What are the risks of sanding down a guitar saddle?

Question

What are the risks of sanding down a guitar saddle?

Answer 1

A little at a time, to much and you'll get fret rattle, you can always get another saddle; I'm assuming it's plastic. Check out youtube type in "guitar set up" there will be several videos on how to set up your guitar.

Answer 2

That really depends on the type of guitar you have. For a plain acoustic, not too risky because you can always replace the saddle entirely. However, some acoustic-electrics have the pickup directly under the saddle and if you do not follow the original contour EXACTLY, you can lose volume on one or more strings. Either way, keeping the contour correct is the hard part.

You should take a look at some guitar repair books (see Amazon.com), or search the net for "guitar repair" sites. Often these will include photos of the best way to sand down a saddle.

If all else, fails, take it to a decent guitar shop or luthier and investigate the cost of this adjustment. There are lots of ways to adjust string height (action) and it would be best for you to examine all of them before attempting a new set-up.

Good luck!

Kabum

Answer 3

i take it you are wanting to lower the action on  your neck . just a simple adjustment to the tension rod will  do the same thing you may have to wait a few days to give the neck time to react  you start sanding  bridges  &  nuts  you wll throw the intonation out of wack. ive done it