The Fender Company seems to be using that natural radius of the extended hand on some of their guitars.

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Hello @Triple-o these understring radius gauges may help with determining your fretboard radius.

Understring Radius Gauges

I will be interested in seeing any solution you find to the bridge sanding problem. I have just sanded down a bridge myself today. Inthink it went ok and the guitar plays better but it is a worry that it will end up uneven. Keep us posted!

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Folks that are not in the biz of repairing full time do not need to spend the $ on radius gauges. Truth be told, you really don't need them when doing setups either. The vast majority of the time the saddle gets trimmed from the bottom and not the top. All major manufacturing companies have their board radius match the top of the saddle anyway. Measure string by string will give you all the info that you need.

Best,

Greg V. 

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You can buy a set of perfectly functional radius gauges from eBay ( China).  There are saddle sanding fixtures available from eBay that copy the one from StewMac and hold your work perpendicular to the sanding surface.  I use a granite surface block, but you could put your sandpaper on a thick piece of glass or marble (get a cutoff from the granite countertop place).  Cheaper to let s professional do it for you.

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